Editing Pope Innocent VI (section)

==His papacy==
Etienne was crowned pope on 30 December 1352 by Cardinal Gaillard de la Mothe after the [[Papal conclave, 1352|papal conclave of 1352]].<ref name=McBrien>{{cite book|first=Richard P. |last=McBrien|title=Lives of the Popes|publisher=HarperCollins|year= 2000|page= 242|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stYqDs2Me_4C|isbn= 9780060878078}}</ref> Upon his election, he revoked a signed agreement stating the college of cardinals was superior to the pope.<ref name=Musto/> His subsequent policy compares favourably with that of the other [[Avignon Papacy|Avignon Popes]]. He introduced many needed reforms in the administration of church affairs, and through his legate, Cardinal [[Gil Alvarez De Albornoz|Albornoz]], who was accompanied by [[Cola di Rienzi|Rienzi]], he sought to restore order in [[Rome]]. In 1355, [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], was crowned in Rome with Innocent's permission, after having made an oath that he would quit the city on the day of the ceremony.{{sfn|Coulombe|2003|p=298}}
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 [[Holy See|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 Avignon's 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.<ref name=McBrien/> He died on 12 September 1362 and was succeeded by [[Pope Urban V|Urban V]]. Today, his tomb can be found in the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, the [[Carthusian]] monastery in [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]].