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BONIFACE VIII(Benedetto Caetani) - Pope from December 24, 1295 to October 11, 1303, jurist, one of the defenders of papal theocracy. He came from an influential and wealthy family, was brought up at the court of his uncle, the Bishop of Todi (Todi, Italy), graduated from the Faculty of Law in University of Bologna, then continued his studies in Paris, in 1260 he became a canon of the cathedral in Todi. After returning to Rome, he was appointed lawyer and notary at the Roman Curia, he was entrusted with important diplomatic missions in France (1264), England (1265) and a number of other countries. He alternately acted as secretary to popes Adrian V (July 11 – August 18, 1276), Nicholas III(1277–1280), Martin IV (1281–1285), enjoyed a reputation as a highly educated jurist. He soon became a prominent figure in the Roman Curia: in 1281 Pope Martin IV elevated him to cardinal deacon, and Pope Nicholas IV (1288–1292) to cardinal presbyter in 1291. Appointed in 1290 as papal legate in France, he managed to resolve the conflict between the diocesan clergy and the mendicant orders, took part in resolving the conflict within the University of Paris, and in negotiations between France and England contributed to the reconciliation of France with King Alfonso III of Aragon. The power-hungry 76-year-old Caetani persuaded his predecessor, the humble and pious Pope Celestine V (July 5 - December 13, 1294), to abdicate and in December 1294 was elected to the papal throne (in Naples) with the support of King Charles II of Anjou. However, some of the clergy questioned the legality of these elections. In response, Boniface VIII, fearing the popularity of his predecessor, ordered Celestine V to be imprisoned, where he soon died under unclear circumstances, and Boniface VIII hypocritically announced that the holy monk had died of old age. Since these actions of Boniface VIII displeased the influential Colonna family, the pope declared war on its representatives, excommunicated them from the church, confiscated their property and destroyed their stronghold - the city of Palestrina. His pontificate marked a turning point in the history of the papacy: Boniface VIII freed the Apostolic Capital from dependence on Naples and moved the papal residence from there back to Rome; removed from the Roman Curia the proteges of the Sicilian king, who was trying to influence the politics of the Vatican. Carrying out a fairly balanced policy in the church, the pope limited the freedom of the mendicant orders. But Boniface VIII considered his main goal to be the establishment of papal theocracy as opposed to the emerging nation states. A zealous admirer, but an unsuccessful imitator of Gregory VII (1073–1085) and Innocent III (1198–1216), tried to implement their ideas, but was arrogant, even speaking to kings in the tone of a dictator. To this end, he surrounded himself with nobility, introduced magnificent etiquette into the curia, trying with all his might to return the papal throne to its former greatness. His exorbitant arrogance and arrogance, however, testified to the pope's weakness as a politician. He only irritated everyone with his curses and curses, but no one felt either fear or respect for him. Being a supporter of an extreme theocratic idea, he tried to completely subordinate secular power to spiritual power. Wanting to establish the supremacy of the pope, Boniface VIII recognized the election of Albrecht I of Austria as Habsburg (1298–1308) as king of Germany, subject to his renunciation of imperial rights in favor of the papacy. To demonstrate the greatness of papal power and replenish the treasury, he introduced the celebration of the jubilee year (“Annus sanctus”) and established that similar jubilee years would be celebrated every 100 years (bull “Antiquorum habet fide” of February 22, 1300).

(Boniface VIII - Pope (1294 - 1303).)

After the death of Nicholas IV, the monk Pietro was elected to the papal throne, who took the name Celestine V 1.

1 (Celestine V - pope (1294).)

During the elections, the arrogant and power-hungry Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani most energetically sought the tiara. Even after Celestine’s accession to the holy throne, he did not lay down his arms and gradually continued to wage a stubborn struggle for the tiara.

The humble schema-monk 1 Pietro spent almost his entire life in his cell, singing psalms or indulging in pious meditations; the luxury and splendor of the papal court, as well as conversations with leaders of the Roman Curia, were only a burden to him. Since the blessed elder had no more time for prayers or pious reflections in connection with his new duties, he took a fancy to a small chapel, where he spent all his nights and where no one except him had access.

