Antipope Alexander V
Catholic cardinal and antipope (1339-1410)
Peter of Candia, also known as Petros Philarges (Greek: Πέτρος Φιλάργης) (c. 1339 – 3 May 1410), denominated Alexander V (Italian: Alessandro), was a claimant to papacy elected by the Council of Pisa during the Western Schism (1378–1417). He reigned briefly from 26 June 1409 to his death in 1410, in opposition to Rome's Gregory XII and Avignon's Benedict XIII. In the 20th century, the Catholic Church reinterpreted the Western Schism by recognising the Roman popes of the period as legitimate. The pontificate of Gregory XII was thus recognized to extend to 1415, and Alexander V was and is now recognized as an antipope.
Life
Peter was born near modern Neapoli in Crete, then subject to the Republic of Venice, in 1339. Born into a Greek family, he was baptised Pietro Filargo, but is often known as Pietro di Candia and Peter Philarges. Italian Franciscans raised him after he was orphaned in his youth.
Peter entered the Franciscan order, and his abilities were such that he was sent to study at a Franciscan convent in Norwich and later at the Universities of Oxford and Paris. While he was in Paris the Western Schism occurred. Peter supported Pope Urban VI (1378–1389).
“Antipope Alexander V” enters the record as catholic cardinal and antipope (1339-1410). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Antipope, Alexander and Catholic can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Antipope Alexander V” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Antipope, Alexander and Catholic provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q262884. VIAF identifies the subject as 620146936846613782986. The Library of Congress control number is no2006054561. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1339, 1410, 1378 and 1417.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Antipope Alexander V”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Antipope Alexander V primary sources, Antipope Alexander V archive and Antipope research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Antipope Alexander V”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Antipope Alexander V” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.