Pope
What was the position of Pope Innocent VI in Dec 1352?
Pope Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( ; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362 ) , born Étienne Aubert , was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in 1362 . He was the fifth Avignon pope and the only one with the pontifical name of Innocent . Early life . Étiennes father was Adhemar Aubert ( 1260-? ) , seigneur de Montel-de-Gelat in Limousin province . 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 in 1338 and Bishop of Clermont in 1340 . On 20 September 1342 , he was raised to the position of Cardinal Priest of SS . John and Paul . He was made cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri on 13 February 1352 , by Pope Clement VI , whom he succeeded . 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 , he sought to restore order in Rome . In 1355 , Charles IV , Holy Roman Emperor , was crowned in Rome with Innocents 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 ( 1360 ) between France and England was brought about . During his pontificate , the Byzantine emperor John V Palaeologus 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 and Benedict XII had been lost during the extravagant pontificate of Clement VI . 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 Avignons 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 is ignored , he retains a high reputation for justice and mercy . However , St . Bridget of Sweden denounced him as a persecutor of Christians . He died on 12 September 1362 and was succeeded by Urban V . Today his tomb can be found in the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction , the Carthusian monastery in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon .