Clement V (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, Series Number 36)

Clement V, the first 'Avignon' pope, led the Church during nine critical years, 1305–14. Elected two years after the outrage committed upon Boniface VIII at Anagni, Clement saw as his main goal the restoration of harmonious relations with the leading monarchs of Christendom. In achieving his aim, he paved the way for the Church in the modern period. This 1998 book provides a complete analysis of Clement's pontificate from the two complementary viewpoints offered by diplomatic documentation and by narrative sources. Their point of convergence validates a re-evaluation of the Avignon 'Babylonian captivity' of the papacy. As a result, Clement's pontificate no longer appears as a shameful surrender to Capetian interests. Rather, it demonstrates a consistent scale of priorities, among which the recovery of the Holy Land was accorded pre-eminence.

The fourteenth century heralded a new stage in the history of the Church, when papal rule was forced to find new patterns of cooperation with emerging national states. The Avignon pontificate of Clement V (1305-14) found a compromise among conflicting interests, and thus paved the way for the Church in the modern era. In contrast to the characterization of the Avignon period as the Babylonian captivity of the papacy, this book offers a new evaluation of Clement's reign, the goals of papal policy, and its evaluation by contempories.

Clement V -- Church Policy -- Crusade And Mission -- Italy -- France -- England -- The Council Of Vienne And The Clementinae. Sophia Menache. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 309-343) And Index. Bertrand de Got was elected to the papacy on 5 June 1305, eleven months after the death of Benedict XI. A re-evaluation of the reign of the 'Avignon' pope Clement V (1305?14)