Boniface VIII

See also: Boniface

Boniface VIII (1235 - 1303), originating in Anagni, its true name Benedetto Caetani . In the Prophecy of Saint Malachie, it is known under the currency “ Ex undarum benedictione ” (Of the blessing of the waves). (Its weapons carried waves, and its original first name was Benedetto , which means “blesses” in Italian.)

He was initially lawyer and notary of the pope with Rome. He obtained the cardinal's hat in 1281, and was elected pope the December 24th 1294 after the resignation of Célestin V. Although its election was regular, one showed it to have pushed his predecessor, that it made imprison to avoid the risk of Schisme, to withdraw itself. Once arrived at the capacity, it put the interdict on the kingdom of the Denmark.

Just as Gregoire VII, this pontiff wanted to raise the spiritual power above the temporal power, and claimed to have the thrones; he had sharp contentions with the Colonna, which supported the rights of the Couronne of Aragon, with the emperor of Germany, but especially with Philippe Beautiful the in France. He encouraged the princes of Germany to revolt against Albert.

He untied the subjects of Philippe the Beautiful one of their oath of fidelity and fulminated against him the famous bubbles Clericis laicos , Ausculta, fili (whose Pierre Flote, lawyer of the king, wrote a falsified version) and famous the Unam Sanctam preaching the superiority of the popes on the kings (of spiritual on the temporal one). Boniface VIII also wrote a bubble of excommunication, Super $petri Solio , but it was never published: the king called upon the Concile and sent an army to him which did it captive with Anagni. It was stopped in 1303 by Guillaume de Nogaret, new adviser of the king, according to the orders of Philippe, who wanted to bring it in France and to make it judge by a council. By doing this, it covered its Tiare, took in hand its stick and the keys, while saying: “ I am pope, I will die pope ” He saw myself maltreating by Sciarra Colonna. Drawn with the hands of the French, four days after (released by the people), it fell sick by continuations from the ill treatments which it had undergone, and died at the end of one month with Rome the October 11th 1303. He had declared the year 1300 jubilaire.

He canonized Louis IX in 1297, called from now on holy Louis de France.

In 1298, it makes promulgate the collection of décrétale called Sexte.

The Father Luigi Tosti gave in 1846 a Histoire of Boniface VIII translated by the Abbé Marie-Duclos.

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