JOHN XXIII. (pope from 1410 to 1415) was born in Naples about 1360. He was of noble descent, his original name being Balthasar Cossa. In his youth he had, along with his brothers, served as a corsair, and at the university of Bologna, which he afterwards entered, he led a loose and intemperate life. After occupying the office of archdeacon of Bologna, he became chamberlain of Boniface IX., and in that office greatly enriched both himself and the pope by his unscrupulous traffic in indulgences. In recognition of the high value of his services he was in 1402 created by Boniface a cardinal, and shortly afterwards he was appointed papal legate to Bologna, which he succeeded in wresting from the Visconti. The scandalous and cruel excesses in which he indulged when governor of the city caused Gregory
XII. to pass against him a sentence of excommunication, but he was restored to his full dignities by Alexander V. The death of this pope, which took place suddenly at Bologna in 1410, was generally believed to have been contrived by the governor, but the cardinals were unanimous in electing him his successor, other two popes, Benedict...
XIII. and Gregory XII., the predecessors of Alexander, being still alive. Previously John had entered into a close alliance with Louis of Anjou, and he now united with him against Ladislaus of Naples, but notwithstanding the victory of Rocca Secca in 1411 he found it necessary to come to ignominious terms with Ladislaus in 1412. The compact was, however, congenial to neither party, and in the following year Ladislaus, advancing on Rome, compelled the pope to flee to Florence and thence to Bologna. In his extremity John implored the protection and help of the emperor Sigismund, who condescended to acknowledge him to the extent at least of requiring him to summon a council at Constance by which his claims and that of the other two rival popes should be decided. John opened the council in person in 1414, but, after consenting to abdicate preliminarily to the council deciding on his claims, he made his escape in disguise to Freiburg, where he obtained the protection of the duke of Austria. On his refusal to return he was solemnly deposed by the council as guilty of a long list of heinous crimes. The duke of Austria then surrendered him to the emperor, and after he had acknowledged the justice of his sentence he was confined iu the castle of Heidelberg. At the end of four years’ imprisonment he obtained his freedom, in all probability through a bribe, and, having made his submission to his successor Martin V., he was appointed by him cardinalbishop of Frascati and dean of the college of cardinals, but he died a few months afterwards.
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