Part Three: Boniface VIII and Philip the Fair

Part Three: Boniface VIII and Philip the Fair.

Introduction to Part Three: The Decline

Boniface VIII (1294-1303) was 80 years at his election, but vigorous in intelligence and will. If Hildebrand represents the rise of the medieval papacy, then Boniface represents its decline. He determined to rule in the spirit of Innocent III, but the times had changed. There was a new spirit of nationality. Dante puts him in one of the lowest circles of hell, with simoniacs. Contemporaries said he came in like a fox, reigned like a lion, and died like a dog. He was imperious, unbending, and arrogant. He met his match in Philip IV of France.

Boniface came to power over the bitter objections of the Colonna, a powerful family in Italy. The Pope was ruthless, "How shall we assume to judge kings and princes, and not dare to proceed against a worm (the Colonna). Let them perish forever, that they may understand that the name of the Roman pontiff is known in all the earth and that he alone is most high over princes." Against emperor Albrecht "The moon has no light except as she receives it from the sun, so no earthly power has anything which it does not receive from the ecclesiastical authority."

Philip (IV) the Fair 1285-1314. Philip was a new kind of king, and has been called the first modern one. Times had changed since the days of Innocent III. A great spirit of nationalism had swept over France, in fact, over all of Europe. Frenchmen no longer thought of themselves as French Christians, but as Christian Frenchmen. Philip was able to greatly expand royal power and consolidate the monarchy. His ministers of state were lawyers rather than clerics. He was utterly unscrupulous in the use of means.

The conflict began because there was war between England and France. To pay for it, Philip levied a tax on the French clergy and they complained to Rome. Boniface issued the bull Clericis laicos, 1296, which was to be published in England and in France. It said that the laity is always hostile to the clergy, but the state is subject to the papal see. Temporal power has no jurisdiction over the persons of the priesthood or goods of the church. The Church may make gifts, but the state cannot tax the church. Boniface threatened excommunication and the interdict.

Philip responded shrewdly by forbidding the export of silver, gold, horses, arms, etc. and by forbidding foreigners from living in his kingdom. By these measures papal revenues were cut and disloyal priests expelled from France. Boniface retreated, saying that he was misunderstood. He said he might be willing to have donations made. The document was so arrogant that even his French supporters begged him to recall it. He refused. But he did issue a bull saying that French kings over the age of 20 could decide whether a tribute from the clergy was necessary. He also threw a bone to the French by canonizing Louis IX. He offered to negotiate between England and France, which offer England accepted and Philip refused. Boniface expressed a desire to visit Philip, but offended him by asking a loan of 100,000 pounds.

Just then, a document was released, probably written by the French advocate, calling on Philip to extend his dominions to the walls of Rome and beyond. The authors denied papal authority over secular matters, affirming that the pope could only forgive sins, pray, and preach. Philip continued to appropriate church property and lands. The pope sent an ambassador to protest, but Philip had the ambassador arrested and tried as a traitor.

Boniface then issued a bull charging the king with high-handed treatment of the clergy and plundering church property. It affirmed that Christ's vicar is above kings. It called for a council at Rome and summoned the king to be present. The king called the French parliament of the three estates: noble, clergy, cities. It set aside the pope's summons, complained of the appointment of foreigners to French livings, and declared the independence of the crown. Philip wrote the pope, addressing him as "Your infatuated Majesty."

In response, Boniface's council met and issued two bulls. The first was a ban on all those who detained prelates going or returning from Rome. The second is one of the most famous bulls in history: the Unum Sanctum. It set forth in crystal clarity the claims of the papacy in both spiritual and temporal matters. There is only one church; there is no salvation out of the church; the pope is vicar of Christ; if not ruled by Peter, then you can't be in the church. The two swords, spiritual and temporal, are subject to the church. The spiritual is wielded by the church; the temporal is to be wielded for it. The secular is judged by the spiritual tribunal; the spiritual is judged in no human tribunal. There is no salvation without submission to the Roman pontiff. Nothing new had been added, for it had all been said by Hildebrand. But Boniface said it with the most naked, irritating, and blasphemous arrogance.

All those who offer resistance to the papal authority are Manicheans. Philip was thus a heretic, and Albrecht was called to take possession of the throne of France. In wisdom, Albrecht declined. Philip arrested the legates and confiscated the bulls, but Boniface said that posting them in Rome was sufficient to make them legal.

The French parliament accused Boniface of simony, sorcery, incest, having a demon in his chambers, murder, and other delicacies. Calling for a general council against the pope, they summoned Boniface to appear. Five archbishops, 21 bishops, the University of Paris, convents, cities, towns, supported the king.

