Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna, (b. Illueca, Aragon, 1328; d. Peñiscola, near Valencia, 1423) was an Aragonese, and is considered by many Roman Catholics an Antipope. Capital Zaragoza Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats... Events May 1 - Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton - England recognises Scotland as an independent nation after the Wars of Scottish Independence May 12 - Nicholas V is consecrated at St Peters Basilica in Rome by the bishop of Venice. ... Valencia from space, June 1996 The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Santiago Calatrava, Valencia, Spain. ... Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats... An antipope is one whose claim to being Pope is the result of a disputed or contested election. ...

Pedro de Luna was born at Illueca in Aragon (part of modern Spain) in 1328. He belonged to the de Luna family, who were part of the Spanish noblility. He studied law at the University of Montpellier, where he obtained his doctorate and later taught canon law. His knowledge of canon law, noble lineage and austere way of life won him the approval of Pope Gregory XI, who appointed de Luna to the position of cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin on 30 December 1375. The University of Montpellier, France, is considerably older than its formal founding date, associated with a bull issued by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289, combining all the long-existing schools into a university. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Gregory XI, né Pierre Roger de Beaufort ( 1336 - March 27, 1378), pope from 1370 to 1378, born in Limousin around 1336, succeeded Urban V in 1370 as one of the Avignon popes. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Events October 24 - Valdemar IV of Denmark dies and is succeeded by his grandson Olaf III of Denmark. ...

Later de Luna became a supporter of Robert of Geneva, the Avignon Pope Clement VII, and de Luna was unanimously elected by a conclave of twenty-four cardinals at Avignon on September 28, 1394, following the death of Clement VII on September 16. The conclave consisted of eleven French cardinals, eight Italians, four Spaniards and one cardinal from Savoy. On the death of Urban VI in 1389 the Roman College of Cardinals had chosen Boniface IX; the election of Benedict therefore perpetuated the Western Schism. At the start of his term of office, de Luna was recognised as pope by the kingdoms of France, Scotland, Sicily, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, and Portugal. In 1396 Benedict sent Sanchez Muñoz, one of the most loyal members of the Avignon curia, as an envoy to the Bishop of Valencia to bolster support for the Avignon papacy in Spain. For the other Clement VII who was Pope from 1523 to 1534, see Pope Clement VII. Robert of Geneva (1342-16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, thereby becoming the first antipope of the Western Schism, as Pope Clement VII. He... The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... The word cardinal comes from the Latin cardo for hinge and usually refers to things of fundamental importance, as in cardinal rule or cardinal sins. ... Coat of arms of Avignon Avignon (pronounced in IPA, Provençal: Avignoun) is a commune in southern France with some 88,300 inhabitants in the city itself and 155,500 in the Greater Avignon area. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years). ... Events Expulsion of the Jews from France. ... Robert of Geneva (1342-16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism. ... This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... Urban VI, née Bartolomeo Prignano ( 1318 – October 15, 1389), pope (1378 to 1389), was a native of Naples. ... Events February 24 - Margaret I seizes Albert, thus becoming ruler of Denmark, Norway and Sweden June 15 - Battle of Kosovo between Serbs and Ottomans. ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Boniface IX, né Piero Tomacelli (1356 - October 1, 1404), was the second Roman pope of the Western Schism, (November 2, 1389 - October 1, 1404). ... In Christianity, the East-West Schism, usually called the Great Schism (though this latter term sometimes refers to the Western Schism of 1378), was the event that separated Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism in 1054. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats... Navarre (Spanish Navarra, Basque Nafarroa) is an autonomous community and province of Spain. ... Events September 25 - Bayezid I defeats Sigismund of Hungary and John of Nevers at the Battle of Nicopolis. ...

However, in 1398 the French church withdrew their allegiance from the Avignon papacy. Benedict was abandoned by seventeen of his cardinals, with only five remaining faithful to him. An army led by Geoffrey Boucicaut, brother of the illustrious marshal, occupied Avignon and started a five year siege of the papal palace in 1398, which ended when Benedict managed to escape from Avignon on March 12, 1403 and seek shelter in territory belonging to Louis II of Anjou. Events Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland destroyed. ... Jean II Le Maingre (in Old French, Jehan le Meingre), called Boucicaut (August 28, 1366-1421) was marshal of France and a knight renowned for his military skill. ... The Champeux Gate of the Palais des Papes The Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) in Avignon, France is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. ... Events Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland destroyed. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... Events July 21 - Battle of Shrewsbury. ... The Angevin French prince, Louis II of Anjou (1377 - 1417) was the rival of Ladislas as king of Naples. ...