1 (A schema monk is a monk who has accepted the schema, that is, who has made a vow to follow stricter rules than ordinary monks and to lead an ascetic, reclusive lifestyle.)

Once, after spending the whole night in prayer on his knees in front of a huge crucifix that occupied the entire wall, Celestine clearly heard the words coming from the mouth of Christ: “Celestine! Cast off the burden of papal power - this burden is too heavy for you!”

During his short stay on the holy throne, Celestine managed to become convinced of the riotous lifestyle of his flock and more than once asked himself whether he should not give way to a stronger and more energetic shepherd, capable of correcting the clergy.

The mysterious voice reinforced his doubts. At the same time, such a coincidence seemed suspicious to him. Is there anything bad in his intentions? Isn't this the devil's machinations? Celestine was tormented by painful doubts, the memories of the voice heard in the chapel did not leave him for a minute, and the more he thought about what had happened, the more difficult it was for him to make a decision.

Several weeks passed, and one day in the chapel Celestine again heard a mysterious voice; this time he threatened Celestine with eternal torment of hell if he continued to hesitate in renouncing. The poor recluse burst into tears. “Lord,” he prayed, “do you not hear that I am calling to you? Enlighten me, are you speaking to me? Why have you called me to a throne that I did not seek? Wouldn’t it be better for me to reject the tiara and flee from the wicked Babylon?

The next morning, the blessed elder summoned the cardinals, among whom was Benedetto Gaetani. Celestine told them that he was not capable of ruling and was unworthy of the high rank to which he had been elevated.

“I am sure,” he concluded, “that I cannot avoid eternal condemnation if I remain a high priest. And therefore I ask you to transfer the tiara to someone more worthy than me.”

The tears that blurred the pope's eyes prevented him from seeing the triumphant smile on Gaetani's lips.

The reader has probably already guessed that the heavenly voice that ordered Celestine to resign from the papal rank came from the crafty cardinal. He occupied a room located on the floor above, above the chapel, where the holy father retired. Gaetani took advantage of this and drilled a hole just above the head of the crucified Christ.

The cardinals expressed regret, but in the end declared that they did not dare oppose the wishes of the pope. True, they demanded that Celestine publish a law allowing high priests to resign and cardinals to abdicate.

The rumor of Celestine's departure spread throughout Rome. The people, who considered him a saint, were extremely excited. Large crowds began to gather in front of the papal palace, begging Celestine to abandon his intention. Touched by such love and trust, Celestine hesitated and told the cardinals that he wanted to think carefully and turn to the Holy Spirit for help.

In the evening, when dad retired to the chapel, he again heard the menacing voice of God. “This is how you obey me,” the voice hissed angrily, “truly I tell you, Celestine, you will be condemned, for you disobeyed me.”

"I pray for mercy, holy father!" - Celestine screamed and lay prostrate in front of the crucifix all night.

That same morning, putting on a felt shirt and the clothes of a schema-monk, he called the cardinals and informed them that a heavenly voice had confirmed his initial decision and he was immediately returning to his cell.

Finally, Gaetani could enjoy the fruits of his night's labors. Ten days after Celestine left, the cardinals elected him vicar of Christ.

The new pope took the name Boniface VIII. Immediately after his enthronement, he demanded that the sacred college issue a resolution on Celestine’s abdication.

The enormous popularity of the saint could not help but worry Gaetani. The new pope was afraid that Celestine would one day return to the papal palace, succumbing to the persuasion of his supporters.

