HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pope Innocent VI (; 1282 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and ruler of the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
from 18 December 1352 to his death, in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope and the only one with the pontifical name of "Innocent". Étienne Aubert, born in the
Diocese of Limoges The Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and Creuse. After the Concordat ...
, was a civil law professor and held various positions in the church before being appointed as Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia and Velletri by Pope Clement VI. He became Pope Innocent VI on 30 December 1352. As pope, he revoked an agreement asserting the college of cardinals' superiority over the pope and introduced important reforms in church administration. Through his legate, Cardinal Albornoz, he aimed to restore order in Rome. Innocent VI played a significant role in the 1360
Treaty of Brétigny A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...
between France and England. Though he declined an offer to unite the Greek Orthodox Church with the Roman See in exchange for support, his papacy was marked by financial challenges due to wars in Italy and the aftermath of a plague. To address these challenges, he reduced the chapel staff and sold works of art. Innocent VI was a patron of letters and is generally considered just and merciful, although criticized by some, such as St. Bridget of Sweden, for his actions against the
Fraticelli The ''Fraticelli'' (Italian language, Italian for “Little Brethren”) or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the Monastic rule, rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Catholic ...
. He died on 12 September 1362 and was succeeded by Urban V. His tomb is located in the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction in
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (; Provençal: ''Vilanòva d’Avinhon'') is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It can also be spelled ''Villeneuve-lez-Avignon''. History In the 6th century the Benedictine abbey of St André was fou ...
.


Early life

Étienne, born during the late 1280s, was the son of Adhemar Aubert, seigneur de
Montel-de-Gelat Montel-de-Gelat (; ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France Fra ...
in
Limousin Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
province. He was a native of the hamlet of Les Monts,
Diocese of Limoges The Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and Creuse. After the Concordat ...
, and, after having taught civil law at
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, he became successively
Bishop of Noyon The former French Catholic Diocese of Noyon lay in the north-east of France, around Noyon. It was formed when Saint Medardus moved the seat of the bishopric at Vermandois to Noyon, in the sixth century. From 545 to 1146, it was united with the ...
in 1338 and
Bishop of Clermont The Archdiocese of Clermont (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Claromontana''; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Clermont'') is a Latin Church, Latin archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Departments of Fr ...
in 1340. On 20 September 1342, he was raised to the position of
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Priest of SS. John and Paul. In September 1347, Etienne, assigned by Pope Clement VI, accompanied Cardinal Annibaldo as part of a peace envoy which resulted in the Truce of Calais. Etienne was made cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri on 13 February 1352, by
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI (; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death, in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1 ...
, whom he succeeded.Conrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia catholica'' Tomus I, editio altera (Monasterii 1913), p. 36; p. 18.


His papacy

Etienne was crowned pope on 30 December 1352 by Cardinal Gaillard de la Mothe after the papal conclave of 1352. Upon his election, he revoked a signed agreement stating the college of cardinals was superior to the pope. His subsequent policy compares favourably with that of the other Avignon Popes. He introduced many needed reforms in the administration of church affairs, and through his legate, Cardinal Albornoz, who was accompanied by
Rienzi ' (''Rienzi, the last of the tribunes''; WWV 49) is an 1842 opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name (1835). The title is commonly shortened to ''Rienzi' ...
, he sought to restore order in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. In 1355,
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...
, was crowned in Rome with Innocent's permission, after having made an oath that he would quit the city on the day of the ceremony. It was largely through the exertions of Innocent VI that the
Treaty of Brétigny A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...
(1360) between
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
was brought about. During his pontificate, the Byzantine emperor
John V Palaeologus John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. His long reign was marked by constant civil war, the spread of the Black Death and several military defea ...
offered to submit the Greek Orthodox Church to the Roman See in return for assistance against John VI Cantacuzenus. The resources at the disposal of the Pope, however, were all required for exigencies nearer home, and the offer was declined. Most of the wealth accumulated by
John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...
and
Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII (, , ; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was a cardinal and inquisitor, and later, head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death, in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope and reformed monasti ...
had been lost during the extravagant pontificate of
Clement VI Pope Clement VI (; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death, in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1 ...
. Innocent VI economised by cutting the chapel staff (''capellani capelle'') from twelve to eight. Works of art were sold rather than commissioned. His pontificate was dominated by the war in Italy and by Avignon's recovery from the plague, both of which made draining demands on his treasury. By 1357, he was complaining of poverty. Innocent VI was a liberal patron of letters. If the extreme severity of his measures against the
Fraticelli The ''Fraticelli'' (Italian language, Italian for “Little Brethren”) or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the Monastic rule, rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Catholic ...
is ignored, he retains a high reputation for justice and mercy. However, St.
Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden, Bridgettines, OSsS ( – 23 July 1374), also known as Birgitta Birgersdotter and Birgitta of Vadstena (), was a Swedish Catholic Mysticism, mystic and the founder of the Bridgettines. Outside Sweden, she was also known as the ...
denounced him as a persecutor of Christians. He died on 12 September 1362 and was succeeded by
Urban V Pope Urban V (; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death, in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the only Avignon pope ...
. Today, his tomb can be found in the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, the
Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...
monastery in
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (; Provençal: ''Vilanòva d’Avinhon'') is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It can also be spelled ''Villeneuve-lez-Avignon''. History In the 6th century the Benedictine abbey of St André was fou ...
.


See also

* Cardinals created by Innocent VI *
List of popes This chronological list of the popes of the Catholic Church corresponds to that given in the under the heading "" (The Roman Supreme Pontiffs), excluding those that are explicitly indicated as antipopes. Published every year by the Roman Curia ...


References


Sources

* * *''Modified text from the 9th edition (1879) of an unnamed encyclopedia'' *Tomasello, ''Music and Ritual at Papal Avignon 1309–1403.'' Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1983. *Louis XI (king of France), Josepf Frederic, Louis Vaesen, Etienne Charavay, Bernard Edouard de Mandrot-1905.(Googles livres) *Societe' d'etudes de la province de Cambrai, Lille-1907 *Antoine Pellisier (1961). ''Innocent VI :le reformateur, deuxième pape Limousin (1352–1362)''


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Innocent 06 1282 births 1362 deaths People from Corrèze Popes French popes Cardinal-bishops of Ostia Bishops of Noyon Bishops of Clermont Avignon Papacy House of Aubert 14th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Major Penitentiaries of the Apostolic Penitentiary 14th-century popes 14th-century peers of France