(1740-1758) Born Bologna, Italy, 1675 as Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini; died Rome, Italy. After filling many important offices he became a cardinal, and later archbishop of Bologna. As pope he adopted a liberal policy in dealing with foreign powers, abolished usury, encouraged commerce, improved agricultural methods, reformed the nobility, and decreased taxation. He influenced spiritual matters by his Bulls and Encyclicals, regulated mixed marriages, settled the controversies regarding the Malabar and Chinese rites, and revised the Roman Martyrology. As a scholar he founded academies of history, law, liturgy, and established chairs of mathematics and science. He wrote a useful work on canon law. Macaulay calls him "The best and wisest of men."