Innocent X
Giovanni Battista Pamphilj · 1644 – 1655
Condemned Jansenism and protested the Peace of Westphalia, while his famous portrait by Velázquez became one of the great paintings of the Baroque era.
Giovanni Battista Pamphilj was a Roman nobleman who became pope in 1644. He condemned the heresy of Jansenism in the bull 'Cum occasione' (1653) and protested the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years' War but weakened the Church's political influence in Europe. His relationship with his sister-in-law Olimpia Maidalchini, who wielded enormous influence over him, drew sharp criticism. Velázquez painted his portrait in 1650, creating one of the most famous images in art history.
Why He Matters
Innocent X's condemnation of Jansenism defended Catholic teaching on grace and free will. His protest of the Peace of Westphalia, though ignored, was an early signal that the Church's political power in Europe was fading while its spiritual authority endured.