INNOCENZO XIII, PAPA. – Michelangiolo Conti, of the dukes of Poli, born at Poli on 13 May 1655, died at Rome on 7 March 1724. He was governor of Ascoli, Frosinone, and Viterbo, then nuncio in Switzerland (1695–98) and in Lisbon (1698–1709), where he acquired great influence with Queen Maria Anna. Created cardinal on 7 June 1706, he received the diocese of Osimo (1709–12) and subsequently that of Viterbo, which he left in 1719 for reasons of health.
On 8 May 1721 he was elevated to the pontificate by unanimous vote and with the support of Charles VI of Habsburg. He enjoyed a reputation as an active, austere, honest man, skilled in diplomatic dealings; his election was therefore received with great favor, especially by the Romans, who regarded him as their fellow citizen, by Noailles, and by the Jansenists, who remembered his hostile attitude toward the bull Unigenitus. The new Pontiff disappointed many hopes because of his precarious health, his weak and uncertain character, and the disappearance of the misunderstanding that had led people to regard Cardinal Conti as a Jansenist. In reality, his opposition to Unigenitus had been caused by his indignation against Clement XI, who had not consulted the Sacred College: once he became pope, he reaffirmed and upheld the bull issued by his predecessor. When, in fact, in that same year 1721, seven French bishops requested its suppression, he had their letter condemned (8 January 1722). On the other hand, he did not conceal his hostility toward the Jesuits, declaring himself opposed to them in the question of the Chinese rites. His attitude toward the major issue of the time, the conflict between Jesuits and Jansenists, thus exposed him to accusations of uncertainty and weakness from both currents. Similar accusations were directed against him when, although he had, despite every pressure, absolved (1723) and sheltered Alberoni, who had been condemned by his predecessor, he was unable to deny the regent of France the purple for the unworthy Guillaume Dubois. The force of circumstances, more than weakness of character, induced him on several occasions to yield before the will of the European powers and led him to failures in many other political or politico-religious matters: although he had granted Charles VI, on 9 June 1722, the investiture of Naples and Sicily, and had received from him the homage of the Church, he did not obtain the renunciation of the apostolic legation; he protested in vain against the assignment of Parma, a papal fief, to Don Carlos of Bourbon; he repeatedly but unsuccessfully requested the Emperor to return Comacchio; and he failed to conclude a concordat with Spain.
Within the State he worked for the development of culture and the economy, which he sought to promote by allowing the free trade of grain. He created his brother Bernardo a cardinal; but, despite the fears of some, he did not restore the methods of nepotism.