Elected in 1305, Bertrand de Got took the name Clement V. His pontificate opened the Avignon period amid political tensions and a difficult relationship with Philip IV of France.
Bertrand de Got, elected in 1305
Portrait of Clement V by Henri Serrur — Palais des Papes, AvignonArchbishop of Bordeaux, Bertrand de Got was chosen after a long, divided conclave. Crowned in Lyon, he did not go to Rome, where political conditions remained unstable. The papal court stayed in several towns before establishing itself in the Avignon region.
The papal court and Avignon
Clement V settled in Avignon in 1309. The city then belonged to the Count of Provence; the papacy would only purchase it in 1348, under Clement VI. Clement V’s stay began a new phase of papal history, although the great palace seen today had not yet been built.
Philip IV, King of France
Philip IV and the Knights Templar
Relations with Philip IV shaped his pontificate. Under pressure from the French monarchy, the Knights Templar were suppressed in 1312. Clement V also defended certain papal prerogatives against the king, notably concerning his predecessor Boniface VIII. In fragile health, he died on 20 April 1314 at Roquemaure.
Continue with the Palais des Papes and the history of the Avignon papacy.