Who he was
Pietro Tomacelli came from an old but impoverished noble family of Naples. He was elected in Rome in November 1389 as successor to Urban VI, while the rival line at Avignon continued under Clement VII and then Benedict XIII. Tactful, prudent and firm, he restored respect for the papacy in the countries that obeyed him, ended the independence of the Roman commune, and won back the chief cities of the Papal States. He always held that he was the true pope and refused calls to resign, and he died in Rome in October 1404.
What he is remembered for
He presided over the Jubilees of 1390 and 1400 in Rome, canonised St Bridget of Sweden in 1391, and founded the universities of Ferrara and Fermo. Chroniclers praised his upright life and his skill in ruling, though some accused him of raising money by unworthy means.
Sources
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