Boniface's career ended with the most humiliating event in the history of the papacy. He planned to announce the excommunication and interdict against Philip in the peaceful town of Anagni, when suddenly 300 horsemen and others suddenly appeared, stormed the palaces of two of Boniface's nephews and several of the cardinals. The plot was formed in France by William of Nogaret, professor of law, whose parents were Cathari, who had suffered in the crusade against heretics. [See Paulicans] The conspirators offered the pope's life in exchange for restoration of the Colonna, demanded that Boniface resign and surrender himself to the conspirators. One by one the palaces yielded, and at last the papal palace itself was taken. The pope received the besiegers in his high pontifical robes, seated on a throne with a crown on his head, crucifix and keys in hand. He rebuked the intruders, said he was ready to die. When his resignation was demanded, he replied, "Never, I am pope, and as pope I will die." Nogaret intereceded to save his life, but the palaces were looted, cathedral burnt, the relics destroyed or stolen. A vase said to contain milk from Mary's breasts was turned over and broken. The pope and his nephews were held in confinement for three days.

By then, the local population underwent a change of mind, formed into a body, rescued the pope, and drove the conspirators away. The pope was escorted back to Rome, where he died a month later. At the last he refused food, and beat his head against the wall. It was the inversion of Canossa. The civil strife continued.

Babylonian Captivity. [ [See Huss and the Babylonian Captivity]The successor of Boniface was a Dominican, mild, bent to heal the quarrel with France. He died after 8 months, supposedly of poison. After an interval of 11 months marked by quarrels and factions, the French party won the election of the archbishop of Bordeaux, who took the name Clement V. He chose to live at Avignon, and never went to Rome. This situation continued for seventy years, through seven popes, all Frenchmen, all under the control of the French kings. The morals at Avignon were horrible, notorious throughout Europe, and included extravagance, venality, sensuality, nepotism, bribery, and simony. Meanwhile, Rome withered away. In 1370 only 20,000 lived there. There was no commerce, but instead obscurity and melancholy. Churches became roofless, cattle ate grass up to the very altars of the Lateran and St. Peter's. Ponds and debris blocked the streets and stunk up the air. The rest of Italy was infected with lawlessness, with bands of brigands roaming freely. There were frequent and violent changes of governments.

Meanwhile the Avignon popes exonerated all those who took measures against Boniface, and Philip completed his destruction of the Templars. [The Templars and Clement V] Four centuries later, Louis XVI, went forth from the house of the Templars in Paris, which had been made a royal residence, to the scaffold.

The Great Schism (1378-1417)
Date	Roman Popes	Avignon Popes (Living in France)	Conciliar Popes (Chosen by a Council)
1375		Gregory XI (1370-1378) Last French Pope. Tried to pacify Papal states. Excommunicated, condemned Wycliffe, died, Florence. Went to Italy, set stage for the Schism.
1378	Urban VI (1378-89) His election ended the "Babylonian Captivity" but alienated French Cardinals. Began Great Schism. He could walk in his garden, recite his breviary, and listen to six cardinal groaning on the rack. Supported by Italy, Germany, Portugal, England, Netherlands.	Clement VII (1378-94) French claimed the election of Urban was coerced; Spain followed. Clement moved to Avignon after three years of war. Supported by Scotland, Sicily, Cyprus.
	Boniface IX (1389-1404)
1390
		Benedict XIII (1394-1417) Helped elect Urban VI, but later supported the French Promised to end Schism even if it meant resigning; refused to the end, even after his deposition by Pisa, confirmed by Constance. Returned to Spain, insisted to his death that he was the true pope.
	Innocent VII (1404-06)
1405
	Gregory XII (1406-15)
			Alexander V (1409-10)
			John XXIII (1410-1415) Deposed by Council of Constance in 1415)
1414
1417			Martin V (1417-31) Chosen by the Council Constance to end Schism.
1417

The Great Schism. 1378-1417 The election of Gregory XI brought the reestablishment of the papacy at Rome. Because the lawlessness threatened the papal lands in Rome, he returned to safeguard them. While there, he died, not returning to Avignon as he planned. His death in Rome was the beginning of the Great Schism, which lasted 40 years, doing more harm than the Babylonian Captivity. Desiring the return of the papacy to Rome, the Roman mobs forced the election of Urban VI. Urban reprimanded the cardinals and bishops for their sinful living and refused to go to Avignon. The French cardinals reconvened the council, which said that Urban was election by coercion and elected Clement VII. Now there were two popes, both unanimously elected by the same council. Refusing to accept Clement, the Italians forced him to flee to safety in France. Urban set up shop in Rome. [The Plan of the University of Paris to End the Scandal]

The scandal was complete. Some sees now had two bishops, one loyal to Rome, the other loyal to France. Wycliffe and others called upon the bishops to return to apostolic simplicity. The very office of pope began to be questioned. The breath of the Reformation was in the air. [Gregory XI’s condemnation of Wycliffe]

Three councils met to decide the question; Pisa in 1409; Constance, 1414; Basel, 1431. These will be discussed in their own place. When it began there were two popes, and then, when it ended, there were three.