Boniface VIII
Birth name	Benedetto Caetani
Papacy began	December 24, 1294
Papacy ended	October 11, 1303
Predecessor	Celestine V
Successor	Benedict XI
Born	c. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Pope 1235 Anagni, Italy
Died	October 11, 1303 Rome, Italy
Other popes named Boniface

Pope Boniface VIII (c. Anagni, (Latin Anagnia) is an ancient town in Latium, Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome famous for its connections with the papacy and for the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest 1235 – October 11, 1303), born Benedetto Caetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and

Biography

Caetani was born in 1235 in Anagni, c. Anagni, (Latin Anagnia) is an ancient town in Latium, Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome famous for its connections with the papacy and for the 50 kilometers southeast of Rome. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 He was the younger son of a minor noble family, the Caetani Family, and became a canon of the cathedral in Anagni in his teens. The Caetani family (also spelled Gaetani) was a noble family of Medieval origin the so-called Anagni branch of which won political power and financial A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule' is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the In 1252, when his uncle Peter Caetani became bishop of Todi, in Umbria, Benedict went with him and began his legal studies there. The Italian Catholic diocese of Todi existed until 1986 when it was united into the Diocese of Orvieto-Todi. Umbria is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Perugia. Benedict never forgot his roots in Todi, later describing the city as "the dwelling place of his early youth," the city which "nourished him while still of tender years," and as a place where he "held lasting memories". Todi is a town and Comune (municipality of the Province of Perugia ( Umbria) in central Italy. In 1260, Benedict acquired a canonry in Todi, as well as the small nearby castle of Sismano. A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule' is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Later in life he repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Anagni, Todi, and his family.

In 1264, Benedict became part of the Roman Curia where he served as secretary to Cardinal Simon of Brie on a mission to France. The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. Similarly, he accompanied Cardinal Ottobono Fieschi to England (1265-1268) in order to suppress a rebellion by a group of barons against Henry III, a churchman in England. Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Henry III (1 October 1207 &ndash 16 November 1272 was the son and successor of John "Lackland" as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 Upon Benedict's return from England, there is an eight year period in which nothing is known about what occurred in his life. After this eight year period of uncertainty, Benedict was sent to France to supervise the collection of a tithe in 1276 and then became a papal notary in the late 1270s. A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth" is a one-tenth part of something paid as a (usually voluntary contribution or as a Tax or levy During this time, Benedict accumulated seventeen benefices which he was permitted to keep when he was promoted, first to cardinal deacon in 1281 and then 10 years later as cardinal priest. A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. As cardinal, he often served as papal legate in diplomatic negotiations with France, Naples, Sicily, and Aragon. A Papal Legate – from the Latin authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the Pope to Foreign nations or to some part of the Catholic This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain.

He was elected in December 24, 1294 after Pope Celestine V abdicated in December 13. Papal abdication occurs in the Catholic Church when the Pope resigns his office There is a legend that it was Boniface VIII's doing that Celestine V renounced the papacy - for Boniface, previously Benedetto, convinced Celestine V that no person on the earth could go through life without sin. However, in later times, it is a more common understanding that Celestine V resigned by his own designs and Benedetto merely showed that it was allowed by Church law. Either way, Celestine V left and Boniface VIII took his place as pope. One of his first acts as pontiff was to imprison his predecessor in the Castle of Fumone in Ferentino, where he died at the age of 81, attended by two monks of his order. Ferentino is a town and Comune in Italy, in the Province of Frosinone, Lazio, 65 km southeast of Rome. In 1300, Boniface VIII formalized the jubilees, which afterwards became a source of both profit and scandal to the church. The concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of Sins and universal pardon Boniface VIII founded the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1303. Sapienza University of Rome ( Italian Sapienza Università di Roma) is a coeducational autonomous state university in Rome, Italy

Boniface VIII put forward some of the strongest claims to temporal, as well as spiritual, supremacy of any Pope and constantly involved himself with foreign affairs. In his Bull of 1302, Unam Sanctam, Boniface VIII proclaimed that it "is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman pontiff", pushing papal supremacy to its historical extreme. A Papal bull is a particular type of Letters patent or charter issued by a Pope. On November 18, 1302, Pope Boniface VIII issued the Papal bull Unam sanctam which historians consider one of the most extreme statements These views and his intervention in 'temporal' affairs led to many bitter quarrels with the Emperor Albert I of Hapsburg (1291-1298), the powerful family of the Colonnas, and with Philip IV of France (1285–1314). Albrecht I of Habsburg (July 1255 &ndash May 1, 1308) sometimes named as Albert I, was King of the Romans, Duke of Austria The Colonna family was a powerful noble family in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one Pope and many other leaders

