Pope Innocent XIII

Born Michelangelo dei Conti on 13 May 1655, he became head of the Catholic Church on 8 May 1721 at age sixty-five. His reform agenda centered on austerity: he slashed excessive spending and moved to kill nepotism outright, issuing a decree that forbade his successors from granting land, offices, or income to relatives. The move drew resistance from cardinals who saw the papacy as a family lottery ticket. He ruled the Papal States and led the Church for fewer than three years, dying on 7 March 1724.