Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/555

 THE GROWTH OF ROYAL POWER IN FRANCE 505 ing struggle; even the French clergy had declared in his favor. The pope for his part proceeded to hold his synod, which some French clergy attended and at which he launched against Philip the bull, Unam sanctam. The Unam assertion in this bull that it was necessary to sanctam their salvation that all human beings should be an nagm under the Roman pontiff has been generally regarded as the J extreme contention of papal theory. This proud declaration was swiftly followed by a terrible humiliation. Nogaret, one of Philip's advisers, was dispatched to Italy with instruc- tions to seize the pope and bring him to France for trial by a church council to be summoned there. Nogaret was joined by the Colonna and other local enemies of Boniface, while no secular power came to the pope's aid. Boniface had left Rome and was at Anagni, his birthplace, preparing to excommunicate Philip and free the French from their alle- giance, when Nogaret and his confederates entered the gates of the town without opposition. When the pope refused to accept their terms, which included the restoration of the Colonna family and his resignation from the Papacy and captivity in France, they stormed the palaces of the pope and his nephew, and took Boniface prisoner. Although in danger of his life, for the head of the House of Colonna wished to kill him, the old man bravely persisted in refusing to yield an inch to their demands. After he had been a prisoner for three days the townsmen of Anagni rose and freed him, but his strength and spirit were broken and a month later he died at Rome. This was not, however, the first time that violence had been done a pope by secular rulers. Philip's strength was manifested more in the fact that Boniface's sue- Subserviency cessors took no steps to punish the French king y to p^n" p for the outrage. Benedict XI, who reigned for the Fair only a few months, excommunicated Nogaret, Sciarra Co- lonna, and eleven of their associates, but displayed a concil- iatory spirit toward Nogaret's master. After Benedict's death eleven months passed before the election of a new