INNOCENT XIII, POPE. - Michelangelo Conti, of the dukes of Poli, was born at Poli on 13 May 1655 and died at Rome on 7 March 1724. He served as governor of Ascoli, Frosinone, and Viterbo, then as nuncio to Switzerland (1695–98) and to Lisbon (1698–1709), where he gained great influence with Queen Maria Anna. Created cardinal on 7 June 1706, he held the diocese of Osimo (1709–12) and later that of Viterbo, which he resigned in 1719 for reasons of health.
On 8 May 1721 he was elected pope by unanimous vote, with the support of Charles VI of Habsburg. He enjoyed a reputation as an active, austere, honest, and diplomatically skilled man; his election was therefore received with great favor, especially by the Romans, who regarded him as one of their own, by Noailles, and by the Jansenists, who recalled his hostile stance toward the bull Unigenitus. The new pontiff disappointed many hopes because of his frail health, his weak and vacillating character, and the dissolution of the misunderstanding that had made Cardinal Conti appear Jansenist. In reality, his opposition to Unigenitus had stemmed from indignation at Clement XI for not consulting the Sacred College; once pope, he confirmed and upheld the bull issued by his predecessor. Indeed, when seven French bishops sought its suppression in 1721, 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 Chinese Rites controversy. His stance in the major issue of the day—the conflict between Jesuits and Jansenists—thus drew accusations of vacillation and weakness from both sides. Similar reproaches were directed at him when, despite every pressure, he absolved and sheltered Alberoni (1723), condemned by his predecessor, yet could not refuse the French regent the red hat for the unworthy Guillaume Dubois.
More often than personal weakness, the force of circumstances led him to yield to the will of the European powers and resulted in failures in many political and politico-religious matters: though he granted Charles VI on 9 June 1722 the investiture of Naples and Sicily and 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 and unsuccessfully asked the Emperor for the return of Comacchio; and he failed to conclude a concordat with Spain.
Within the Papal States he promoted cultural and economic development, favoring free trade in grain. He made his brother Bernardo a cardinal, but despite the fears of some, he did not restore the methods of nepotism.