Innocent VI
Étienne Aubert · 1352 – 1362
Reformed the Avignon papal court's excesses and sent Cardinal Albornoz to restore papal authority in Italy.
Étienne was a French jurist who became a cardinal and then pope in 1352. He immediately set about cutting costs at the Avignon court, which had become notoriously lavish. He dismissed unnecessary officials, required bishops to return to their dioceses, and cracked down on clergy who held multiple benefices. His most consequential decision was sending Cardinal Gil Albornoz to Italy to reassert papal control over the Papal States, a military and diplomatic campaign that would make the eventual return to Rome possible. He died in 1362.
Cutting the Fat
Innocent VI looked at the Avignon court and saw waste. He dismissed superfluous officials, ordered absentee bishops back to their posts, and lived more simply than his predecessors. He also sent Albornoz to Italy with an army to take back the Papal States. He was a practical man doing practical things, and the Church benefited.