Who he was
Étienne Aubert was a professor of civil law at Toulouse and a senior judge before entering the Church, becoming Bishop of Noyon and of Clermont, a cardinal in 1342, and Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia. He was elected at Avignon in December 1352 and at once declared void the pact by which the cardinals had sought to bind the new pope. He sent away clerics seeking favour at Avignon, banished luxury from the court, and sent Cardinal Gil de Albornoz to restore papal rule in the Papal States. He died at Avignon in September 1362.
What he is remembered for
He helped bring about the Peace of Brétigny (1360) between England and France and fortified Avignon against roving bands of soldiers. He is counted among the best of the Avignon popes, respected for his upright life and his reforms, though he too favoured his relatives.
Sources
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