Violante de Luna was born into the illustrious House of Luna, one of the most powerful noble lineages in medieval Aragon. The Luna family exercised vast territorial, military, and political influence throughout the Crown of Aragon and maintained close relations with the royal court and the higher clergy.
She was closely related to Antón de Luna (Antonio de Luna), one of the most prominent Aragonese magnates of the early fifteenth century and one of the principal supporters of the Urgellist cause. Contemporary and later chroniclers frequently described Violante and Antón not merely as cousins, but as lovers—a scandal that would significantly shape both her political reputation and her later legend. Though some aspects of this relationship remain obscured by later romantic embellishment, the association between the two became central to her historical memory. She was also niece of Benedict XIII, the Avignon pope known as “Papa Luna,” Benedict XIII, one of the most controversial ecclesiastical figures of the Western Schism.
Violante entered religious life and became abbess of the Cistercian convent of Monastery of Trasobares, an important religious institution in Aragon. Her governance coincided with one of the most unstable periods in Aragonese history.
After the death of King Martin in 1410, the Crown of Aragon remained without a ruler until the Compromise of Caspe in 1412. The Castilian infante Fernando of Antequera was elected king. The Count Jaume II of Urgell refused to accept the decision, claiming his dynastic right was stronger than Fernando’s. He gathered support among Catalan and Aragonese nobles, the most powerful being Antón de Luna.
Antón de Luna launched armed resistance in support of James II of Urgell. Violante did not remain a distant sympathizer; she became one of the rebellion’s most committed participants. Tradition holds that her convent at Trasobares was suppressed or attacked as a consequence of her political defiance, and she abandoned convent life to join the armed resistance. Some accounts state that her uncle, Benedict XIII, excommunicated her or at least withdrew protection from her because of the scandal surrounding her rebellion and personal life.
By 1413 Violante had ceased to be merely an abbess and had become a political combatant. She joined Antón de Luna in defending the Urgellist cause and eventually took refuge in Castle of Loarre, one of the most formidable fortresses in Aragon.
While James II of Urgell was besieged in Balaguer and Antón de Luna continued military operations elsewhere, Violante assumed command of the defense of Loarre Castle. Sources describe her as the principal figure directing resistance inside the fortress. Royal commanders repeatedly offered negotiation and even broad amnesties, but Violante reportedly rejected them. She remained loyal to the Urgellist cause even after its political defeat had become inevitable.
The fortress endured a prolonged siege involving artillery bombardment and isolation. Eventually, with Balaguer fallen and no realistic hope of relief, Loarre surrendered near the end of 1413.
All defenders were pardoned except Violante. She alone was taken prisoner—a clear sign that the Crown regarded her not as a passive dependent, but as a principal rebel. Violante was imprisoned in the dungeons of Loarre Castle, and was later transferred to Sora Castle, considered a safer location, where she remained confined for several months, giving her jailers the impression, because of her fierceness, that she was a woman "possessed by the devil".
Her uncle, Benedict XIII, is said to have intervened to secure her release. Violante traveled to France to reunite with Antón de Luna. Loarre Castle is said to be haunted by her spirit, wandering its corridors, particularly on the night of San Juan. Visitors have reported hearing ghostly footsteps and glimpsing mysterious lights.
