Roman Catholic Pope. Born Cosimo de' Migliorati into a poor family in Sulmona, Italy in 1336, after studying law, he became a papal collector in England for ten years. In 1386, Migliorati was elevated to Bishop of Bologna. The following year, he became Archbishop of Ravenna and was then appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in 1389. He was universally esteemed for his piety and learning, and was an able manager of financial affairs. After the death of Pope Boniface IX, Migliorati was unanimously elected pope on October 17, 1404, during the Great Schism, and took Innocent VII as his name. Because of an unsettled state of affairs in Rome and Innocent's distrust of the sincerity of the rival pope, Benedict XIII, he did little to repair the schism. This was compounded with continuing problems with King Ladislaus of Naples. In 1405, he elevated his nephew Ludovico Migliorati to cardinal. This act of nepotism is considered the only blemish in the short reign of this otherwise virtuous pope. It also had disastrous results as his nephew had some of Innocent's opponents murdered. Despite having nothing to do with this, he was forced to flee for his life north to Viterbo. He returned the following year in 1406 at the request of the Romans. He died later that year in Rome of natural causes.
Roman Catholic Pope. Born Cosimo de' Migliorati into a poor family in Sulmona, Italy in 1336, after studying law, he became a papal collector in England for ten years. In 1386, Migliorati was elevated to Bishop of Bologna. The following year, he became Archbishop of Ravenna and was then appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in 1389. He was universally esteemed for his piety and learning, and was an able manager of financial affairs. After the death of Pope Boniface IX, Migliorati was unanimously elected pope on October 17, 1404, during the Great Schism, and took Innocent VII as his name. Because of an unsettled state of affairs in Rome and Innocent's distrust of the sincerity of the rival pope, Benedict XIII, he did little to repair the schism. This was compounded with continuing problems with King Ladislaus of Naples. In 1405, he elevated his nephew Ludovico Migliorati to cardinal. This act of nepotism is considered the only blemish in the short reign of this otherwise virtuous pope. It also had disastrous results as his nephew had some of Innocent's opponents murdered. Despite having nothing to do with this, he was forced to flee for his life north to Viterbo. He returned the following year in 1406 at the request of the Romans. He died later that year in Rome of natural causes.
Bio by: Frank McGady
Advertisement
See more Innocent VII memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
