Between Avignon, Munich and Tortosa. Marsilius of Padua's Defensor pacis manuscript in the library of Benedict XIII

While Marsilius of Padua's Defensor pads is considered as one of the most important medieval tracts of political theory, the history of the text has not been adequately reconstructed so far. This paper examines the manuscript Tortosa, Arxiu Capitular de la Catedral, Ms. 141, which provides in all probability a revision of the Defensor pads by the author himself, as is shown by means of a paleographical analysis as well as through textual comparison with Marsilius' Defensor minor. In addition, it proves that the manuscript was present in Avignon at the latest at the time of Benedict XIII, thus confirming its central place in the controversy between Marsilius of Padua and the papal curia in Avignon.