LUNA encyclopedia topics

LUNA - 4 reference results

Luna, Pedro de, 1328?-1423?, Aragonese churchman, antipope (1394-1417) with the name Benedict XIII. He was a doctor of canon law and as cardinal (1375) became an outstanding member of the Curia Romana. He supported the election of Urban VI, but later switched his allegiance to Robert of Geneva, who, as Antipope Clement VII, launched the Great Schism (see Schism, Great). As Robert's legate in Spain, Cardinal de Luna secured the adherence of his country to the Avignon obedience. On Robert's death, the cardinals at Avignon elected Cardinal de Luna, having first elicited his promise to abdicate should that be necessary to bring an end to the schism. As Benedict XIII, the new antipope proved himself the most able of all of the popes and antipopes of the period. He showed himself unwilling, however, to negotiate an end to the schism. His outright refusal to abdicate at the Council of Pisa (see Pisa, Council of) only made matters worse, and Benedict lost all his obedience but Scotland, Sicily, Castile, and Aragón. The Council of Constance (see Constance, Council of) moved Benedict to even greater intransigence. The council deposed him in 1417. Benedict, forsaken by all but his household, lived on in his fortress at Peñiscola (near Valencia), claiming to be the rightful pope until his death.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Luna, Alvaro de

Luna, Alvaro de, 1391?-1453, constable of Castile, grand master of the Order of Santiago. The favorite of John II of Castile, he virtually ruled the kingdom, winning victories over the Moors (1431) and the rebellious nobles (1445). However he aroused the enmity of John's second wife, Isabel of Portugal, whose schemes led to Luna's trial and execution.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Benedict XIII

orig. Pedro de Luna

(born circa 1328, Illueca, Kingdom of Aragon—died 1423, Peñíscola, in Valencia) Antipope (1394–1423). A French professor of canon law, he was named a cardinal in 1375. When the Western Schism began in 1378, he supported the antipope Clement VII. Elected pope at Avignon (see Avignon papacy), he refused French pressure to abdicate and was besieged in the papal palace (1398). Benedict escaped to Provence in 1403 and won back the obedience of France. He refused to yield when deposed by the Councils of Pisa (1409) and Constance (1417).

Learn more about Benedict XIII with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.