Innocent VII
Cosimo Gentile de' Migliorati · 1404 – 1406
A brief papacy during the Western Schism, marked by his patronage of learning and the founding of a university in Rome.
Cosimo was from Sulmona and became pope in 1404 during the ongoing Western Schism. His two-year pontificate was turbulent — he was briefly driven from Rome by political violence. He is best remembered for encouraging humanistic learning and attempting to establish a university in Rome. He died in 1406 without resolving the Schism.
Why He Matters
Even amid the chaos of the Western Schism, Innocent VII invested in education. His interest in founding a Roman university reflected the belief that learning and faith belong together, a conviction the Church has never abandoned.