Pope Boniface VIII

Pope Boniface VIII (; c. 1230 – October 11, 1303), born Benedetto Caetani, was an Italian cleric of the Roman Catholic Church and the 194th Pope  from 1294 to 1303. "List of Popes,"  Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-29.

 Early life 
Benedetto Caetani was born in 1235 at Anagni in Italy."Pope Boniface VIII", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-29.  Caetani studied at Todi and at Spoleto where he earned a degree in law. He came from a very noble family.Watts, Tim. "Boniface VIII." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. His family was in government.

In 1265, Caetani traveled with Cardinal Ottobuono Fieschi to England.

Cardinal
In 1281, Pope Martin IV raised Caetani to the rank of cardinal. In 1291, Pope Nicholas IV made him Cardinal of SS. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti.

Pope
Cardinal Caetani was elected in 1294; and he chose to be called Boniface VIII.Note on ordinal numbering: Popes Boniface VIII–IX are really the 7th and 8th popes with that name.  This is because Boniface VII is now classed as an antipope; but during the reign of Boniface VIII, this was not recognized. The "true" or actual seventh pope Boniface identified himself with the ordinal number VIII.  In other words, the numbering of popes after the 7th Boniface needs to be explained -- compare Popes Benedict XI–XVI.

Pope Boniface confirmed the decree of Pope Celestine V that any pope can freely resign. "Abdication," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2013-2-11.

Boniface was involved in Italian and European political disputes.

Boniface VIII made a rule that if a ruler (king) fined people taxes without the church or popes' permission that the ruler would be excluded from the church. He would make rash decisions without consideration. He was known to be harsh, mean, cruel, and did not listen to other people's recommendations. For example, He declared a very rash papal law that all people, not just Christians, must follow him if they want to go to heaven. He believed as the Pope, all rulers should bow down to him and respect him.Pennington, Kenneth. "Boniface VIII." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web.  27 Feb. 2013.

After his death
Dante mentions Boniface in The Inferno.  He identifies the pope as "the Prince of the new Pharisees."

Related pages
 List of popes
 Abdication

 References 

Other reading
 Boase, Thomas Sherrer Ross. (1933). Boniface VIII. London: Constable.  OCLC 1387650

 Other websites 


  Catholic Hierarchy, Pope Boniface VII
  Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church ,  Cardinal Caetani 

Category:Italian popes
Category:1235 births
Category:1303 deaths