Constant anxiety poisoned Boniface's existence, and he ordered the arrest of Celestine. Here is what is told about this in the “Lives of the Saints”: “The hermit Celestine was taken into his cell by the papal guards. On the way, crowds of believers crowded around the blessed elder, asking for his blessing, kissed his feet, cut off pieces from his cassock, pulled out his hair the donkey on which he rode in order to preserve them as precious relics. When Celestine was taken to the palace, he was graciously received by the hypocrite Boniface. But that same evening the guards took the former pope to his castle, where a priest soon appeared, inviting him to confess and prepare for. death While Celestine was revealing the secrets of his heart, Boniface hid behind the curtain, and at the end of the confession he appeared before the elder and attacked him with angry reproaches for allegedly blasphemous statements after his abdication. After this, Boniface ordered to put him in a stone bag, and at the outer gate of the castle. , where the dungeon was located, place thirty soldiers to prevent those who would try to free Celestine. Fearing popular unrest, Boniface decided to starve the old man to death and a few days later announced that the holy monk had died of old age while blessing the high priest. The crime, however, was discovered, and the murderer was hated by all Christians."

We have not added a single word to the Bollandists' story. Let us only note that pious historians would not fail to defend Boniface if they had the slightest opportunity to do so.

Overwhelmed by excessive pride, the power-hungry pope waged a constant struggle with many sovereigns of Europe. He gained particular fame in the fight with Philip the Fair, 1 who categorically refused to submit to him, challenging the high priest's claims to secular power.

1 (Philip IV the Handsome - French king (1285 - 1314).)

Boniface's political role has been assessed differently by historians, but his personality does not cause any controversy. All historians, secular and spiritual, agree that the murderer of Celestine was a notorious scoundrel.

We are forced to stand up for Boniface: he is by no means an exception among popes. Most of the other high priests were not inferior to him in atrocities. Only some of them did not advertise their crimes so clearly.

Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani, before taking possession of the tiara, was one of the leaders of the Ghibellines; Finding himself on the papal throne, he became an ardent opponent of this party. The change of views occurred due to the fact that two cardinals from the Colonna family, the most powerful and wealthy among the Ghibellines, energetically opposed Gaetani’s candidacy. The vindictive Boniface, having received the keys and staff of the high priest, excommunicated the entire Colonna family from the church, cursed their descendants, imposed a ban on estates, ordered the demolition of their palaces and, in order to bring the rebels to submission, called on all Christians for help, as if it was a real crusade. .

Members of the Colonna family had to flee Rome, but they did not stop fighting.

The high priest even negotiated with the French king in order to raise money for the war with Colonna. To please the king, Boniface canonized Louis IX. In addition, he gave Charles of Valois 1, Philip's brother, the German crown, which he was going to take away from Adolf of Nassau 2. Deceived by Boniface's submissive behavior, Philip allowed the pope's emissaries to take with them to Rome everything that they managed to lure out of the believers.

1 (Charles Valois is the brother of Philip IV, a major French commander (1270 -1324).)

2 (Adolf of Nassau - German emperor (1292 - 1298).)

The harvest was significant, so the game was worth the candle.

As soon as the money taken from France entered the papal treasury, Boniface not only did not fulfill his promises, but also tried to incite the English king Edward 1 and the Duke of Flanders 2 to attack France.

1 (Edward I - English king (1272 - 1307).)

2 (Flanders is a region in northwestern Belgium. In the XIII - XIV centuries. was the object of the struggle between France and England and was actually an independent county. In 1302, Flemish troops completely defeated the army of Philip IV, who was trying to turn the county into a royal domain.)

Before deciding on extreme measures, Philip sent an ambassador to Rome who demanded an explanation from the pope.

Boniface again managed to deceive Philip. Moreover, the French king, succumbing to his persuasion, agreed to a new crusade; True, Philip had enough common sense take some measures to prevent the pope from interfering in the affairs of his kingdom. Realizing that the king would not soon set off, Boniface sent a legate to the French monarch, who behaved so arrogantly and insultingly that Philip drove him away, not wanting to listen to the end.

The enraged and humiliated legate went to Southern France, where he began to incite the population to revolt and kill Philip, promising, in addition to numerous absolutions, a significant amount of money to anyone who freed the world from Philip.

When these intrigues were discovered, the legate was arrested and accused of lese his majesty, rebellion, heresy and blasphemy.

Philip immediately sent an ambassador to the pope demanding that the culprit be brought to justice and deprived of his clergy.

