Who he was
Pierre Roger de Beaufort was a nephew of Clement VI, who made him a cardinal at eighteen; he went on to study at Perugia and became a skilled canon lawyer and theologian, admired for his humility. Elected unanimously at Avignon after Urban V's death, he was ordained priest and crowned in January 1371. Much of his reign was spent in war in Italy, against Bernabò Visconti of Milan and then against Florence and the rebellious Papal States. He died in Rome in March 1378.
What he is remembered for
Moved by the pleas of St Catherine of Siena, he left Avignon and entered Rome in January 1377, ending the long residence of the popes in France. He was the last French pope, and the Great Western Schism broke out soon after his death. He also condemned errors of John Wyclif in 1377.
Sources
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