Innocent VII

Innocent VII (Cosimo de' Migliorati), born with Sulmona in 1336, pope of 1404 with 1406. During its reign, the antipape Benoît XIII held a papal court with Avignon.

Cosimo de' Migliorati was born in a modest family from Sulmona, in the the Abruzzi. It was distinguished by learning the civil law as well as the canon law, as it taught a time with Perugia and Padoue. Its Master Lignano the assistance to going to Rome, where the pope Urbain VI made it enter to the Curie, sent it during ten years in England, appointed it bishop of Bologna in 1386 then archbishop of Ravenne in 1387.

The pope Boniface IX did it cardinal and employed it as legate in several important and delicate missions. When Boniface IX died, of deputy of the pope of Avignon Benoît XIII were present in Rome. The Roman cardinals asked these delegates if their Master would abdicate if the cardinals delayed the election. The delegates answered that not and the cardinals élisirent a new pope then on October 17th, 1404, Innocent VII. They lent however initially oath to make all their possible to put an end to the Great Schism.

With the advertisement of this election, the Gibelins caused a riot in Rome, but the king of Naples Ladislas Ier sent troops to Rome to help the Pope to restore the order. In exchange of this support, Ladislas obtained several concessions of the pope, of which the promise that no agreement which can harm its rights on the Royaume of Naples would be concluded with the pope from Avignon. The rights of Ladislas were indeed disputed by Louis II of Anjou. That was appropriate for Innocent VII, which did not have any intention to sign an agreement with Avignon which could have compromised its rights on the Papal States. It could thus get rid as fast as possible of the obligations rising from its oath.

On the other hand, Innocent VII made the error name cardinal its nephew Ludovico Migliorati - a condottiere having carried out a violent career of soldier, until there with the service of the duke of Milan Jean Galéas Visconti. This act of Népotisme was expensive to him. In August 1405, Ludovico Migliorati attacked by suprise eleven Romans who returned from a conference with the pope. He assassinated them in his house and threw their bodies in the street since the windows of the hospital of Santo Spirito. That caused tumult and the pope, his court and the cardinals - including Migliorati - last fled with Viterbo. The Romans, furious, continued the runaways, which lost thirty men, of which the abbot of Perugia which was killed under the eyes of the pope.

In January 1406, Ladislas Ier again sent troops to Rome to put an end to the riots and the Romans again recognized the temporal authority of the pope, who could go back to Rome. N the other hand, Ladislas wished however to extend its authority on Rome and the Papal States. Its troops occupied the Château Saint-Angel and it was only after being excommunicated by the pope that it withdrew his troops. -----

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