BENEDICT XIII, ANTIPOPE. — Peter of Luna, born at Illueca near Calatayud in Aragon from one of the most noble and wealthy families of the kingdom, studied both laws at Montpellier. Having entered the clerical state, he was appointed canon of Valencia, then of Vich and finally of Tarragona. Gregory XI created him in 1375 cardinal deacon of the title of St. Mary in Cosmedin, but he was rather known by the name of Cardinal of Aragon.
He attended the famous Roman Conclave of 1378, where he supported the candidacy of the archbishop Bartolomeo Prignano, proclaimed (8 Apr. 1378) pope (Urban VI). He soon yielded, however, to the scruples of the rebel cardinals, joined them at Anagni and Fondi and, in September of the same year, participated in the election of the antipope Clement VII.
Enjoying great prestige in Spain, he was sent by Clement as legate a latere to the Iberian peninsula to bring the various kingdoms into obedience. He easily obtained this in Aragon with the help of the famous orator and thaumaturge St. Vincent Ferrer and later in Castile; but only after many efforts also in Portugal. In 1390 he succeeded in convincing Navarre as well. Having returned to Avignon after this triumph, he was appointed papal legate for Flanders and England, where, however, he failed to have the antipope Clement recognized. At the latter’s death (Sept. 1394), though reluctantly, he was unanimously elected by the Sacred College to succeed him under the name of Benedict XIII.
The new antipope confirmed the oath, pre-stated in conclave together with his fellow cardinals, to use all means, including abdication, to restore peace to Christendom, but firmly convinced of being the true pope, he thwarted all proposals put forward for this noble purpose by the ruling princes, the principal universities and various civil and ecclesiastical dignitaries. Neither did the withdrawal of obedience by France and other Catholic nations in 1398 nor the siege of Avignon, which seemed to reduce him to extremities, succeed in bending him. Universally, however, it was desired that the schism end, and for this a compromise between the opposing parties or the judgment of a general council was proposed; B., instead, showed himself willing to meet with Gregory XII, his rival, and for this purpose he went to Liguria; but owing to both their fault the meeting did not take place. The fact displeased everyone; the majority of the cardinals of both sides rebelled, and thus the Council of Pisa was convened in 1409, in which, after deposing B. XIII and Gregory XII, a third pope was elected under the name of Alexander V. But both B. and Gregory remained steadfast in their supreme dignity, and therefore it was deemed necessary to convene a council at Constance in 1414, in which John XXIII, successor of Alexander, was deposed, B. XIII’s resignation was accepted, then Martin V was elected and the unity of the Church was restored.
B., however, did not yield. Abandoned by all and almost alone on the rock of Peñíscola, he died on 29 Nov. 1422, after having created four cardinals, with the aim of perpetuating the schism. This indeed ended only with the abdication of the new antipope Clement VIII in 1429.