The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
[Antipope] Benedict XIII (1394-1423)
Consistory of September 22, 1397 (II)


(2) 1. PÉREZ CALVILLO, Fernando (second third of the 14th century-1404)

Birth. Second third of the 14th century, Tarazona. Son of Mallen Pérez Calvillo. Brother of Bishop Pedro Pérez Calvillo of Tarazona.

Education. Obtained a doctorate in canon law at the University of Bologna.

Early life. In his youth, he had an illegitimate son (1).

Priesthood. Ordained (no further information found). Canon of the cathedral chapter of Tarazona; its dean in 1370. Archpriest of Calatayud, 1361. Chamberlain and referendary of Our Lady of El Pilar of Zaragoza. Attended the conclave of April 7-9, 1378 as conclavist of Cardinal Pedro Martínez de Luna y Gotor, future Antipope Benedict XIII. At the beginning, he supported the election of Pope Urban VI but later, like his patron the cardinal, he changed his opinion. Chaplain and auditor of the Sacred Palace.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Vich, October 7, 1383; took possession by procurator on March 7, 1387. Consecrated before October 28, 1388. At this time, he donated thirty nine volumes on theology and canon law to the church of Tarazona; among them was the collection of the sermons that he had composed and delivered; during his episcopate, he was in a constant fight with the cathedral chapter; the canons asked King Juan I of Aragón to request Antipope Clement VII to transfer the bishop to another diocese. Transferred to the see of Tarazona, December 4, 1391; confirmed, March 7, 1392; he succeeded his brother Bishop Pedro. In 1393, Pseudocardinal Pedro Martínez de Luna y Gotor called him to Avignon and took him to the Conference of Leulinghen between France and England; the pseudocardinal tried unsuccessfully, as legate of the antipope, to move the dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester to the Avignon obedience. When Pseudocardinal Martínez de Luna became Antipope Benedict XIII in 1394, he named Bishop Pérez Calvillo papal chamberlain and sent him on several embassies. On January 12, 1395, he left for Paris, with Gil Bellamera y Pierre de Blain, future cardinal, with the mission of impeding the Assembly of the Clergy from adopting the via cessionis. Named papal referendary in April 1396. He was in Avignon during the embassy of the three French dukes and transmitted to them the messages of the antipope. Also in 1396, he named Julión Lobera y Valtierra, canon of Tarazona and future cardinal, his vicar general. In that same year, he went in secret mission to Rome before Pope Boniface IX to try to attract him to the via conventionis, which the antipope favored; violent scenes occurred between the two interlocutors; the bishop of Tarazona dared to call Boniface IX "antipope" and to threaten him with an armed intervention; on his return trip, he concerted with the prefect of Rome, Giovanni Sciarra, the turning over of the citadel of Civitavecchia for 12.000 florins, to the antipope; the project failed because of the slowness of Antipope Benedict XIII in producing the agreed sum and to the versatility of the prefect.

Cardinalate. Created pseudocardinal priest of Ss. XII Apostoli in the consistory of September 22, 1397; received the red hat on September 24, 1397; on that same day, the antipope held a banquet in honor of the promoted; retained the administration of his see until his death. When France abandoned the obedience of Antipope Benedict XIII and the papal palace was sieged, he was one of the five pseudocardinals who remained on his side. He personally contributed to the defense of the fortress. His house, contiguous to the palace, was soon occupied and ransacked. Taking advantage of a pause in the hostilities, he wrote a long letter to Francisco Climent, dated October 1, 1398, imploring quick assistance from the cathedral chapter of Barcelona and from King Martín I. On March 1, 1400, he signed a document as vice-chancellor of the Church. At the beginning of 1404, he visited the cathedral of his see; this was the last act of his episcopate.

Death. Before July 21, 1404, Tarazona. Buried in a beautiful mausoleum of alabaster in the chapel of San Lorenzo, in front of the tomb of his brother, in the cathedral of Tarazona; his brother had started the construction of the chapel and he had finished it. He left his cathedral jewels and ornament of extraordinary value.

Bibliography. Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 738; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1931, p. ; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 29, 40, 486 and 526; Goñi Gaztambide, José. "Calvillo, Fernando Pérez." Diccionario de historia eclesiástica de España. 4 vols and Supplement. Dirigido por Quintín Aldea Vaquero, Tomás Marín Martínez, José Vives Gatell. Madrid : Instituto Enrique Flórez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1972-1975; Suplemento (1987), Suppl., 106-108.

Webgraphy. Biography by Herbert González Zymla, in Spanish; DB~e, Diccionario Biográfico Español; biography, in Spanish, Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa.

(1) On April 24, 1400, from Avignon, he instituted a mayorazgo in favor of his grandson Juan Pérez Calvillo and his descendants in Malón and Maloncillo.

