John XXIII | |
|---|---|
 Miniature from the Chronicle of theCouncil of Constance byUlrich of Richenthal | |
| Elected | 17 May 1410 |
| Papacy began | 25 May 1410 |
| Papacy ended | 29 May 1415 |
| Predecessor | Roman claimant: Gregory XII Antipapal claimant: Pisan Alexander V Avignonian Benedict XIII |
| Successor | Roman claimant: Gregory XII Antipapal claimant: Avignonian Benedict XIII Florentine Felix V |
| Opposed to | Roman claimant: Pope Gregory XII Antipapal (Avignon) claimant: Antipope Benedict XIII |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 24 May 1410 by Jean-Allarmet de Brogny |
| Consecration | 25 May 1410 by Jean-Allarmet de Brogny |
| Created cardinal | 27 February 1402 byPope Boniface IX |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Baldassarre Cossa |
| Died | 1419 (1420) |
| Buried | Tomb of Antipope John XXIII |
| Alma mater | University of Bologna |
| Coat of arms | .svg) |
| Other popes and antipopes named John | |
Baldassarre Cossa (died 22 December 1419) wasPisanantipope asJohn XXIII (1410–1415) during theWestern Schism. TheCatholic Church today regards him as an antipope in opposition to PopeGregory XII, whom it recognizes as the rightful successor ofSaint Peter. John XXIII was also an opponent ofBenedict XIII, who was recognized by the French clergy and monarchy as the legitimatepope.
Historically, theAnnuario Pontificio recognized John XXIII the legitimate successor of Saint Peter.[1] However, the Western Schism was reinterpreted in 1958 whenPope John XXIII chose to reuse the ordinal XXIII, which is now reflected in modern editions of theAnnuario Pontificio.[2] John XXIII is now considered to be anantipope andGregory XII's reign is recognized to have extended until 1415.
Cossa was born in theKingdom of Naples. In 1403, he served as apapal legate inRomagna. He participated in theCouncil of Pisa in 1408, which sought to end the Western Schism with the election of a third alternative pope. In 1410, he succeededAntipope Alexander V, taking the name John XXIII. At the instigation of KingSigismund of Germany, John XXIII called theCouncil of Constance of 1413, which deposed both John XXIII and Benedict XIII, acceptedGregory XII's resignation, and electedPope Martin V to replace them, thus ending theschism. John XXIII was tried for various crimes, though later accounts question the veracity of those accusations. Towards the end of his life, Cossa restored his relationship with the Church and was madeCardinal Bishop of Frascati by Pope Martin V.
Baldassarre Cossa was born on the island ofProcida in theKingdom of Naples, the son of Giovanni Cossa, lord of Procida.[3] Initially he followed a military career, taking part in theAngevin-Neapolitan war. His two brothers were sentenced to death forpiracy byLadislaus of Naples.[4]
He studied law at theUniversity of Bologna and obtained doctorates in both civil and canon law.[5] Probably at the prompting of his family, in 1392 he entered the service ofPope Boniface IX, first working in Bologna and then in Rome. (TheWestern Schism had begun in 1378, and there were two competing popes at the time, one in Avignon supported by France and Spain, and one in Rome, supported by most of Italy, Germany and England.) In 1386 he is listed as canon of the cathedral of Bologna. In 1396, he became archdeacon in Bologna. He becameCardinal deacon of Saint Eustachius in 1402 andPapal legate inRomagna in 1403.Johann Peter Kirsch describes Cossa as "utterly worldly-minded, ambitious, crafty, unscrupulous, and immoral, a good soldier but no churchman".[6] At this time Cossa also had some links with local robber bands, which were often used to intimidate his rivals and attack carriages. These connections added to his influence and power in the region.[7]
Cardinal Cossa was one of the sevencardinals who, in May 1408, withdrew their allegiance fromPope Gregory XII, stating that he had broken his solemn oath not to create new cardinals without consulting them in advance. In company with those cardinals who had been followingAntipope Benedict XIII of Avignon, they convened theCouncil of Pisa, of which Cossa became a leading figure. The aim of the council was to end the schism; to this end they deposed bothGregory XII and Benedict XIII and elected a new popeAlexander V in 1409.[6] Gregory and Benedict ignored this decision, however, so that there were now three simultaneous claimants to thepapacy.
