Anagni's Affront, Slapping a Pope

The situation of Europe in the fourteenth century was that of a feudal society, where the role of the church was not simply to govern the faith of its subjects, not even to ensure the righteousness of souls, power that the church pretended to be the earthly one .France was under the reign of King Philip IV, nicknamed the beautiful one, a king of absolutist court and with few pretensions to bend before any other power, although this was the power of God on earth.In Rome, the other protagonist was the Pope Boniface VIII, a pope with a somewhat special vision of divine powers.In this article dedicated to Anagni's Affront, Slapping a Pope, we are going to tell you how the events happened, what the reason for this affront and what consequences it would bring.

Sciarra Colonna at the time of slapping r to Pope Boniface VIII.

Index of the article

Anagni's Affront, Slapping a Pope | The Protagonists

To know better what happened in the affront of Anagni , we have to know a little more in depth to each of the protagonists.The need for this knowledge is that knowing the type of temperament that each one had and the real pretensions for which they decided to make or edit certain laws, are fundamental to understand perfectly how it was possible to be France, one of the most loyal servants of the power of Rome to become enemies.

Boniface VIII

Anagni's Affront, Slap a Pope: The Protagonists | Pope Boniface VIII

Boniface VIII, took the position number 193 as Pope of the Catholic Church. Benedetto Gaetani, was born in the Papal States in 1235, belonging to a noble family of Spanish origin who settled in Italy. Cultured man studied in Bologna and in Paris where he specialized in Canon Law.

University of Bologna

When Pope Celestino V , 5 months after his proclamation in the city of L'Aquila, renounces the papacy, according to the Pope himself, due to illness, for not being able to handle the kingdom of God, for wanting to return to his life of meditation, for having more than 80 years.His successor was quickly named this would be Benedetto Gaetani , or what is it same Boniface VIII.

Named Pope on Christmas Day 1294, he was a very arrogant and choleric man , a trained man with a great flaw , the lack of diplomacy, lack of tact, becoming a very arrogant and uncompromising person , a way of being that generated more than one enmity.

Proclamation of Boniface VIII in the city of L'Aquila,

The main desire of Pope Boniface was to maintain the power of the Pope over all Christendom, including the kings as it had been until now.

His successive clashes with the King of France, Philip IV the Beautiful , caused a before and after in the conception of power From this moment on, the power that the Pope had always had over all Christians, including the Kings, took a radical turn, now the rights of both men and lands will directly become the jurisdiction of the King , the clergy in France was left out.Pope Boniface VIII, died in Rome on October 11, 1303, a few days after being released by the King of France.

Bonifacio Tomb VIII

But if we want to know more , we will say out of curiosity , that the painting of the streets and the first road safety regulations was an idea of ​​Pope Bonifacio.

In the celebration of the Holy Year, people were threw literally to the streets to reach the Plaza de San Pedro, this caused hundreds of outrages, since the carriages were often caught in human tides.After the many deaths left behind the Holy Year, the Pope ordered that a white line will be marked in the center of the road on the streets of the Vatican, on the left side the carriages would circulate and on the right side of the line, the pedestrians.

Anagni-Papal Palace of Bonifacio VIII

Even if it's a curiosity, this is why the one that the English lead on the left, really was a norm of Roman circulation, that Pope Boniface VIII, recovered and that is still respected in the United Kingdom.In the rest of Europe and after the French Revolution This rule was modified throughout the Napoleonic Empire, but this is another story.

La Afrenta de Anagni, Slapping a Pope: The Protagonists | King Felipe IV of France

King Felipe IV of France, was born in Fontainebleau on July 1, 1268, second son of King Felipe III and Isabel de Aragon.for its rigidity and severity, a totally impassive man.

Fontainebleau

Luis, the heir to the throne of France and Philip's older brother, died in 1276 poisoned when he was only 11 years old.It was then when Felipe he became heir to the throne , becoming a reality when his father, the king died and being proclaimed king on January 6, 1286.

The tastes of the French king they were the typical of the time of the condition, so he liked hunting and palace parties.It is said that he was a godly king and proud of his lineage. Politically he surrounded himself with great counselors who also shared their props The ideas strengthen the king's power.

Philip IV

He was a king worried about cleaning up the crown's finances, creating among others the Court of Auditors , or collecting taxes special to citizens who did not want to provide military service, so part of that money was dedicated to hiring mercenaries, who in addition to knowing how to fight, enrich the coffers of the state.

This was the main reason for disagreement between the King of France and Pope Boniface VIII, when the king of France, in that collection process, forced the French clergy to pay taxes , something of what they were exempt.Bonifacio saw this gesture as a provocation.

Moment in which he is arrested Pope Boniface VIII

King Philip IV of France is owed the suppression of the Templar Order in 1307, after seven years of hard trials 15,000 men were tried, including the great Masters of the Order as was Jacques de Molay , who was burned in Paris with the charge of heretic.The king will chase and send to prison all the Templars after going through a torture process, until that in 1314, it is considered extinct.

Execution by Jacques de Molay

In the following update we will deal in depth with the event that took place in Angni, naming the story as Anagni's Affront, slapping a Pope , in addition to its carceration.

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Anagni's Affront, Slapping a Pope | Photo Gallery