orig. Pedro de Luna
born с 1328, Illueca, Kingdom of Aragon
died 1423, Peñíscola, in Valencia
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 {{link=Avignon papacy">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).