Historical and
Commemorative Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
INNOCENT XIII, SAINT MICHAEL DRIVING OUT SATAN HAMERANI, Ermenegildo: Italy, 1721, Bronze, 49 mm Michelangelo Conti (1655-1724) was born in Poli, near Rome, the son of Carlo II, Duke of Poli. Like some of his predecessors, including Pope Innocent III (1198–1216), Pope Gregory IX (1227–1241) and Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261), Michelangelo Conti was a member of the land-owning family of the Conti, who held the titles of counts and dukes of Segni. In 1706 Michelangelo Conti became Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quirico e Giulitta under Pope Clement XI (1700–21), and from 1697 to 1710 he acted as papal nuncio to the Kingdom of Portugal. He was elected Pope of Rome in 1721, the date of this medal, a position he held until his death in 1724. He chose the name of Innocent XIII in memory of Innocent III, to whose lineage he belonged. Like his predecessor, Clement XI, Innocent XIII supported James Francis Edward Stuart, the "Old Pretender", who was the son of the dethroned Catholic King, James II, to accede to the British throne. He was succeeded by Benedict XIII.
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