Editing Pope Innocent XI (section)

==Foreign relations==

===The Battle of Vienna===
{{Main|Battle of Vienna}}
Innocent XI was an enthusiastic initiator of the [[Holy League (1684)|Holy League]] which brought together the [[imperial estate|states]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and King [[John III Sobieski]] of [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland-Lithuania]] who in 1683 hastened to the relief of [[Battle of Vienna|Vienna]] which was being besieged by the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]]. After the siege was raised, Innocent XI again spared no efforts to induce the Christian princes to lend a helping hand for the expulsion of the Turks from [[Ottoman Hungary]]. He contributed millions of scudi to the Turkish war fund in [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] and [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]] and had the satisfaction of hearing of the [[Siege of Belgrade (1688)|capture of Belgrade]] on 6 September 1688.<ref name=kelly288/>

===Pope-burning in London===

During England's [[Exclusion Crisis]] (1679–1681), when [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] sought to exclude the Catholic [[King James II|Duke of York]] from gaining the throne,
the radical Protestants of London's [[Green Ribbon Club]] regularly held mass processions culminating with burning "The Pope" in effigy. Evidently, the organizers of these events were unaware that the actual Pope in Rome was involved in a deep conflict with the King of France&nbsp;– and therefore, far from supporting the drive to get the Duke of York crowned, which served Louis XIV's political ambitions.

===Relations with France===
[[File:Piastre à l'effigie du Pape Innocent XI (1678-1679).jpg|thumb|Innocent XI (1678–1679)]]
The pontificate of Innocent XI was marked by the struggle between the absolutism and hegemonic intentions of Louis XIV, and the primacy of the Catholic Church. As early as 1673, Louis had by his own power extended the right of the ''[[régale]]'' over the provinces of [[Languedoc]], [[Guyenne]], [[Provence]], and [[Dauphiné]], where it had previously not been exercised.

All the efforts of Innocent XI to induce Louis XIV to respect the rights and primacy of the Church proved useless. In 1682, the King convoked an [[assembly of the French clergy]] which adopted the four articles that became known as the [[Gallican Liberties]]. Innocent XI annulled the four articles on 11 April 1682, and refused his approbation to all future episcopal candidates who had taken part in the assembly.<ref name=kelly287/>

To appease the Pope, Louis XIV began to act as a zealot of Catholicism. In 1685, he revoked the [[Edict of Nantes]] and inaugurated a persecution of French [[Huguenots]]. Innocent expressed displeasure at these drastic measures and continued to withhold his approbation from the episcopal candidates.

[[File:Innocent XI Dec 1688.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Tachard, with [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Siam]]ese envoys, translating the letter of King [[Narai]] to Pope Innocent XI, December 1688]]

Innocent XI irritated the King still more that same year by abolishing the much abused [[right of asylum]], by which foreign ambassadors in Rome had been able to harbor in embassies any criminal wanted by the papal court of justice. He notified the new French ambassador, [[Marquis de Lavardin]], that he would not be recognised as ambassador in Rome unless he renounced this right, but Louis XIV would not give it up. At the head of an armed force of about 800 men Lavardin entered Rome in November 1687, and took forcible possession of his palace. Innocent XI treated him as [[excommunication|excommunicated]] and on 24 December 1687 placed under [[interdict]] the [[San Luigi dei Francesi|Church of St. Louis]] at Rome where Lavardin attended services.<ref name=kelly288/>

In January 1688, Innocent XI received the diplomatic mission which had been dispatched to France and the Holy See by [[Narai]], the King of [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Siam]], under [[Guy Tachard]] and [[Ok-khun Chamnan]] in order to establish relations.

===Cologne controversy===
[[File:InocencioXIb.jpg|245px|right|[[List of extant papal tombs|Monument to Pope Innocent XI]], St. Peter's Basilica|thumb]]
The tension between the Pope and the King of France was increased by Innocent's procedure in filling the vacant [[Electorate of Cologne|archiepiscopal see of Cologne]]. The two candidates for the see were Cardinal [[Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg]], then [[Bishop of Strasbourg]], and [[Joseph Clemens of Bavaria|Joseph Clemens]], a brother of [[Max Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria]]. The former was a willing tool in the hands of Louis XIV and his appointment as Archbishop and [[Prince-elector]] of Cologne would have implied French preponderance in north-western Germany.

Joseph Clement was not only the candidate of Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] (1658–1705) but of all European rulers, with the exception of the King of France and his supporter and cousin, King [[James II of England]] (1685–88). At the election, which took place on 19 July 1688, neither of the candidates received the required number of votes. The decision, therefore, fell to Innocent XI, who designated Joseph Clemens as Archbishop and Elector of Cologne.

Louis XIV retaliated by taking possession of the papal territory of [[Avignon]], imprisoning the [[papal nuncio]] and appealing to a general council. Nor did he conceal his intention to separate the French Church entirely from Rome. The Pope remained firm. The subsequent fall of James II in England destroyed French preponderance in Europe and soon after Innocent XI's death the struggle between Louis XIV and the papacy was settled in favour of the Church.<ref name=kelly287/>

===Innocent XI and William of Orange===
Innocent XI dispatched [[Ferdinando d'Adda]] as nuncio to the [[Kingdom of England]], the first representative of the Papacy to go to England for over a century. Even so, the Pope did not approve the imprudent manner in which [[James II of England|James II]] attempted to restore Catholicism in England. He also repeatedly expressed his displeasure at the support which James II gave to the autocratic King Louis XIV in his measures against the Church. It is not surprising, therefore, that Innocent XI had less sympathy for James than for [[William III of England|William of Orange]]<ref>[[Crane Brinton]], "Italy and the Papacy, 1655 A.D.-1799 A.D." in ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (1941), Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.</ref> and that he did not afford James help in his hour of trial.<ref name=kelly288>Kelly, 288</ref> Innocent refused to appoint James II's choice as a Cardinal, [[Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet]].