Antipope Clement VIII

Gil Sánchez Muñoz y Carbón, was one of the antipopes of the Avignon Papacy, reigning from 10 June 1423 to 26 July 1429 as Clement VIII. He was born in Teruel between 1369–1370[1] and a member of the Avignon curia. When Alfonso V of Aragon reached an agreement with Pope Martin V, Sanchez Muñoz abdicated, made his submission and was appointed bishop of Mallorca. He died on 28 December 1446.

Antipope Clement VIII should not be confused with Pope Clement VIII.
Antipope Clement VIII
Tomb of Antipope Clement VIII in Palma Cathedral
Papacy began10 June 1423
Papacy ended26 July 1429
PredecessorBenedict XIII
Opposed toMartin V (Roman claimant)
Benedict XIV (Jean Carrier)
Other postsBishop of Majorca
Personal details
Birth nameGil Sanchez Muñoz y Carbón
Born1369
Teruel, Crown of Aragon
Died28 December 1446
BuriedPalma, Kingdom of Majorca
NationalitySpanish

Biography

He was a friend and advisor of the future Avignon Pope Benedict XIII, and member of the Avignon curia. In 1396 he was an envoy to the Bishop of Valencia to get Spanish support. Benedict had appointed four cardinals, and on his death, three of them, on 10 June 1423, elected Sanchez Muñoz as Pope.[2] The fourth, Jean Carrier, absent at the time, declared the election invalid, and elected his own antipope in turn, who took the name Benedict XIV. Consequently, Jean Carrier was excommunicated by Clement VIII.[3]

Clement VIII's fate was bound up with the ambitions of Alfonso V of Aragon. Alfonso wished to negotiate for Naples, and so gave Clement support; his queen Maria of Castile, and the Aragonese bishops supported Martin V. In the summer of 1423 Alfonso persuaded the Republic of Siena to acknowledge Clement VIII, thus securing recognition for the pope of the Avignon line in the very city, Pavia, which was part of the Republic of Siena, where the Roman pope Martin V had convened an ecumenical council of the Church.

However, through the exertions of Cardinal Pierre de Foix, an able diplomat and relation of the king’s, an agreement was reached between Alfonso and the Pope.[4] Alfonso then sent a delegation in 1428 (headed by Alfonso de Borgia, the future Callixtus III), to persuade Clement to recognise Martin. Clement declared his abdication on 26 July 1429 and had his cardinals elect Oddo di Colonna (Martin V) his successor, a formal act precluding future doubts concerning apostolic succession. His abdication was confirmed in mid-August. Clement had to make a penitential submission in forma to Martin V, and when this was done Martin granted Sanchez Muñoz the Bishopric of Mallorca.[5][6] Sanchez Muñoz died on 28 December 1446.

See also

References
  1. George L. Williams, Papal Genealogy: The Families And Descendants Of The Popes, (McFarland & Co. Inc., 1998), 234.
  2. Miranda, Salvador. "Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429)", Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Florida International University]
  3. Michael J. Walsh, Lives of the popes: Illustrated biographies of every Pope from St Peter to the present, (Barnes & Noble Books, 1998), 183.
  4.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Hayes, Carlton Huntley (1911). "Clement/Clement VIII (Antipope)". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 486.
  5. John-Peter Pham, Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession, (Oxford University Press, 2004), 331.
  6. mallorca web site. "Cathedral de Palma de Mallorca: La Seu". Mallorcawebsite.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
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