What is the Avignon captivity of the popes? In what period of world history did these events take place, what became their cause and what did all lead to? It would seem that everything is clear, but at the same time, as in the case of any other historical event, there is no unequivocal answer to many questions, neither right nor wrong. But first things first.
Avignon captivity of the popes. How did it all start?
In the late Middle Ages, in the 13-14th centuries, the centralization of European states began. France was no exception. At this time, all the townspeople, even the clergy, implicitly obeyed the king.
Therefore, we can safely say that in the 13-14th centuries the power of the church began to weaken, since the monarchs became more influential than during the feudal fragmentation. Naturally, in such circumstances, King Philip IV declares war on his eternal enemy - England. But a big war is a big expense. Therefore, in order to cover the costs of running a military company, Philip raised taxes and ordered even the clergy to give part of the income to the treasury. But that is not all. Philip made a huge mistake - he did not coordinate this issue with the Pope. In response, the Pope sharply criticized the king and threatened that he would excommunicate those who would force the clergy to pay taxes. The king did not remain in debt and forbade the export of jewelry from the country. As a result, the Vatican lost the funds coming from France.
Pope's policy change as an attempt to ease tensions with the monarch
At the end of the 13th century, Pope Boniface VIII somewhat changed his position and allowed the clergy to voluntarily pay taxes in accordance with a government decree. But as soon as the Pope had a new source of income, criticism of the king resumed.
Start of the company for the overthrow of the Pope and its results
It is not at all difficult to guess that the campaign soon began for the overthrow of the Pope, who was beaten and died in his residence as a result. Pope Benedict XI, who ascended the throne, was poisoned after 8 months. The cardinals, 11 months later, elected Pope Bertrand de Guo. Since that time, Avignon has become the new papal residence. By a strange coincidence, he was kindly granted by the king. Note that the first thing the new Pope did was return France to the fold of the church.
The Avignon captivity of the popes is the period from 1309 to 1377, when the residence was not in Rome, but in France, in Avignon. There, the popes felt much calmer than in Rome, where now and then there were clashes of the aristocratic clans of Italy constantly warring among themselves. In addition, the papal state by that time had already actually begun to disintegrate.
Avignon captivity of the popes. Date: 1309
Do not understand the term "captivity" too literally. It was, rather, not the Avignon captivity of the popes in the usual sense, but a change in popes' policies in favor of France. In confirmation of this, the fact that all the popes of that period were French, like the majority in the college of cardinals, confirms this, and it was the college of cardinals who elected the popes. Many cardinals used to serve in the French court. During the Avignon capture, the popes acted in the interests of the king and carried out various diplomatic missions.
Naturally, under such conditions, the political influence of popes waned. At the same time, inside the church, their power acquired a truly monarchical character. If earlier abbots and bishops were elected, now they are appointed by the pope. The papacy, in fact, controlled all spheres of life.
Avignon captivity - a reflection of the general tendency to weaken the church
The situation described above was a reflection of the main factor that determined history during the Middle Ages, namely, the struggle of popes and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for supremacy in the entire Christian world. The confrontation between the church and secular elites with varying success lasted several centuries. But everything changed dramatically when the Habsburgs ascended the throne. They changed the direction and nature of imperial politics, focusing not on the conquest of Italy, but on solving pressing problems in the matter of German territories.
At first glance, the popes are now given a good opportunity to directly engage in strengthening their state and their power. But in reality, everything turned out differently. After the German threat was eliminated, Italy was swallowed by anarchy and chaos. Now nothing was holding back the cities and estates that had previously had to unite in the face of an external enemy. Even neighboring cities fought among themselves, not to mention the constantly warring clans of the Italian aristocracy. It is not at all difficult to guess that Rome was no exception in this matter. Moreover, the popes were even forced to flee Rome several times, fearing either rebellious citizens, then troops of a neighboring state, or mercenaries of hostile clans.
The eternal city has become simply dangerous for the life of the highest hierarchs of the Catholic Church. Therefore, many popes instead of Rome made their residences Naples, Aquila, Anagnu and other cities, fearing for their lives. The beginning of the Avignon captivity of the popes is precisely connected with the transfer of the residence to Avignon. But first things first. In such a situation, it is not at all surprising that even among the cardinals there was no unity, and the elections became a real war of the warring clans. The newly elected Pope, of course, tried to surround himself with supporters - relatives and friends, so he appointed them to leadership positions. The losing clans had a hard time, as the newly elected pope sought to quickly deal with opponents. With all this, in conditions of chaos, the Pope continued to act as if he were still the head of the church, standing above the monarchs and rulers. Naturally, such a policy could only lead to an aggravation of relations with the king.
The weakening of papal authority
The peak of the confrontation, as noted earlier, came during the reign of Philip the Beautiful, when Pope Boniface VIII went into open conflict with the king. Under the conditions of the pope's weakening power, the outcome of the struggle was a foregone conclusion. In response to the Pope’s threat to anathema, he sent Chancellor Guillaume Nogare to the papal palace . A couple of days before the anathema, the Chancellor with a hundred knights burst into the Pope's palace. They dragged the old man off the throne, beating and humiliating him. Unable to bear this, Boniface VIII passed away, cursing both Guillaume Nogare and Philip. However, his successor Benedict IX declared the soldiers who had beaten the old Pope innocent. It was precisely what had happened that could not have been thought of before - the Pope was not just beaten, but beaten on the orders of the Christian king. This showed that without the support of secular authorities, the Pope can no longer effectively serve as the head of the Catholic Church.
France as an ally of the papacy
In this situation, the Pope turned to the most powerful ruler of that time - the French king. In addition, it became necessary to choose a place for a new residence where the Pope could manage the church without fear of external and internal enemies. At the same time, for greater security, the residence should be located near the French borders, but in no case on French territory.
If not in France, then where to make a residence?
The ideal option was Avignon in Provence, so what is happening in the history has received the name "Avignon captivity of the popes." At one time, the Pope helped the Neapolitan king take the throne, so he was formally not in the territory of a hostile Italy state, but in the possession of his overlord.
The Avignon captivity of the popes allowed them to calmly manage the church, which benefited the authority and authority of the popes and cardinals. Having moved to Avignon, the popes thereby made this small city the capital of the entire Catholic world. Thus, the beginning of the Avignon captivity of the popes was not such a terrible event as it might have seemed at the very beginning.