Benedict XIV was the name used by two closely related minor

antipope An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid- ...

s of the 15th century. The first, Bernard Garnier became

in 1424 and died c. 1429. The second, Jean Carrier, became antipope c. 1430 and apparently left office, whether by death or resignation, by 1437.

1st Benedict XIV

Neither of these claimants was supported by more than a very small faction within the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

. They claimed to be the successors to Benedict XIII, one of the parties to the great

Papal Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...

. In 1417, the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...

resolved the Schism, proclaiming

Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

the new Pope and demanding that Benedict XIII renounce his claim. Benedict XIII, however, remained at a castle in

Peñíscola Peníscola () or Peñíscola (), anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the Province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d'Irta along the Mediterranean coast. It is a po ...

(

kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

) and continued to maintain supporters. He died in 1423, but, the day before his death, he created four cardinals loyal to him, in order to ensure the

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

line. Three of these cardinals met and elected

Antipope Clement VIII :''Antipope Clement VIII should not be confused with Pope Clement VIII.'' Gil Sánchez Muñoz y Carbón, was one of the Avignon Papacy, Avignon antipopes, reigning from 10 June 1423 to 26 July 1429 as ''Clement VIII''. He was born in Teruel betw ...

. However, one of Benedict XIII's cardinals, Jean Carrier, disputed the validity of this election. Carrier, acting as the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...

by himself, elected Bernard Garnier, who took the name Pope Benedict XIV, instead. Carrier was the archdeacon of

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the ...

, near

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

, and Garnier had been the

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

of Rodez. Garnier conducted his office secretly and was known as the "hidden pope": a letter from the Count of Armagnac to

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

indicates that only Carrier knew Benedict XIV's location. Garnier's reign as Benedict XIV ended at his death in 1429 or 1430, although he named four of his own cardinals, one of whom was named Jean Farald.

2nd Benedict XIV

Following Garnier's death, Jean Carrier elected himself as the new pope, and also styled himself Pope Benedict XIV. Carrier, however, had been captured and imprisoned by Antipope Clement VIII. Carrier finished his days in captivity in the castle of Foix.

In fiction

Some imagine that cardinals loyal to him elected a series of increasingly marginal antipopes in 1437 and 1470. For instance, this is the scenario in the 1995 novel ''

l'Anneau du pêcheur ''L'Anneau du pêcheur'' ("the ring of the fisherman") is a 1995 novel by the French writer Jean Raspail. The narrative has two timelines: the time of Benedict XIII, the last antipope of the Avignon Papacy, and contemporary times, when the Cathol ...

'' by the French writer

Jean Raspail Jean Raspail (, 5 July 1925 – 13 June 2020) was a French author, traveler, and explorer. Many of his books are about historical figures, exploration and indigenous peoples. He was a recipient of the prestigious French literary awards Grand Pri ...

.''L'Anneau du pêcheur'', Paris : Albin Michel, 1994. 403 p.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict 14, Antipope Year of birth missing Year of death uncertain Benedict 14 Benedict 14 15th-century antipopes

1st Benedict XIV

2nd Benedict XIV

In fiction

See also

Notes