Pope avignon benedict xiii biography

---

Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna, (b. Illueca, Aragon, 1328; d. Peñíscola, near Valencia, 1423) was an Aragonese, and is considered by many Roman Catholics an Antipope.

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 Santa Maria in Cosmedin on 30 December 1375.

When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in 2005, he took the name \u201CBenedict.\u201D It was the 16th time a pope had taken this name.

Well, kind of.

See, about 1,000 years earlier, there was Pope Benedict X, who was actually an antipope, although by the time he was determined to be an antipope, he was already established in the numbering of Benedicts. So he got to stay.

There were a few other Antipopes Benedict too, although they were never included among the official number of popes with that name.

And Pope Benedict IX in the 11th century was elected pope on two separate occasions - the only pope to hold that distinction.

It turns out that there are a lot of interesting stories surrounding the men who have gone by the name Pope Benedict. So we did a little research, and we present to you: A Brief History of Other Popes named Benedict:

Subscribe Now

The Top 5

1. Pope Benedict IX (1032-1044, 1045\u20131046)

Pope Benedict IX was first elected pope in 1032 at the age of 20. In 1044, he was deposed and replaced by Sylvester III.

But in 1045, Benedict had Sylvester expelled and was himself reelected pope. No sooner was he elected, however, then Benedict sold the papacy to Gregory VI and resigned \u2013 for the second time.

Soon after Gregory attempted a reform

•