Analysis: The eventful Avignon Papacy included three different popes ruling at the same time and an Irish king complaining about the English
As the Pope continues to recover in Rome from his recent illness, it is worth noting that the Italian capital was not always the home of the Pope. For almost 70 years in the Middle Ages, the Pope and his entourage moved to Avignon in the south of France. The move was prompted by factionalism in Rome and conflict between the Catholic Church and the French monarchy. The Avignon Papacy was followed by a period of chronic instability when there was a Pope in Rome and a senior cleric in Avignon who also claimed to be the Pope.
During the Middle Ages, it was not unusual for popes to be away from Rome and the men who reigned between 1198 and 1304 spent 60% of their time outside Rome. They would often spend the summer in one of the towns of the Papal States, a group of territories in central Italy ruled by the pope. But for a pope to live such a distance from the eternal city - and for such a long period of time - was unheard of.
The Avignon Papacy began in 1309 when French-born Pope Clement V moved to Avignon to escape dangerous mobs in Rome. While not intended to be permanent, it lasted until 1377 when the then Pope Gregory XI declared that he would return to Rome. That did not mean that everything was back to normal however, as the Church was rocked by instability when Gregory XI died in 1378.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's History Show, Colm Flynn looks at the Avignon Papacy
Avignon was transformed. In all, seven different Popes (all French born) ruled the Catholic Church from Avignon. The move "enlarged its bureaucracy, centralised its authority, and initiated closer contact with secular institutions".
Initially, Clement V lived in the town's Dominican priory or in a nearby castle, but they realised as time went on that a building would be needed to accommodate everyone and to welcome visitors. A palace was constructed in 1335, as much for defensive purposes as practical ones. Described as "one of the most magnificent edifices of Gothic architecture of the 14th century", the medieval Palais des Papes is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built over a period of 20 years, it consists of the Old Palace erected during the pontificate of Benedict XII and the New Palace which was constructed by his successor Clement VI. An impressive structure that dominates Avignon, the Palais des Papes is the largest Gothic palace in Europe.
To ensure some kind of independence and permanence, Clement VI bought the town of Avignon from the Countess of Provence in 1348 for 80,000 florins (€41,015.73 in today's money). All of the offices of the Papacy were established in Avignon to deal with all the usual matters of government including diplomatic and financial. Foreign diplomats came to the town and correspondence was sent there from all over the world, including Ireland.
In late 1317, Tyrone king Domhnall Ua Néill (Donall O'Neill) sent a document to Pope John XXII complaining about the actions of the English in Ireland. Commonly known as the 'Remonstrance of the Irish princes’, it called on the Pope to support Edward Bruce of Scotland (brother of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots) as King of Ireland. Historian Diarmuid Scully argues that the Remonstrance "presents the Scots and Irish as one nation" and that it claims that "English rule is barbarising the Irish". He also contends that it "preserves a unique expression of Irish identity".
When it reached Avignon in early 1318, the reaction of the Pope was said to be "unsympathetic". One of John XXII’s predecessors, English-born Adrian IV, issued a Papal bull (a kind of public decree or charter issued by the Pope) known as Laudabiliter in 1155 granting Ireland to King Henry II of England.
From Scotland History Tours, the story of Edward Bruce, the Scotsman who was the last king of Ireland
Pope Gregory XI’s return to Rome in 1377 was not universally popular. Tensions were further inflamed following his death in 1378. Different groups sought to win control of the Papacy during the period known as The Western Schism. The Romans wanted to see an Italian occupy the Cathedral of Saint Peter in the Vatican, the wooden throne that symbolises the primacy of Peter. However, it was a tall ask given that while the Papacy was in Avignon, the majority of Cardinals that were appointed were French.
Relations between the different groups were fraught and at one point, there were three different Popes at the same time. There was a Roman Pope, an Avignon antipope and lastly, a Pisan Pope, who was elected as a compromise candidate at the Council of Pisa in 1409. This led to further years of disagreement and the Schism was only ended through the Council of Constance (1414-1418) where Martin V was elected Pope in 1417.
From TED-Ed, historian Joëlle Rollo-Koster on why were there three popes at the same time
The Church’s reputation suffered during the Avignon Papacy and the Italian humanist poet Petrarch, who lived in Avignon at various points in his life, wrote some of the "most pungent criticism we have of that institution". Labelling it the "Babylon of the west" in a letter to a friend, Petrarch lamented how its spiritual values had given way to materialism and corruption.
Even though the relatively short-lived Avignon Papacy was eventful and led to years of fraction, academic study of it over the years was either lacking or one-sided. According to medievalist historian Joëlle Rollo-Koster who has written a book on the subject, historical scholarship dealing with the 14th century has "either neglected the Avignon Papacy or vilified it as a French puppet – immoral, worldly and materialistic in outlook".
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
