HIST 107 Introduction to Medieval History Lecture 23 The Dispute between Philip the Fair and Boniface VIII Main Question Why did Philip the Fair king of France 1285 1314 and Pope Boniface VIII 1294 1303 clash so bitterly and what can we learn from their conflict Preliminary Remarks It is often said that one learns much more about how the human body works from a sick patient than from someone in perfectly good health The same is true to some extent of understanding medieval society Beginning with this lecture the final sequence of lectures will involve us turning something of a corner into a western Europe in which problems start to mount We will see in later lectures that from c 1300 the steady economic growth of the previous three centuries slows down and then goes into reverse overpopulation worsens the effects of famine and then epidemics of plague and there is widespread warfare especially the Hundred Years War between England and France This lecture concerns a breakdown in the relationship between the Church and the strongest secular powers especially the kingdom of France In addition by this stage in the course much of what we do offers an excellent opportunity to review themes that we have identified already This is especially true of the disputes between Philip IV the Fair of France and Boniface VIII Why Because a number of threads come together at this point For example we have seen in earlier lectures that the papacy becomes more assertive and ambitious This begins in the eleventh century with the era of the Gregorian reform movement and it culminates in the pontificate of Innocent III 1198 1216 We also saw however that for all his ambitions to be the arbiter of affairs in Europe there were real constraints to Innocent III s actual power over secular rulers and the internal political affairs of kingdoms Flash points between kings and the Church include resources does the Church get to control all its wealth even as that wealth comprises assets such as land located in kingdoms and jurisdiction remember the dispute between Henry II of England and Thomas Becket over who should try clerics accused of crimes We also saw the re establishment of French royal power after its disintegration in the post Carolingian world The consolidation of French royal strength and prestige is largely the work of Philip II Augustus 1180 1223 who succeeds in breaking the power of his family s main rivals the Angevin Plantagenet kings of England who also control large parts of France And this process reaches its peak under Louis IX St Louis 1226 70 1 Certain side issues will also have a bearing on the course of the dispute between Philip and Boniface and its aftermath One is the emergence of the friars in the early thirteenth century By the late thirteenth century one of the two main orders of friars the Franciscans have split into two opposing groups the Conventuals who are comfortable that the order should grow as a major institution and the Spirituals who hold out for a return to St Francis s original life of simplicity and poverty The papacy generally backs the Conventuals and the Spirituals are becoming more marginalized A second side issue is the growth of the Military Orders since their emergence in the early twelfth century By the thirteenth century the Orders especially the Templars have grown into major institutions commanding rich assets they even act as bankers to the French monarchy A third issue is the deterioration in the status of Jews in medieval Europe We have seen how one of the provisions of Lateran IV 1215 was to marginalize Jews within society this move has been confirmed in several subsequent enactments and secular rulers are also growing more hostile For example in 1290 King Edward I of England expels all the Jews from his kingdom Some important background in the period after Innocent III the papacy actually becomes even more emboldened and ambitious because after a long and bitter struggle against the emperor Frederick II d 1250 and his successors the papacy has succeeded in severely reducing the threat from the German king emperors that had been hanging over it since the Gregorian reform period This now clearly leaves France as the dominant political player in Europe with which the popes need to work Key Questions A What were the disputes between Philip IV and Boniface VIII and how did they play out B What were the consequences of those disputes A What were the disputes between Philip IV and Boniface VIII and how did they play out In fact two separate but linked disputes first over taxation second about jurisdiction To understand the background it is useful to start with Boniface VIII Benedict Caetani elected 1294 but election contentious previous pope unworldly hermit Celestine V resigned his election had been a sop to the Franciscan Spirituals but backfired Benedict elected and takes the name Boniface VIII hint of scandal was Celestine pushed or did he jump Celestine soon dies in Boniface s custody all very suspicious 2 But in many ways Boniface a good choice trained lawyer member of important local Roman family Caetani being able to operate in Italian politics always a fundamental skill for popes has some good ideas a Jubilee 1300 extra indulgences spiritual rewards to pilgrims to Rome huge numbers of pilgrims converge on Holy City Boniface s prestige increases as a result b sorts out turf wars between traditional clergy and friars But Boniface is caught out by outbreak of war 1294 7 between England and France war the single most expensive activity undertaken by medieval states the papacy had already shown their understanding of this in developing taxation of clergy to help fund crusades therefore both Edward I of England and Philip IV of France look to tax their clergy and don t ask for papal permission first senior clergy after all represent some of wealthiest elements in society But this runs up against clergy s claims to be exempt from operations of secular government Boniface s response first of landmark papal bulls i e official papal pronouncements that punctuate the conflict Clericis laicos 1296 prohibits taxation of clergy without papal permission See Rosenwein Reading pp 455 6 Edward I prevaricates But Philip IV s response very aggressive cuts all export of gold and silver cash and credit notes from France to Rome this starves the papacy of resources from its biggest single source Boniface eventually forced to back down bull Etsi de statu 1297 kings can tax