Benedict XIII (born Feb. 2, 1649, Gravina, Kingdom of Naples—died Feb. 21, 1730, Rome) was thepope from 1724 to 1730.

Entering theDominican order in 1667, Orsini taught philosophy at Brescia, Venetian Republic, before PopeClement X made himcardinal in 1672. He was successivelyarchbishop of Manfredonia (1675), of Cesena (1680), and of Benevento (1686). He had taken part in five conclaves for the election of popes before the conclave that chose him on May 29. His attack on the extravagance of the cardinals and on the worldliness of ecclesiastics, most forcefullyasserted at a provincial council atRome (1725), had little effect. His own mode of living was noted for its simplicity, as he retained his monastic lifestyle. He even banned the popularlottery in Rome. Unfortunately, he left state affairs almost entirely to the unpopular cardinalNiccolò Coscia, whose abuse of his office to amass riches marredBenedict’s reign. Papal relations with the Bourbon monarchies of France and Spain, made difficult by the belief in absolutism that prevailed among European kings in the 18th century, were allowed to deteriorate. He continued the opposition of the papacy toJansenism, a Roman Catholic movement ofunorthodox tendencies that had begun in 17th-century France, although he allowed the Dominicans to preach theAugustinian doctrine of grace, which bordered on the Jansenist teaching. A scholar, Benedict wrote many theological works.