Claims to authority from Pope Boniface VIII

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Expansion and Crisis in Europe c.1100-1400

Claims to authority from Pope Boniface VIII

Pope Boniface VII, real name Benedetto Caetani, was born in Anagni at around 1235

and died in 1309.  Pope Boniface made his name with his famous quarrels about the

authority and the power of the Pope.  Christianity played a major role in life during

the middle ages.  It can be argued that the church, during this period was full of

corruption and greed, however, the presence of Christianity bought hope and stability

to the empire politically and socially.  Boniface’s quarrel was a final climax to a long

argument that carried on throughout the medieval era.  The argument, which occurred

through most of the Middle Ages, was: who had more power, the Pope or the King?  

Boniface was just repeating claims that had been put forward by previous popes

during a time that the medieval church was in crisis.  Previously, however there would

have been no argument as to who held full power.  The pope would have had the

privilege and the power to threaten excommunication as a fear but due to the papacy

relations with other aspects of the church and the fact that the pope had other enemies

his battle failed.  The term the pope heard regularly, ‘the vicar of Christ’ had departed

and the pope was no longer seen to have full power on earth.  Pope Boniface VIII

made an amazing impact on medieval Europe, however never quite won in fighting

his cause.  Historian Flick regarded Pope Boniface’s reign as “the beginning of the

decline of the power and the glory of the medieval papacy”(A.C Flick, the decline of the medieval church.  [Wood, 1971, 6])  

In this essay, I hope to cover how much authority the pope had, and had hoped to

have had, and also the historic events that led to a society no longer directly ruled by

the Catholic faith. I shall do this by explaining historic events and looking at

situations through how the pope may have looked at them.

   The troubles began when the monarchy were dealing with aspects such as money

and arms in France and England, as the church found itself concentrating on issues

that arose in Italy and around the Mediterranean.  The kings of France and England

were not going to let their services occur without a price.  In 1294 war broke out

between France and England.  The background behind the war did not involve the

papacy, however, the two kings needed to fund their battle and had became

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familiarised with funding everybody alike, whole communities, even the clergy.  

Therefore whole communities were to be taxed.  This led to a lot of bitterness and

hostility and expectantly many complaints arose.(Keen, 1968, 210). Clearly showing

an absence in dogmatic principles from the secular part.  Cistercians were

mortified, and in France when refused to pay anything were ordered by the king to

have their goods taken from them.  Cistercians were a contemplative monastic order

descended from France in 1098.  Taxing the clergy was a good idea to the ...

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