/ The Palace of the Popes in AvignonClement V, elected pope in 1305, settled in Avignon in 1309. Instability in Italy, relations with the French monarchy and the city's location contributed to this choice. Avignon then belonged to the count of Provence, also king of Naples, while the neighbouring Comtat Venaissin had been papal territory since 1274. The city was close to Italy and on the border of the kingdom of France, ruled by Philip the Fair.
Seven popes succeeded one another in Avignon between 1309 and 1377, when Gregory XI returned to Rome. During the Western Schism, which began in 1378, Clement VII and then Benedict XIII established a rival papacy there; Benedict XIII left Avignon in 1403. The papal court attracted bankers, scholars, craftspeople and artists. Art and trade benefited greatly. In 1348, Clement VI bought Avignon from Joanna, queen of Naples and countess of Provence.
Sources and further reading: Palace of the Popes: Avignon's nine popes.