By this stage, Benedict's authority was no longer recognised in France, Portugal and Navarre, but he was acknowledged as pope in Scotland, Sicily, Aragon and Castile. After the Roman Pope Innocent VII died in 1406, the newly elected Roman pope, Gregory XII, started negotiations with Benedict, suggesting that they both resign so a new pope could be elected to reunite the Catholic Church. When these talks ended in stalemate in 1408, the French king, Charles VI, declared that France was neutral to both papal contenders. Charles helped to organise the Council of Pisa in 1409. This council was supposed to arrange for both Gregory and Benedict to resign, so that a new universally recognised pope could be elected. However, since both Benedict and Gregory refused to abdicate, the only thing that was achieved was that a third candidate to the Holy See was put forward: Peter Philarghi, who assumed the name Alexander V. Innocent VII, born Cosimo de Migliorati ( 1336 - November 6, 1406) was briefly pope at Rome, from 1404 to 1406, during the Western Schism while there was a rival pope, Benedict XIII (1394-1423), at Avignon. ... Events Construction of Forbidden City begins in Beijing. ... Gregory XII, né Angelo Coraria (Venice 1326 - October 18, 1417), pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Innocent VII on November 30, 1406, having been chosen at Rome by a conclave consisting of only fifteen cardinals, under the express condition that, should Benedict XIII, the rival pope at Avignon, renounce all... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... Events December 13 - The Order of the Dragon is officially formated under King Sigismund of Hungary. ... Charles VI the Well-Beloved, later known as the Mad (French: Charles VI le Bien-Aimé, later known as le Fol) (December 3, 1368 – October 21, 1422) was a King of France (1380 – 1422) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ... The Council of Pisa met in 1409 to solve the Great Schism in the Catholic Church. ... Events January 1 - The Welsh surrender Harlech Castle to the English. ... Alexander V (Peter Philarges c. ...

In 1415 the Council of Constance brought this state of affairs to an end. Gregory XII and Baldassare Cossa, who had succeeded Philarghi as the Pisan papal contender in 1410 and had assumed the name John XXIII, both agreed to resign. Benedict, on the other hand, refused to stand down, so he was declared a schismatic and excommunicated from the Catholic Church by the Council of Constance on July 27, 1417. Benedict, who had lived in Perpignan from 1408 to 1417, now fled to the castle at Peñiscola near Valencia in Spain. He still considered himself the true pope, but his claim was now only recognised in the kingdom of Aragon, where he was given protection by King Alfonso V. Benedict remained at Peñiscola from 1417 until his death there on May 23, 1423. Events Friedrich I Hohenzollern (b. ... The Council of Constance was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, called by the Emperor Sigismund, a supporter of Pope John XXIII, the pope recently elected at Pisa. ... Antipope John XXIII, antipope of the Pisan party (1400_1415), (about 1370 - November 22, 1419), was born as Baldassare Cossa. ... Events July 15 – Lithuanian forces under the cousins Władysław Jagiełło of Poland and Witowt of Lithuania decisively defeat the forces of the Teutonic Knights, whose power is broken Jan Hus is excommunicated by the Archbishop of Prague. ... The word schism, from the Greek σχισμα, schisma (from σχιζω, schizo, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... Events Antipope Benedict XIII is deposed, and Pope Martin V is elected. ... Location within France Perpignan ( Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France, and was the capital of the former province of Roussillon (French Catalonia). ... Alfonso V of Aragon (also Alfonso I of Naples) (1396 - June 27, 1458), surnamed the Magnanimous, was the King of Aragon and Naples and count of Barcelona from 1416 to 1458. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ...

The day before his death, Benedict appointed four cardinals of proven loyalty to ensure the succession of another pope who would remain faithful to the now beleaguered Avignon line. Three of these cardinals met on 10 June 1423 and elected Sanchez Muñoz as their new pope, with Muñoz assuming the papal name of Clement VIII. The fourth cardinal, Jean Carrier, the archdeacon of Rodez near Toulouse, was absent at this conclave and disputed its validity, whereupon, Carrier, acting as a sort of one man College of Cardinals, proceeded to elect Bernard Garnier, the sacristan of Rodez, as pope, with Garnier taking the name Benedict XIV. June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ... An archdeacon is a position in Christian churches. ... Rodez is a city in southern France in département of Aveyron. ... The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French, in local Toulouse accent) ( Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced ) is a... This article concerns the two antipopes Benedict XIV, claimants to the papacy during the 15th century. ...

Benedict should not be confused with the Roman Pope Benedict XIII, who reigned from 27 May 1724 to 21 February 1730. For Pedro de Luna, see Antipope Benedict XIII. Benedict XIII, né Pietro Francesco Orsini, later Vincenzo Maria Orsini (Gravina di Puglia, February 2, 1649 - March 2, 1730), was pope from 1724 to 1730. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... Events January 14 - King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne February 20 - The premiere of Giulio Cesare, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, takes place in London June 23 - Treaty of Constantinople signed. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births May 13 - Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. ...

The castle in Peñiscola where he lived from 1417 until his death in 1423 was restored, improved and new walls were added in 1960 when Anthony Mann's film El Cid was partially filmed there. The town and castle of Peñiscola were playing the role of Valencia. The castle is now a popular tourist attraction. 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Anthony Mann (June 30, 1906 - April 29, 1967) was an American actor and film director. ... El Cid is a 1961 movie which was a highly romanticized story of the life of the Spanish knight El Cid. ...

Sources

• Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org).
• Philip Hughes, A History of the Church from Aquinas to Luther, (London, Sheed and Ward, third impression 1993).
• Rev Joseph S. Brusher, Popes Through the Ages "The Great Schism" (http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/civil_n2/histscript5_n2/schism1.html)
• Audio guide to the Papal Palace at Avignon in France.