Pope Innocent VI

Pope Innocent VI (1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was Pope from 18 December 1352 until his death. His father was Adhemar Aubert (1260-?), seigneur de Montel-de-Gelat in Limousin province. His niece was Catherine Aubert, Dame de Boutheon, also the wife of Randon II, Baron of Joyeuse; she was an ancestor of La Fayette. A Pope at Avignon, the successor of Clement VI, he was a native of the hamlet of Les Monts, Diocese of Limoges (today part of the commune of Beyssac, département of Corrèze), and, after having taught civil law at Toulouse, he became successively Bishop of Noyon and Bishop of Clermont.

In 1342, he was raised to the position of cardinal. On the death of Clement VI, after each cardinal had bound himself to a particular line of policy should he be elected, Aubert was chosen at a papal conclave on 18 December 1352, taking the name of Innocent VI. One of the first acts of his pontificate was to declare the pact to have been illegal and null.

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, he sought to restore order in Rome, where, in 1355, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV was crowned with his permission, after previously 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 (1360) between France and England was brought about. During his pontificate, the Byzantine emperor John V Palaeologus offered to submit the Greek church to the Roman See on condition of 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.

Putatively, he avoided the Black Death by sitting between two fires by himself so his air was not impure.

Most of the wealth accumulated by John XXII and Benedict XII had been lost during the extravagant pontificate of Clement VI. Innocent VI economised by cutting the chapel staff (or the "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, and, if the extreme severity of his measures against the Fraticelli is ignored, he retains a high reputation for justice and mercy. He died on 12 September 1362 and was succeeded by Urban V. Today his tomb can be found in the Carthusian monastery of Villeneuve-les-Avignon.