Boniface's answer came as a complete surprise to the king. “Know that you are subject to us both in church affairs and in secular affairs,” the pope wrote. Accusing the king of encroaching on the rights of the church, he declared that the legate was worthy of praise for the courage he had shown. However, Dad added, he was only following my orders. Simultaneously with the letter, Boniface published a bull in which he proclaimed himself ruler of France.

Philip, of course, was furious. On April 10, 1302, 1 he convened representatives of the nobility, clergy and third estate at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to discuss the behavior of the pope. All members of the meeting, not excluding the clergy, spoke out for the need to put an end to the criminal machinations of the head of the church. After the solemn ceremony of burning the papal bull on the porch of the cathedral, the king addressed Boniface with the message: “Know, wretched priest, that in worldly affairs we are not subject to anyone, and your exorbitant ambition must bow before us.” The pope responded to this message with excommunication: he announced that Philip had been deposed and the one who would deliver him alive or dead would receive the crown.

1 (On April 10, 1302, he convened... representatives of the nobility, clergy and third estate. - This is the first meeting of the Estates General in the history of France, in which three estates were represented. Subsequently, kings often turned to the support of the Estates General to carry out particularly important or urgent events. The Estates General, however, did not become a legislative body controlling royal power.)

Then the king gathered the prelates and barons in the Louvre. There, his representative, Guillaume Nogaret, read out the real indictment against Boniface, who was called an antipope and a heretic who had stained himself with terrible crimes.

It was pointed out that the pope did not believe in the immortality of the soul, not observing fasts, that “the vile high priest forces the ministers of the church to reveal the secrets of confession to him under the pretext that he should know the plans of his enemies. He persecutes wandering monks and nuns and takes away from them money, citing the fact that hypocritical idlers are robbing the people."

No one came to Boniface's defense. The Estates General demanded the convening of an ecumenical council. The king informed all European monarchs of the decision of the Estates General, and everywhere this news was greeted with enthusiasm. In Rome itself, many lords, officials, citizens and priests, exhausted from the tyranny of the holy father, took the side of Philip the Fair. Boniface was in clear danger. He decided to leave the city, where the number of his opponents was growing every day. Taking with him his nieces, favorites and children, he fled to Anagni 1. Having settled in a new residence, he attacked the French king with a new excommunicating bull, even more furious than the first. He cursed Philip, his family, all his offspring, and imposed an interdict on France. In the same bull, he called on the Germans, English and Flemings to oppose France, promising heavenly bliss to all participants in the campaign.

1 (Anagni is a small town in the Apennines.)

The convening of an ecumenical council, where Boniface was to be condemned, was entrusted to Nogara. With the help of one of Cardinal Colonna's nephews, he assembled a force of eight hundred men. Under the banner of the French king, at dawn on September 6, 1303, soldiers suddenly burst into Anagny shouting: “Death to Boniface!” Having captured the palace of the papal nephew along the way, they began to besiege the fortress in which the holy father was hiding. Seeing that resistance was useless, he entered into negotiations and asked to be given a few hours to think and to consult with the cardinals. His request was a ruse: the pope hoped that the inhabitants of Ananya would respond to his call and, thanks to their help, he would emerge victorious from the struggle. But dad miscalculated. The population refused to speak out in his defense. When the period given for reflection expired, Nogaret and Colonna ordered the soldiers to storm the fortress.

Hoping to impress and frighten his enemies, Boniface, wearing a tiara, dressed in papal robes, holding the apostolic key and cross in his hands, sat on the throne, awaiting the victors. But here too he was wrong. Nogare demanded that he appear at the council. Seeing that the pope was maintaining a contemptuous silence, Colonna asked if he was renouncing the papal office. The question infuriated Boniface: he cursed the king of France, his family and offspring, adding a few insulting words to Colonna. The latter, unable to bear it, slapped dad in the face. His hand in an iron glove dealt a blow, from which dad lost consciousness. He was carried away half-dead and locked in one of the castle halls.