Alexander suddenly died while he was with Cardinal Baldassare Cossa at Bologna on the night of 3–4 May 1410. On 25 May 1410, Cossa was consecrated a pope taking the name John XXIII. He had become anordained bishop only one day earlier. John XXIII was acknowledged as pope byFrance,England,Bohemia,Portugal, parts of theHoly Roman Empire, and numerous Northern Italian city states, including Florence andVenice and thePatriarchate of Aquileia; and in the beginning and in 1411–1413 by Hungary and Poland. However, the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII was regarded as pope by theKingdoms of Aragon,Castile,Sicily andScotland.Gregory XII was still favored byLadislaus of Naples,Carlo I Malatesta, theprinces of Bavaria,Louis III,Elector Palatine, and parts of Germany andPoland.[8] John XXIII made theMedici Bank the bank of the papacy, contributing considerably to the family's wealth and prestige.[9]
The main enemy of John wasLadislaus of Naples, who protectedGregory XII in Rome. Following his election as pope, John spent a year in Bologna and then joined forces withLouis II of Anjou to march against Ladislaus. An initial victory proved short-lived and Ladislaus retook Rome in May 1413, forcing John to flee to Florence.[6] In Florence he metSigismund, King of the Romans. Sigismund wanted to end the schism and urged John to call a general council. John did so with hesitation, at first trying to have the council held in Italy (rather than in a GermanImperial City, as Sigismund wanted). TheCouncil of Constance was convened on 30 October 1414. During the third session, rivalPope Gregory XII authorized the council as well. The council resolved that all three popes should abdicate and a new pope be elected.[10]
In March, John escaped from Constance disguised as a postman.[10] According to the Klingenberger Chronicle, written by a noble client ofFrederick IV, Duke of Austria, John XXIII traveled down the Rhine toSchaffhausen in a boat, while Frederick accompanied him with a small band of men on horseback. There was a huge outcry in Constance when it was discovered that John had fled, and Sigismund was furious about this setback to his plans for ending the Schism. The King of the Romans issued orders to all the powers on the Upper Rhine and in Swabia stating that he had declared Frederick to be an outlaw and that his lands and possessions were forfeit. In due course this led to a great deal of political upheaval and many Austrian losses in the region, notably inAargau to theSwiss Confederation.
In the meantime, Antipope John XXIII and Frederick fled further downriver along the Rhine to the town ofFreiburg im Breisgau, which recognised the duke of Austria as its lord. There Sigismund's lieutenantLudwig III, Elector Palatine caught up with them. He convinced Frederick that he stood to lose too much by harbouring the fugitive pope, and the Austrian duke agreed to give himself and John up and return to Constance.[11]
During his absence, John was deposed by the council, and upon his return he was tried for heresy,simony, schism and immorality, and found guilty on all counts. The 18th century historianEdward Gibbon wrote, "The more scandalous charges were suppressed; the vicar of Christ was accused only ofpiracy,rape, sodomy, murder andincest."[12] John was given over toLudwig III, Elector Palatine, who imprisoned him for several months inHeidelberg andMannheim.
The last remaining claimant in Avignon,Benedict XIII, refused to resign and was excommunicated.Martin V was elected as new pope in 1417.
Cossa was freed in 1418 after a heavy ransom was paid by the Medici.[9] He went to Florence, where he submitted to Martin V, who made himCardinal Bishop of Frascati. Cossa died only a few months later.
The Medici oversaw the construction ofhis magnificent tomb byDonatello andMichelozzo in theBattistero di San Giovanni in Florence. Pope Martin V protested in vain against the inscription on the sarcophagus: "John the former pope".
J.P. Kirsch remarks that "Undeniably secular and ambitious, his moral life was not above reproach, and his unscrupulous methods in no wise accorded with the requirements of his high office ... the heinous crimes of which his opponents in the council accused him were certainly gravely exaggerated."[6] One historian concluded that John was "a great man in temporal things, but a complete failure and worthless in spiritual things".[4]
John is portrayed bySteven Waddington in the 2016 television seriesMedici: Masters of Florence.[13]
The 1932 thrillerSafe Custody byDornford Yates, references John. Listing the members of an objectionable family, a character in the story says, "Then we come to his nephew—a promising lad of fifteen. He lies, steals, smells, assaults the servants and abuses any animal which he is satisfied will not retaliate. If Gibbon may be believed, Pope John the Twenty-third as a stripling must have resembled him".
In 1983, American political satirist and novelistRichard Condon wroteA Trembling Upon Rome, a novel of historical fiction about the life of Baldassare Cossa.
Russian writer Dmitry Balashov wrote the novelBaltazar Kossa (Бальтазар Косса) about Antipope John XXIII.
He should not be confused withPope John XXIII of the twentieth century. WhenAngelo Roncalli was elected pope in 1958, there was some confusion as to whether he would beJohn XXIII orJohn XXIV; he then declared that he was John XXIII to put this question to rest. There was noJohn XX, since that number was skipped due to an error by MedievalPope John XXI; this is why Gibbon refers to the antipope John as John XXII.
205. Gregorio XII, Veneto, Correr (c. 1406, cessò a. 1409, m. 1417) – Pont. a. 2, m. 6. g. 4. 206. Alessandro V, dell'Isola di Candia, Filargo (c. 1409, m. 1410). – Pont. m. 10, g. 8. 207. Giovanni XXII o XXIII o XXIV, Napoletano, Cossa (c. 1410, cessò dal pontificare 29 mag. 1415)
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