Pope Clement V facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pope Clement V
Bishop of Rome
Clement V on 1310 sou coin
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	5 June 1305
Papacy ended	20 April 1314
Predecessor	Benedict XI
Successor	John XXII
Orders
Consecration	14 November 1305
Personal details
Birth name	Raymond Bertrand de Got
Born	1264 Villandraut, Gascony, Kingdom of France
Died	20 April 1314(1314-04-20) (aged 49–50) Roquemaure, Kingdom of France
Previous post	Archbishop of Bordeaux
Other Popes named Clement

Pope Clement V (born Raymond Bertrand de Got) was the leader of the Catholic Church from 1305 until his death in 1314. He is famous for ending the powerful group known as the Knights Templar. He also moved the center of the Papacy (the Pope's office) from Rome to Avignon, a city in what is now France. This period is called the Avignon Papacy.

Before becoming Pope, Raymond Bertrand was a bishop and then an archbishop. He was known to be a friend of King Philip IV of France.

Becoming Pope: Clement V's Election

After Pope Benedict XI died in 1304, there was a long wait before a new Pope was chosen. This was because French and Italian cardinals disagreed.

Raymond Bertrand was elected Pope in June 1305. He was not Italian and was not yet a cardinal, which made his election seem like a neutral choice. Some stories say he made a secret deal with King Philip IV of France before becoming Pope.

His official crowning ceremony took place on November 14, 1305, in Lyon, France. King Philip IV attended this grand event. One of Clement V's first actions was to appoint nine new cardinals, all of whom were French.

During his coronation parade, a wall collapsed, injuring many people. The Duke of Brittany, who was leading the Pope's horse, died a few days later from his injuries.

Key Events During Clement V's Time as Pope

Changing Papal Rules and the Knights Templar

A papal seal, called a Bulla, from Clement V.

Early in his rule, Pope Clement V made some important changes. He softened rules that had caused problems between the Church and the King of France. He also withdrew a previous Pope's rule that said the Pope had more power than kings. This was a big shift in how the Church dealt with rulers.

In 1307, hundreds of Knights Templar were arrested in France. This action was likely driven by financial reasons and the King's desire for more power. The Templars were a wealthy and influential military order.

King Philip IV also pushed for a trial against the late Pope Boniface VIII, accusing him of serious wrongdoing. Pope Clement V had to agree to this unusual trial, which started in 1309 and lasted two years. Clement V believed Boniface VIII was innocent, but he wanted to keep the King happy. Eventually, the King dropped the accusations.

In 1311, Clement V called a major meeting of Church leaders called the Council of Vienne. The Council did not find the Templars guilty of wrongdoing. However, the Pope decided to disband the order anyway. The Knights Templar had lost their good reputation and were no longer as useful to the Pope as they once were.

Crusades and Contact with Mongols

Pope Clement V was interested in Crusades, which were religious wars aimed at taking back the Holy Land. He also tried to connect with the Mongol Empire in Asia. He hoped to form an alliance with the Mongols against Muslim rulers in the Middle East.

In 1305 and 1307, Mongol leaders sent messengers to Clement V and European kings. However, a strong alliance never fully formed.

In 1308, Clement V called for a new crusade to the Holy Land. Some poor people gathered in Avignon in 1309, hoping to join. Clement V gave them special blessings but did not let them join the main expedition. This expedition, led by the Knights Hospitaller, ended up conquering the island of Rhodes instead of going to the Holy Land.

In 1312, Clement V again called for a crusade. King Philip IV of France also promised to go on a crusade in 1313.

Moving the Papacy to Avignon

In 1309, Pope Clement V moved the entire papal court from Poitiers to Avignon. At the time, Avignon was not part of France. This move was said to be for safety, as Rome was unstable and dangerous due to conflicts between powerful families.

This decision led to the "Avignon Papacy," a period of nearly 70 years when the Pope lived in Avignon instead of Rome. This time was difficult for Italy. The Pope's own lands were hard to control. In Rome, powerful families fought each other.

Clement V also had conflicts with the city of Venice. He even called for a "crusade" against the Venetians in 1309, saying that Venetians captured abroad could be sold into slavery.

Later Years and Death

Clement V was careful in his dealings with the Holy Roman Empire. He didn't want France to become too powerful. He supported Henry VII as the Holy Roman Emperor. However, when Henry came into conflict with the King of Naples, Clement V supported Naples.

Other important events during his rule include stopping a religious movement in Italy that he considered wrong. He also issued new Church laws called the Clementine Constitutions in 1313.

Pope Clement V died on April 20, 1314. It is said that during a thunderstorm, lightning struck the church where his body lay, causing a fire that mostly destroyed his body. He was buried in a church near his birthplace.

Images for kids

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  Hayton of Corycus giving his report on the Mongols to Pope Clement V in 1307.

See also

• Bernard Jarre
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Château Pape Clément
• Château de Roquetaillade

Sources

• Baumgartner, Frederic, Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal elections, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

• Chamberlain, E. R., The Bad Popes. NY: Barnes & Noble, 1993. ISBN: 978-0-88029-116-3
• Davidson, Basil, The African Slave Trade revised ed., 1961, Boston : Brown Little
• Duffy, Eamon. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-300-11597-0
• Howarth, Stephen. The Knights Templar. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1982. ISBN: 978-0-88029-663-2
• Le Moyne de La Borderie, Arthur (1906), Histoire de Bretagne, J. Plihon et L. Hommay

• Richard, Jean, Histoire des croisades, Fayard, 1996. ISBN: 2-213-59787-1