Dad spent three days in prison. On the fourth night, the churchmen managed to rouse the inhabitants of Anagna: they attacked the castle and freed Boniface. When the pope returned to Rome and found complete anarchy reigning there, he lost heart: he gave no orders, but spoke only of curses and excommunications; then he developed a fever, and in a fit of rage he bit his hands. He died at the age of eighty-six, having sat on the throne for nine years.

Since in that era good and evil were personified by God and the devil, Boniface’s contemporaries had no doubt that the soul of the holy father was in the hands of Satan. The churchmen themselves often stated that Benedict Gaetani was condemned to eternal burning. Drawings were passed from hand to hand in which Boniface was depicted in unambiguous positions.

Dante, a contemporary of Boniface, placed it in his "Hell" 1. And one naive chronicler quite seriously reports that the statue of a maiden on Boniface’s grave, carved from snow-white marble, turned black the next day after it was installed and no effort could be brought to its original form.

1 (Dante placed it in his "Hell". - Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321) - great Italian poet, author " Divine Comedy", including "Hell", "Paradise" and "Purgatory". The XIX song of "Hell" (vv. 52 - 57) tells about Pope Nicholas III, who is in the eighth circle of hell, who predicts hellish torment for Boniface VIII and Clement V. This the same prophecy is contained in “Paradise” (canto XXX, v. 148).)

To fully characterize Boniface, we present several of his sayings. They are taken from original documents:

“God grant me prosperity in this world, I don’t worry about another life.”

"The souls of men are no more immortal than the souls of animals."

"In the gospel more lies than the truth. The virgin birth is absurd, the incarnation of the son of God is ridiculous, and the dogma of transubstantiation is simply stupid."

“The amount of money that the legend of Christ gave the churchmen is incalculable.”

"Religion was created by ambitious people to deceive people."

“Clerics must say what the people say, but this does not mean that they are obliged to believe what the people believe.”

“We must sell in the church everything that simpletons want to buy.”

XIV and XV centuries in the history of Catholicism were a time of decline and decay. The papacy was then experiencing one of the most severe crises that had ever occurred in its history. The morals of the clergy also deteriorated greatly and began to cause completely fair criticism. There was a loud talk in society then about corruption of the church in the head and members, and plans began to be made church reform, who saw in the papacy the whole root of evil. On the other hand, those forces that were previously, so to speak, suppressed by the power of the medieval church, have now received significant development and have discovered desire for liberation from papal and monastic guardianship. Such forces were new state growing on the ruins of feudalism, and secular education, which in the XIV and XV centuries. has already made very significant progress.

199. Pope Boniface VIII

At the very last years XIII and first years of the XIV centuries. sat on the papal throne Boniface VIII(1294 - 1303), who spoke and acted after the example of his most famous predecessors, Gregory VII and Innocent III. An arrogant and power-hungry man, he was distinguished by terrible arrogance and did not at all see that in his time the general political relations and mood of society were far from what they had been a century before him. The papacy still had a lot of external splendor, and Boniface VIII even increased it by attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome in 1300 by declaring a jubilee year for the Catholic Church with absolution for visiting the shrines of Rome, but the actual internal strength of the papacy disappeared. Boniface VIII managed to humble only the German king Albrecht of Austria, who, for his recognition by the pope, even renounced all the former rights of the empire. But the rulers of other countries did not show much desire to obey the pope. The most Boniface VIII of France, King Philip IV the Fair, put up stubborn resistance (1285–1314).

