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| John XXIII (antipope) | |
|---|---|
| Name | John XXIII (antipope) |
| Birth name | Baldassarre Cossa |
| Birth date | c. 1370 |
| Birth place | Procida, Kingdom of Naples |
| Death date | 22 December 1419 |
| Death place | Siena, Republic of Siena |
| Occupation | Cardinal, antipope |
| Known for | Leadership of the Pisan Papacy during the Western Schism |
John XXIII (antipope) Baldassarre Cossa, known by his papal name as John XXIII, was an Italian cardinal and claimant to the Papacy during the Western Schism. His tenure as antipope from 1410 to 1415 intersected with major events such as the Council of Constance, and involved interactions with figures including Pope Gregory XII, Pope Benedict XIII, Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, and Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici. His career encompassed roles in the Roman Curia, diplomacy in the Kingdom of Naples, and conflicts tied to the Avignon Papacy.
Baldassarre Cossa was born about 1370 on Procida in the Campania region of the Kingdom of Naples, the son of a local family connected to the maritime and mercantile networks of Naples and Capri. He studied canon law and rose in the clerical hierarchy under the patronage of cardinals associated with the Avignon Papacy and the curial circles tied to Pope Urban VI, Pope Boniface IX, and Pope Innocent VII. Early appointments included service as a protonotary and later as a cardinal-deacon after elevation by Pope Boniface IX; his career intersected with prominent ecclesiastics such as Cardinal Angelo Correr, Cardinal Baldassare Cossa (cardinal contemporaries), and administrators from the Roman Curia who managed benefices in Tuscany and Apulia. He participated in diplomatic missions to the Kingdom of Naples, engaged with rulers like King Ladislaus of Naples, and acquired secular alliances with families linked to Florence and the House of Orsini.
Following the diminishing consensus around the multiple claimants of the Western Schism, factions convened at the Council of Pisa in 1409 seeking to resolve the division among adherents of Pope Gregory XII, Pope Benedict XIII, and other claimants. The council deposed both Gregory and Benedict and elected a new pontiff; the conclave dynamics involved emissaries from France, England, Castile, Aragon, and the Holy Roman Empire. Cossa emerged as a principal candidate through alliances with cardinals from Rome, supporters from Bologna, and secular backers from Ladislaus of Naples and Louis II, Duke of Anjou. Proclaimed pope by the Pisan assembly, he took the name John XXIII, but the election was contested by loyalists to Gregory and Benedict and by representatives of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor who later sought Church reform at the Council of Constance.
As head of the Pisan obedience, John XXIII asserted jurisdictional claims over ecclesiastical benefices in regions including Italy, France, and England, and issued bulls concerning appointments to sees such as Siena, Pisa, and Florence. He negotiated with secular potentates including Ladislaus of Naples, King Henry IV of England's envoys, and the courts of Castile and Aragon to secure recognition and revenues. Administratively he installed cardinals drawn from families like the Colonna and engaged with legal experts schooled at universities such as University of Bologna, University of Paris, and University of Padua to justify his claims. His policies reflected attempts to consolidate the Pisan curia, countermand rival provisions from Avignon and Rome, and to enlist mercenary and condottieri support in contested territories, sometimes clashing with municipal governments of Florence and the Republic of Siena.
John XXIII's tenure was shaped by alliances and rivalries with rulers including Ladislaus of Naples, Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand I of Aragon, and the councils of France and England. He negotiated concordats and attempted to secure military backing from Italian signori such as the House of Este and the Visconti of Milan, while facing opposition from adherents of Pope Gregory XII and Pope Benedict XIII. His interactions with the College of Cardinals involved contentious promotions and depositions, and he contended with reformist pressures emanating from ecclesiastical assemblies convened by Sigismund and the civic magistrates of Florence and Venice. The complex diplomacy surrounding his claim brought him into contact with figures like Cardinal Pierre d'Ailly, Cardinal Jean de la Grange, Cardinal Baldassare Cossa (colleagues), and legal theorists who debated papal authority.
Amid mounting pressure for resolution of the schism, John XXIII traveled to the Council of Constance convened in 1414–1418 under impetus from Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and envoys from England, France, and Spain. Facing deteriorating support and accusations including simony and maladministration, he fled Constance in 1415 but was captured by Frederick II, Duke of Austria's forces and handed over to council authorities. He was imprisoned and later deposed formally by the council, which sought to end rival claimants and restore papal unity, leading to the election of Pope Martin V. After his resignation and the renunciation of claims, he was confined to monastic and episcopal residences, eventually reconciling with the conciliar settlement and retiring to Siena, where he died in December 1419. His confiscated estates and the fates of his appointed cardinals were adjudicated by the council and later by the restored papacy under Pope Martin V.
Historians evaluate John XXIII as a central, controversial figure of the Western Schism, whose career illuminates tensions among rival claimants such as Gregory XII and Benedict XIII, the politics of the Council of Pisa, and the conciliar movement crystallized at Constance. Scholarly debates have compared his actions to those of contemporaries like Antipope Benedict X and earlier schismatic figures, and have examined his role in prompting reforms that influenced the later Conciliarism movement and the consolidation under Pope Martin V. Biographers and ecclesiastical historians reference archival materials in repositories at Vatican Archives, Archivio di Stato di Napoli, and municipal records in Siena and Florence to appraise his patronage networks, legalistic defenses, and the political ramifications for Italian principalities such as Milan, Venice, and Florence. Modern assessments range from critiques of his opportunism to acknowledgment of his administrative competence and the broader structural crises of the Medieval Papacy that shaped his papal claim.
Category:Antipopes Category:People from Procida