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(3) 2. BOIL, Jofré de (?-1400)

Birth. (No date found), Valencia. Son of Pere Boil i Colom, señor of Manises, and Úrsula de Codinats. His first name is also listed as Gaufredo; and his last name as Ronyl; as Bohyl; as Boïl; as Boyl; and as Boilly.

Education. (No information found).

Early life. Procurator of the king of Catalonia-Aragón to the court of Antipope Benedict XIII. Papal referendary.

Cardinalate. Created pseudocardinal deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro in the consistory of September 22, 1397; received the red hat on September 24, 1397; on that same day, the antipope held a banquet in honor of the promoted. Named legate in Aragón.

Death. November 7, 1400 (1), (no place found). Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, col. 738-739; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1931, p. 154; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 29 and 50.

Webgraphy. Biographical data, in English, grec.net.

(1) This is according to "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931, p. 154; and Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, p. 29 and 50; Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 739, citing several sources, says that he died 1401, 1402 or 1403.

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(4) 3. SERRA, Pedro (second third of the 14th century-1404)

Birth. Second third of the 14th century, Barcelona (1). His first name is also listed as Pere. He was called the Cardinal of Catania.

Education. Obtained a doctorate in law.

Early life. Cleric of the city of Gerona.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Catania in 1396; occupied the see until his promotion in 1397. Consecrated (no information found). Named chancellor of King Martin I of Sicily, future king of Aragón, his cousin. He accompanied the king during his stay in Avignon from March 31 to May 12, 1397.

Cardinalate. Created pseudocardinal priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti in the consistory of September 22, 1397; he was absent from Rome when he did not write the antipope to thank him for the promotion, the latter, astonished, decided not to send him the red hat; King Martín I wrote the pseudocardinal advising him to be courteous; the pseudocardinal followed the advice, and the antipope sent him the red hat (2). Six months later, Antipope Benedict XIII was anxious to know where Pseudocardinal Serra was and what were his plans; some said that he was returning to Sicily, and other that he had to stay in Catalonia as chancellor of Aragón, while Chamberlain Climent had announced that he was leaving for Castellar; the antipope wanted to know the truth because his main concern was to know the attitude of the pseudocardinal in respect to the papal affairs, as he wrote on June 22, 1400; a letter from the king, dated January 31, 1400, to the pseudocardinal and the cathedral chapter helped to partially clarify the situation; as the monarch was going to Barcelona, staying in the palacio mayor, he was that the house of the "capiscol" were assigned to the pseudocardinal, whom he needed at his side continuously; a year later, King Martín I of Aragón, founded a school of medicine in Barcelona; among the witnesses was Pseudocardinal Pedro Serra; on December 20, 1401, the latter was in "loco de Altura" with the king (3). After Antipope Benedict XII escaped from the Avignonese palace, the pseudocardinal accompanied him in his trip to Italy, where he fell ill and died.

Death. October 8, 1404 (4), or shortly before, of the plague, Genoa. Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, col. 739; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1931, p. 154; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 30, 47 and 177; Goñi Gaztambide, José. "Serra, Pedro." Diccionario de historia eclesiástica de España. 4 vols and Supplement. Dirigido por Quintín Aldea Vaquero, Tomás Marín Martínez, José Vives Gatell. Madrid : Instituto Enrique Flórez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1972-1975; Suplemento (1987), IV, 2439-2440.

Webgraphy. Biography by Fernando Rodríguez de la Torre, in Spanish, DB~e, Diccionario Biográfico Español; biographical entry, in English, Enciclopèdia Catalana; his arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) This is according to "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)", Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931, p. 154; and his biographical entry in English, linked above; Goñi Gaztambide, "Serra, Pedro." Diccionario de historia eclesiástica de España, IV, 2439; says that he was born in Gerona.
(2) The antipope communicated his decision to his chamberlains Pedro de Cagarriga and Francisco Climent, canons of Lérida and Barcelona respectively; the pseudocardinal had written the antipope indicating that he was going from Sicily to see the king for some important businesses; although it was not customary to the cardinalitial insignias, the antipope said that he was making an exception for Pseudocardinal Serra because of the siege of the papal palace in Avignon, November 22, 1399.
(3) This is according to Goñi Gaztambide, "Serra, Pedro." Diccionario de historia eclesiástica de España, IV, 2440; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)", Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931, p. 154, says that he left the obedience of Antipope Benedict XIII in August 1398 together with the majority of his cardinals.
(4) This is according to Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 739; Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, I, 30 and 47; and "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VI. Les cardinaux du Grand Schisme (1378-1417)", Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1931, p. 154; his biographical entry in English, linked above, says that he died in 1405.

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