200. Dispute between Boniface VIII and Philip IV

The bishops of England and France complained to Boniface VIII about their kings imposing taxes on clergy. Then the pope issued a bull in which he threatened excommunication for taxing the clergy without papal consent. The English king (Edward I), who otherwise acted independently, did not consider it necessary to argue, but Philip the Fair responded to the papal bull ban on the export of precious metals from France and, consequently, all the money that went from this country to the papal treasury. But this was only the beginning of the dispute. During the struggle, the pope and the king exchanged messages in which they said insolent things to each other. Boniface VIII convened a church council in Rome against Philip IV, but also the French king assembled the government officials of France, i.e. Sejm from prelates, lords and city authorities ( states general 1302 g.), who declared that in secular affairs they were subordinate only to the king, and he himself was subordinate only to God alone. Angry at this turn of events. Boniface VIII then excommunicated Philip IV from the church and declared him deprived of the throne. After this, the king resorted to extreme measures. He sent his chancellor (Nogare) to Italy with instructions to capture the pope and bring him to France. Royal by slate with the help of one aristocratic family hostile to the pope (Column) attacked BonifaceVIII in his castle(Ananyi) and took him prisoner. The statement adds that at the same time the pope also suffered an insult by action (a blow to the face with an iron glove). True, the pope's supporters soon freed him and took him to Rome, but the proud old man was unable to survive such humiliation and soon died.

201. Avignon capture of the popes

The victory of Philip IV the Fair over the papacy was expressed mainly in the fact that one of the successors of Boniface VIII, Clement V, at the request of this king, he moved to France and chose the southern French city of Avignon to live passed to the papal throne (1305). Continuing to assert the previous papal claims in relation to other sovereigns, Clement V subordinated the papacy to French politics for a long time, which, of course, caused many of these sovereigns to become hostile to the papacy. The gentlemen lived in Avignon for about seventy years, and this time was called Babylonian captivity of the Catholic Church. Avignon became “Babylon” for the church in the sense that the papal court (curia) turned into den of the most vicious life. Avignon popes of the 14th century. Most of all, they were concerned about increasing their income, for the sake of which they came up with new extortions and even openly engaged in trading in church places. This brought down the papacy morally and, of course, strengthened opposition caused by the claims of the popes: their unworthy behavior outraged all decent people.

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Abstract on the topic:

Boniface VIII

Plan:

Introduction

• 1 Biography
• 2 In literature
• 3 Bibliography
Notes

Introduction

Boniface VIII(lat. Bonifatius P.P. VIII, in the world - Benedetto Caetani, Italian Benedetto Caetani); OK. 1235 - October 11, 1303) - Pope from December 24, 1294 to October 11, 1303.

1. Biography

This is the last of the 13th century popes who tried to put into practice the doctrine of the supremacy of church power over secular power. The failures of Boniface VIII in this activity are explained primarily by the change in the political situation. Instead of a feudal-fragmented Western Europe, Boniface VIII had to face the growing power centralized states- France and England.

Boniface VIII achieved some successes in political intrigues related to the struggle for royal power in Germany. The attempt to intervene in Anglo-French relations was unsuccessful. Preparing for the next war, King Philip IV of France and King Edward I of England introduced a tax on the clergy in their countries without the consent of the pope, which violated the rules established in the 13th century. practice. Boniface VIII responded with a bull " Clericis laicos”, in which he prohibited secular rulers from levying taxes on the clergy without the permission of the pope, under threat of excommunication. However, the clergy of France and England chose to submit to their kings rather than to the pope, and Boniface VIII did not dare to apply excommunication.

A new impetus to the ambitions of Boniface VIII was given by the holding of the first anniversary year in 1300, when more than 200 thousand pilgrims gathered in Rome. The conflict with the French king flared up again after royal officials arrested and imprisoned one of the bishops, without allowing him, as was customary in such cases, to appeal to the ecclesiastical court. In 1302, a papal bull appeared “ Unam Sanctam", where Boniface VIII most fully outlined his concept of the supremacy of the pope over any secular power. It was formulated there "two swords" theory: the pope holds in his hands two swords, one of which symbolizes spiritual and the other secular power. According to Boniface VIII, kings must serve the church at the first order of the pope, who has the right to punish the secular authorities for any mistake, and the pope does not obey any of the people. In response, Philip IV convened the Estates General (where the clergy also participated), which condemned the pope, accusing him of serious crimes, including heresy, and demanded that the pope appear before the court of a church council. In order for such a trial to take place, Philip IV sent his close associate Guillaume Nogaret to Italy with a detachment to capture Boniface VIII and take him to France. Nogare arrested the pope, beat him, but could not take him out - the pope was recaptured by his fellow countrymen in the city of Anagni. A month later, the insulted elderly Boniface VIII died.

