Born
of humble parents at Sulmona, in the Abruzzi, about 1336; died 6
November, 1406. He studied at Perugia, Padua, and finally at
Bologna, where he graduated under the famous jurist Lignano.
After teaching jurisprudence at Perugia and Padua for some time,
he accompanied his former professor, Lignano, to Rome, where he
was received into the Curia by Urban VI (1378-89). Shortly after
his arrival in Rome, Urban sent him as papal collector to
England, where he remained about ten years. Upon his return to
Rome he became Bishop of Bologna in 1386, and on 5 December,
1387, Archbishop of Ravenna. The latter see he held until 15
September, 1400. In 1389, Boniface IX created him
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and sent him as
legate to Lombardy and Tuscany in 1390. He was universally
esteemed for his piety and learning, and was an able manager of
financial affairs. On 17 October, 1404, he was elected and took
the name of Innocent VII.
His reign fell in the time of the Western Schism; the rival
pope was Benedict XIII (1394-1423). Previous to his election,
Innocent VII, like the other cardinals, had taken the oath to
leave nothing undone, if needs be even to lay down the tiara, in
order to terminate the schism. Shortly after his accession he
took steps to keep his oath by proclaiming a council, but the
disturbances which occurred in Rome brought the pope's good
intentions to naught. The revolutionary element among the Romans
rose up against the temporal authority of the pope, and King
Ladislaus of Naples hastened to Rome to assist the pope in
suppressing the insurrection. For his services the king extorted
various concessions from Innocent, among them the promise that
he would not make any agreement with the rival pope without
stipulating that the king's rights over Naples should remain
intact. Not content with these concessions, which Innocent made
for the sake of peace, Ladislaus desired to extend his rule over
Rome and the ecclesiastical territory. To attain his end he
aided the Ghibelline faction in Rome in their revolutionary
attempts in 1405. Innocent had made the great mistake of
elevating his unworthy nephew, Ludovico Migliorati, to the
cardinalate.
This act of nepotism is the one blemish in the short reign of
the otherwise virtuous pope. But it cost him dear. The cardinal,
angered because the Romans rebelled against his uncle, waylaid a
few of the most influential among them on their return from a
conference with the pope, and had them brought to his house in
order to murder them. The people were highly incensed at this
cruel deed, and the pope had to flee for his life, although he
was in no way responsible for his nephew's crime. He took up his
abode in Viterbo until the Romans requested him to return in
1406. They again acknowledged his authority, but a squad of
troops which King Ladislaus of Naples had sent to the aid of
Colonna was still occupying the Castle of Sant' Angelo and made
frequent sorties upon Rome and the neighbouring territory. Only
after Ladislaus was excommunicated did he yield to the demands
of the pope and withdraw his troops. In the midst of these
political disturbances Innocent neglected what was then most
essential for the well-being of the Church, the suppression of
the schism. His rival, Benedict XIII, made it appear that the
only obstacle to the termination of the schism was the
unwillingness of Innocent VII. The reasons why Innocent did
practically nothing for the suppression of the schism were: the
troubled state of affairs in Rome, his mistrust in the sincerity
of Benedict XIII, and the hostile attitude of King Ladislaus of
Naples. Shortly before his death he planned the restoration of
the Roman University, but his death brought the movement to a
standstill.
