:''See also, twentieth-century [[pope]] [[Pope John XXIII|John XXIII]]''

[[Image:Johannes XXIII Gegenpapst.jpg|thumb|Antipope John XXIII]]

'''Baldassare Coscia''', (c. 1370 – [[November 22]], [[1419]]), also known as '''John XXIII''', was [[Pope]] or [[antipope]] during the [[Western Schism]] (1410–1415) and is now officially regarded by the Catholic Church as an antipope.

==Biography==
Baldassare Cardinal Coscia was born in [[Procida]] (according to other sources, [[Ischia]]).

He was one of the seven [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]]s who, in May of 1408, deserted [[Pope Gregory XII]], and, with those belonging to the obedience of [[Antipope Benedict XIII]], convened the [[Council of Pisa]], of which Coscia became the leader. They elected [[Pope Alexander V]] in 1409. Coscia succeeded him a year later.

[[Edward Gibbon]] asserts in ''[[The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' that John XXIII was charged with [[piracy]], [[murder]], [[rape]], [[sodomy]], and [[incest]], with the more serious charges being suppressed.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Gibbon
| first = Edward
| authorlink = Edward Gibbon
| title = The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
| publisher = [[Henry George Bohn]]
| year = 1866
| location = London
| pages = 428
| volume = VII
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=BGIOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA428
| accessdate= 2008-01-04.
}}</ref> Of course, this needs to be viewed in the light of the political situation of the time, as the charges were likely trumped up; note the similarity to the charges against the [[Knights Templar]].<ref> “ … the heinous crimes of which his opponents in the council accused him were certainly gravely exaggerated.”
{{Citation
| last = Kirsch
| first = J.P.
| title = John XXIII
| work = [[The Catholic Encyclopedia]]
| publisher = Robert Appleton Company
| year = 1910
| location = New York
| volume = VIII
| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08434a.htm
| accessdate= 2008-01-03.
}}</ref>

[[Image:Grabmaljohannes13.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Tomb of Antipope John XXIII]]]]

He should not be confused with [[Pope John XXIII]] of the [[20th century|twentieth century]]. The fact that there were a number of Popes named John during the first 1400 years of the Church and then no more for over 500 years is probably due to the controversial figure this Antipope represented. When [[Pope John XXIII|Cardinal Angelo Roncalli]] was elected and became Pope John, there was some confusion as to whether or not he would be ''John XXIII'' or ''John XXIV''; he then declared that he was John XXIII to put this question to rest. The decision of the twentieth century Pope John XXIII not to be named John XXIV as might be expected serves as a confirmation of the antipope status of this first John XXIII. It should be noted, however, that the numbering of the Popes called John is debatable (as there was no [[Pope John XX|John XX]]); for example, Gibbon refers to the Antipope John as John XXIII.

The origins of the [[North America]]n student [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] [[Kappa Sigma]] stem from Coscia's governorship of [[Bologna]], where his campaign of assault and robbery against the students of the [[University of Bologna]] led to the formation of a secret organization under the teacher [[Manuel Chrysoloras]] for mutual protection against Coscia's robbers.

With the aid of the [[Emperor Sigismund]], Pope John convened the [[Council of Constance]] in 1415. During the third session rival [[Pope Gregory XII]] authorized the council as well, and soon both Popes abdicated in favor of [[Pope Martin V]]. Coscia, as he was again, was briefly imprisoned in Germany before being freed by Martin V in 1418.

He died in Florence, as [[cardinal bishop]] of [[Tusculum]], in 1419. He is buried in a magnificent tomb in the [[Battistero di San Giovanni]] in Florence.

==See also==
*[[Western Schism]]

==Notes and References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08434a.htm Antipope John XXIII] at [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html The Catholic Encyclopedia]

{{WesternSchism}}
{{Antipopes}}

[[Category:1370 births|John XXIII]]
[[Category:1419 deaths|John XXIII]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Naples|John XXIII]]
[[Category:Antipopes|John 23]]

[[bg:Йоан XXIII (антипапа)]]
[[ca:Joan XXIII de Pisa]]
[[cs:Jan XXIII. (vzdoropapež)]]
[[de:Johannes XXIII. (Gegenpapst)]]
[[es:Juan XXIII (antipapa)]]
[[eo:Johano la 23-a (kontraŭpapo)]]
[[fr:Jean XXIII (antipape)]]
[[gl:Xoán XXIII, antipapa]]
[[hr:Ivan XXIII., protupapa]]
[[it:Antipapa Giovanni XXIII]]
[[la:Ioannes XXIII (antipapa)]]
[[hu:XXIII. János ellenpápa]]
[[nl:Tegenpaus Johannes XXIII]]
[[ja:ヨハネス23世 (対立教皇)]]
[[no:Johannes XXIII (motpave)]]
[[pl:Antypapież Jan XXIII]]
[[pt:Antipapa João XXIII]]
[[ru:Иоанн XXIII (антипапа)]]
[[sr:Јован XXIII (антипапа)]]
[[fi:Johannes XXIII (vastapaavi)]]
[[sv:Johannes XXIII (motpåve)]]