The defeat of Boniface VIII in the fight against the powerful king of France meant the collapse of the political ambitions of the papacy. The period of Avignon captivity of the popes began, when they were puppets in the hands of the French monarchy.

2. In literature

Dante was an implacable enemy of Boniface VIII. In this unworthy pope, he saw a hater of free Florence and the main culprit of his exile. He blasphemes him through the mouth of Ciacco (A., VI, 69), Nicholas III (vv. 55-57), Guido da Montefeltro (A., XXVII, 70-111), Bonaventura (R., XII, 90), Cacciaguida ( R., XVII, 49-51), the Apostle Peter (R., XXVII, 22-27) and Beatrice (R., XXX, 148). Dante places Boniface in the eighth circle of hell as a Simonist.

3. Bibliography

• Lozinsky S. G. History of the papacy. M., 1986
• Documents of the Christian Church. London, Oxford, New York, 1967

Notes

1. Leo Taxil. Sacred nativity scene - lib.ru/HRISTIAN/ATH/TAKSIL/sacredde.txt

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This abstract is based on an article from Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed 07/10/11 06:44:14
Similar abstracts: Boniface IV (Pope), Boniface III (Pope), Boniface IX (Pope),

Pope (pontificate 1294-1303). Lawyer, one of the defenders of the papal theocracy. Came from an influential and wealthy family. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Bologna, then continued his studies in Paris. In 1260 he became a canon. Upon returning to Rome, he was appointed lawyer and notary at the Roman Curia; he was entrusted with important diplomatic missions in France (1264) and England (1265). Soon he became a prominent figure in the Roman Curia: in 1281, Pope Martin IV raised him to the rank of cardinal deacon in 1291 by the pope Nicholas IV- into a cardinal presbyter. At the same time, appointed papal legate, he took part in resolving the conflict within the University of Paris, in negotiations between France and England, and contributed to the reconciliation of France with the king Alfonso III of Aragon. After the abdication of the Pope Celestine V was elected to the papal throne (in Naples) with the support of the king Charles II of Anjou . However, part of the clergy questioned the legality of these elections. In response, by order of Boniface, he was imprisoned by Celestine V, where he soon died under unclear circumstances. Since these actions of his displeased the influential Colonna family, the pope declared war on the representatives of this family, excommunicated them from the Church, confiscated their property and destroyed their stronghold - Palestrina. He considered his main goal to be the establishment of papal theocracy as opposed to the emerging national states. Tried to implement dad's ideas Gregory VII And Innocent III. To this end, he surrounded himself with nobility, introduced magnificent etiquette into the curia, trying with all his might to return the papal throne to its former greatness. Wanting to establish the supremacy of the pope, he recognized the election of the German king Albrecht I of Habsburg of Austria (1298) subject to his renunciation of imperial rights in favor of the papacy. To demonstrate the greatness of papal power and replenish the treasury, he introduced the celebration of the jubilee year (“Annus sanctus”) and established that similar jubilee years would be celebrated every 100 years (bull “Antiquorum habet fide” dated February 22, 1300). The “saint” of 1300 was celebrated with unprecedented pomp, with a gathering of thousands of pilgrims to Rome, before whom at the celebrations the pope appeared alternately in the attire of the pontiff and the emperor. His uncompromising and tough position provoked a conflict with France, where a strong royal power was being formed. The reason for the conflict was an emergency tax introduced in 1296 by the French king Philip IV the Fair in connection with the outbreak of war with England. This time the clergy were also subject to taxation, some of whom turned to the pope for protection. Boniface, with the bull “Clericis laicos” of February 24, 1296, declared that it was inadmissible for secular authorities to tax the clergy, moreover, without the consent of the Pope. In response, Philip IV banned the export of money from the country, which sharply hit revenues to the papal treasury. With the bull “Ineffabilis amor” (dated September 20, 1296), the pope openly declared the superiority of spiritual power over secular power. However, both sides were not ready to continue the conflict, and then it ended in a mutual compromise. The King of France lifted the ban on the export of money from the country, and Boniface, in a series of bulls (“Romana Mater Ecclesia” of February 7, “Ab olim” of July 27, “Etsi de statu” of July 31, 1297) recognized the obligation of the clergy to pay for holding lands the royal domain, for the ransom of the king or his children from captivity, and the king was given the right to impose taxes on the clergy to protect the kingdom from external threats. The renewal of the conflict was provoked by the actions of the papal legate Bernard Sesset, Bishop of Pamiers, who was sent to France to investigate complaints from the clergy about the actions of the king. His mission was regarded as inflammatory, and the identity of the legate, a native of Languedoc and an opponent of the inclusion of this region in France, aroused suspicion. In the spring of 1301, he was arrested, his property was confiscated, and Pierre Flot was sent to the pope in order to obtain the lifting of the legate's immunity to begin a judicial investigation. However, the pope, not recognizing the judicial power of the laity over the clergy, demanded the release of Sesse. As a result, the pope declared open war on the king of France: with the bull “Ausculta fili” of December 5, 1301, which abolished the right to collect taxes from the clergy for war, the pope turned to prelates, chapters and doctors of all faculties with a demand to gather in Rome on All Saints’ Day (November 1, 1302) Council of the Church of France to protect the freedoms of the clergy, reforms in the kingdom and admonish the king. However, in France the majority supported the king's actions. At a meeting of representatives of the 3 estates of the kingdom - the Estates General - convened specifically for this issue on April 10, 1302, with the clergy abstaining, the knights and townspeople spoke in favor of the king. The latter again prohibited the export of money from the country, and the distribution of church benefits in the kingdom remained under the jurisdiction of officials. In response, Boniface threatened everyone who did not come to Rome with sanctions, and the King of France with excommunication. Despite the king's ban, more than half of the prelates (39 French bishops) arrived at the Council. Its result was the bull “Unam Sanctam” of December 18, 1302, where the theory of papal supremacy was formulated in the most complete form. Based on the doctrine of the “two swords,” the pope built a theory about the unification in the hands of the Church as a single head of spiritual and temporal power, about the subordination and jurisdiction of all power on earth to her, the vicar of God. In response, France switched to an offensive policy: at the meeting of the Estates General on March 12, 1303, the legist Guillaume de Nogaret accused Boniface of heresy, simony, nepotism and called for protecting the Catholic Church from the unworthy Pope of Rome by convening an Ecumenical Council to remove him. After long negotiations, facing the threat of excommunication of the king of France and the imposition of an interdict on the kingdom, a new meeting of representatives of the 3 estates on July 13, 1303 approved the position royal power and joined the call for the convening of an Ecumenical Council. In the country, over 700 prelates, chapters, barons and city communes voted for this decision. Within the Catholic Church, spiritualists also spoke out against the pope, condemning the luxury of the papal curia and his interference in worldly affairs, for which they were persecuted by him. In order to inform Boniface about the convened Ecumenical Council, Guillaume de Nogaret arrived in Ananya, family estate the Caetani family, where the pope was at that time preparing a coalition against France. He prohibited French universities from assigning academic degrees, chapters - to choose their heads, freed the subjects of the kingdom from their oath to the king. The city passed into the hands of Boniface's opponents, the castle was surrounded by troops of Colonna's supporters, and on the night of September 6-7, 1303, the castle gates were broken open. The pope, who met his opponents in the solemn vestments of the pontiff, was subjected to insults and death threats (legend attributes the slap in the face of the Pope to C. Colonna). After his release, Boniface went to Rome, but, fearing poisoning, did not eat anything; from obtained on the soil nervous disorder He died of fever a month later. The defeat of the pope in a clash with the king of France had the consequences of the so-called. Captivity of Avignon popes, schism in the Catholic Church (papal schism) and the Conciliar movement. Boniface was the patron of science and the arts. He invited the artist to Rome Giotto, founded the Sapienza University of Rome. Under his leadership, work was carried out to codify and unify canon law “Liber Sextus”, the result of which was a new collection of canons included in the “Corpus juris canonici”.