of the Fraticelli gave the Emperor a pretext for
committing Rienzi to the Archbishop of Prague for correction and
instruction. The Archbishop communicated with the Pope, and on the
demand of Clement VI Charles agreed to hand Rienzi over to the papal
court on condition that his life should be spared. In 1352 Rienzi was
conveyed to Avignon and thrust into prison. He owed his life perhaps
less to the Emperor's request than to the opportune death of Clement VI
in this year.

The new Pope, Innocent VI, was more independent of French control than
his immediate predecessors. The French King was fully occupied with
internal disorders and with the English war. Thus the Pope was able to
give more attention to Italian politics, which were sufficiently
pressing. The independence and anarchy of the Papal States constituted a
serious problem, but the danger of their subjection to a foreign power
was still more serious. In 1350 the important city of Bologna had been
seized by the Visconti of Milan, and the progress of this powerful
family threatened to absorb the whole of the Romagna. Innocent
determined to resist their encroachments and at the same time to restore
the papal authority, and in 1353 he intrusted this double task to
Cardinal Albornoz.

Albornoz, equally distinguished as a diplomatist and as a military
commander, resolved to ally the cause of the papacy with that of
liberty. His programme was to overthrow the tyrants as the enemies both
of the people and of the popes, and to restore municipal self-government
under papal protection. His attention was first directed to the city of
Rome, which, after many vicissitudes since 1347, had fallen under the
influence of a demagogue named Baroncelli.

Baroncelli had revived to some extent the schemes of Rienzi, but had
declared openly against papal rule. To oppose this new tribune, Albornoz
conceived the project of using the influence of Rienzi, whose rule was
now regretted by the populace that had previously deserted him. The Pope
was persuaded to release Rienzi from prison and to send him to Rome,
where the effect of his presence was almost magical. The Romans flocked
to welcome their former liberator, and he was reinstalled in power with
the title of senator, conferred upon him by the Pope. But his character
was not improved by adversity, and his rule was more arbitrary and
selfish than it had been before.

The execution of the _condottiere_, Fra Moreale, was an act of
ingr