Pope Boniface VIII

Pope from 1294 to 1303, Boniface VIII asserted papal supremacy and issued the 1302 bull Unam Sanctam amid conflict with King Philip IV of France.

Unam Sanctam: A 1302 papal bull asserting that submission to the Roman pontiff was necessary for salvation. This bull gave Boniface’s claim to spiritual supremacy its clearest formulation.
Papal conclave of 1294: The election in July 1294 that chose Celestine V as pope after a prolonged vacancy. Its aftermath created the opening through which Boniface became pope.
Papal bull: A formal document issued by a pope, authenticated by a lead seal called a bulla. Boniface used papal bulls to state policy and press his claims against secular rulers.
Pope Gregory X: Pope from 1271 to 1276 who established rules for papal elections in conclave. The conclave rules associated with Gregory X framed the election that brought Boniface to the papacy.
Two swords doctrine: A medieval theory that spiritual and temporal authority derive from God, with their proper exercise disputed. Boniface’s claims drew on traditions about the two powers while placing spiritual authority above temporal rule.
Anagni: An Italian town where French agents and their allies seized Pope Boniface VIII in 1303. The attack on Boniface there became the dramatic climax of his conflict with Philip IV.
Pope Celestine V: A hermit elected pope in 1294 who abdicated that December, an unusual act in papal history. Celestine’s resignation allowed Boniface to succeed him, and Boniface later confined him.
Excommunication: A church penalty excluding a person from communion and certain religious rites. Boniface threatened or imposed ecclesiastical penalties as leverage in political disputes.
Benedict Caetani: The birth name of Boniface VIII, born into the Italian Caetani family. This name identifies Boniface before and beyond his papal title.
Gallicanism: A tradition asserting distinctive liberties and authority for the French church in relation to the papacy. French resistance to Boniface anticipated arguments that limited papal control over the French church.

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