Conflicts with Philip IV

The conflict between Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France came at a time of expanding nation states and the desire for the consolidation of power by the increasingly powerful monarchs. The increase in monarchical power in the rising nation states and its conflicts with the Church of Rome were only exacerbated by the rise to power of Phillip IV. In France, the process of centralizing royal power and developing a genuine national state began with the Capetian kings. During his reign, Phillip surrounded himself with the best civil lawyers, and decidedly expelled the clergy from all participation in the administration of the law. With the clergy beginning to be taxed in France and England in order to finance their ongoing wars against each other, Boniface took a hard stand against it. He saw the taxation as an assault on traditional clerical rights, and ordered the Bull Clericis laicos in February 1296, forbidding lay taxation of the clergy without prior papal approval. A Papal bull is a particular type of Letters patent or charter issued by a Pope. Clericis laicos was a Papal bull issued on February 25, 1296 by Pope Boniface VIII in an attempt to prevent the secular states of Europe in In the bull, Benedict states "they exact and demand from the same the half, tithe, or twentieth, or any other portion or proportion of their revenues or goods; and in many ways they try to bring them into slavery, and subject them to their authority. And also whatsoever emperors, kings, or princes, dukes, earls or barons. . . presume to take possession of things anywhere deposited in holy buildings. . . should incur sentence of excommunication. " It was during the issuing of Clericis Laicos that hostilities between Boniface and Philip began. Philip retaliated against the bull by denying the exportation of money from France to Rome, funds that the Church required to operate. Boniface had no choice but to quickly meet the demands of Philip by allowing taxation only "during an emergency. "

After complications involving the capture of Jean Lemoine by Philip, the conflict was re-ignited. Jean Lemoine (born 1250 at Crécy-en-Ponthieu, died 1313 at Avignon) was a French canon lawyer Cardinal, Bishop of Arras and Papal legate In December of 1301, Philip was sent the Papal Bull Ausculta fili ("Listen, My Son"), informing Philip that "God has set popes over kings and kingdoms. "

The feud between the two reached its peak in the early 14th century when Philip began to launch a strong anti-papal campaign against Boniface. On November 18, 1302, Boniface issued one of the most important papal bulls of Catholic History: Unam Sanctum. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull It declared that both spiritual and temporal power were under the pope's jurisdiction, and that kings were subordinate to the power of the Church.

In response, Guillaume de Nogaret, Philip's chief minister, denounced Boniface as a heretical criminal to the French clergy. Guillaume de Nogaret or William of Nogaret (1260/1270 – 1313 was councillor and Keeper of the seal to Philip IV of France. In 1303, Philip and Nogaret were excommunicated. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community However, on September 7, 1303 an army led by Nogaret and Sciarra Colonna of the Colonna family surprised Boniface at his retreat in Anagni. Sciarra Colonna, byname of Giacomo Colonna (1270-1329 was a member of the powerful Colonna family, and a strong enemy of Pope Boniface VIII. Anagni, (Latin Anagnia) is an ancient town in Latium, Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome famous for its connections with the papacy and for the The King and the Colonnas demanded that he resign, to which Boniface VIII responded that he would 'sooner die'. Boniface was beaten badly and nearly executed but was released from captivity after three days. He died a month later, on October 11, 1303. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed

After the humiliating ordeal of Boniface and Philip, no popes would ever again challenge or seriously threaten kings and emperors despite further excommunications and interdictions. In the future, the Church would see itself becoming subordinate to the growing power of the European nation-states and their secular leaders, and the church's secular power would forever be lost. It is also interesting to note that this was the first event that marked the downfall of the Church's prestige, and the decline of its prestige and advertisement of its corruptions led to the Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time

Boniface VIII was buried in St. Peter's Basilica in a grandiose tomb that he had designed himself. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St (Allegedly, when the tomb cracked open three centuries after his death (on October 9, 1605), his body was revealed to be perfectly incorrupt. )

Numbering

Pope Boniface VII is now considered an anti-pope. Boniface VII (Franco Ferrucci died July 20, 985) was an Antipope (974 984&ndash985 An antipope ( Latin: antipapa) is a person who makes a widely accepted claim to be the lawful Pope, in opposition to the pope recognised by the Roman At the time, however, this fact was not recognized and so the seventh true Pope Boniface took the official number VIII. This has advanced the numbering of all subsequent Popes Boniface by one. Therefore, Popes Boniface VIII and IX are really the seventh and eighth popes respectively.

Statue of Pope Boniface VIII at the Museum of the Opera del Duomo in Florence. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany

Boniface VIII and culture

• In his Inferno, Dante portrayed Boniface VIII as destined for hell, where simony is punished, although Boniface was still alive at the fictional date of the poem's story. The Divine Comedy Simony is the Ecclesiastical crime of paying for Holy offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church named after Simon Magus, who appears in the Boniface's eventual destiny is revealed to Dante by Pope Nicholas III, whom he meets. Pope Nicholas III ( Rome, 1210/1220 &ndash August 22, 1280) born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, A bit later in the Inferno, we are reminded of the pontiff's feud with the Colonnesi, which led him to demolish the city of Palestrina, killing 6,000 citizens and destroying both the home of Julius Caesar and a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Palestrina (ancient Praeneste) is an ancient city and Comune (municipality with a population of about 18000 in Lazio, c This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary Boniface's ultimate fate is confirmed by Beatrice when Dante visits Heaven.

• The great mathematician and astronomer Giovanni Campano served as personal physician to Pope Boniface VIII. Johannes Campanus (in Italian, Giovanni Campano; also known as Campanus of Novara or similar (1220-1296 was an Italian Astrologer

• In Boccaccio's Decameron, Boniface VIII is satirically depicted granting a highwayman (Ghino di Tacco) a priorate (Day 10, second tale). The Decameron (subtitle Prencipe Galeotto) is a collection of 100 Novellas by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, probably begun in Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human The word highwayman is first attested from the year 1617 The term "highwayman" is mainly applied to robbers who travelled on horseback as opposed to those who robbed on foot Ghinotto di Tacco, called Ghino, was an outlaw in thirteenth century Italy Earlier (I. i), Boniface VIII is also mentioned for his role in sending Charles of Valois to Florence in 1300 to end the feud between the Black and White Guelphs. Charles of Valois ( March 12, 1270 &ndash December 16, 1325) was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy

• Boniface was a patron of Giotto di Bondone.

• Boniface had restored the churches of Rome for the Great Jubilee of 1300, particularly St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and the Saint Mary Major Basilica. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St The Basilica of St John Lateran ( Italian: Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the Cathedral of the church of Rome and the official The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (its Italian name known in English also as St Mary Major, is an ancient Catholic Basilica of Rome

Posthumous process against the memory of Boniface VIII

A process (judicial investigation) against the memory of Pope Boniface VIII was held from 1303 to 1311. Its records were republished in a critical edition by J. Coste (1995). The collected testimonies (especially those of the examination held at Groseau in August and September of 1310) alleged many heretical opinions of Boniface VIII.

The historicity of these testimonies is disputed among scholars. T. Boase, whose 1933 biography of Pope Boniface VIII is often regarded as still the best, comes to the conclusion, "The evidence is not unconvincing . . . but it was too late, long years after the event, to construct an openly held heresy out of a few chance remarks with some newly-added venom in construing them" (p. 361).

The posthumous trial against the memory of Boniface VIII was in any case settled without a result in 1311.

References

• Boase, Thomas S. R. (1933). Boniface VIII. London: Constable.  
• Coppa, Frank J, ed. (2002). The Great Popes Through History. Connecticut. Greenwood Press.  
• (1995) in Jean Coste (ed. ): Boniface VIII en procès. Articles d'accusation et dépositions des témoins (1303–1311). Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider. ISBN 88-7062-914-7.  
• Tierney, Brian (1964). Crisis of Church and State. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.  
• Wood, Charles, T. (1967). Phillip the Fair and Boniface VIII: State vs Papacy. New York: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston.  

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: "Pope Boniface VIII"
• Catholic Encyclopedia: "Pope Clement V: a paragraph on the trial of Boniface VIII
• Register of Boniface VIII: The Indiction of the Holy Year 1300 (Vatican Secret Archives)
• The 1303 document founding the University of Rome La Sapienza (Vatican Secret Archives)
• The 1303 document joining several schools into the University of Avignon (Vatican Secret Archives)
• The Bull Clericis Laicos (Medieval Sourcebook)
• Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon" "Bonifatius VIII"