E-SOURCE 19.2
Clericis Laicos
Even before the Black Death, the Church faced problems from newly insurgent monarchs. The kings of England and France cultivated a national identity that sought to weaken the power of the papacy over the English and French churches, and at the same time strengthen domestic control over the clergy. Their activity forced the Church to respond with a reassertion of its right of control over all clergy, as shown inthe following papal bull concerning taxation, issued by Boniface VIII.
As you read, consider these questions:
1)What does the pope use to threaten disobedient Christians? How might the continued reliance on the same threats actually weaken the pope’s authority?
2)What might a document such as this imply about the influence of the thirteenth and fourteenth century papacy?
CLERICIS LAICOS, 1296
Boniface Bishop, servant of the servants of God [i.e., the Pope], for the perpetual memory of the matter. That laymen have been very hostile to clerks antiquity relates, which too the experiences of the present times manifestly declare, whilst not content with their own bounds they strive for the forbidden persons, and loose the reins for things unlawful. Nor do they prudently consider how power over clerks or ecclesiastical persons or goods is forbidden them: they impose heavy burdens on the prelates of the churches and ecclesiastical persons regular and secular, and tax them, and impose collections: they exact and demand from the same the half, tithe, or twentieth, or any other portion or proportion of their revenues or goods; and in many ways they essay to bring them under slavery, and subject them to their authority. And, as we sadly relate, some prelates of the churches and ecclesiastical persons, alarmed where there should be no alarm, seeking transient peace, fearing more to offend the temporal majesty than the eternal, acquiesce in such abuses, not so much rashly as improvidently, authority license of the Apostolic See not having been obtained. We therefore desirous of preventing such wicked actions, do, with apostolic authority decree, with the advice of our brethren, that whatsoever prelates and ecclesiastical persons, religious or secular, of whatsoever orders, condition or standing, shall pay or promise or agree to pay to lay persons collections or taxes for the tithe, twentieth, or hundredth of their own rents, or goods, or those of the churches, oranyother portion, proportion, or quantity of the same rents, or goods, at their own estimate or value, under the name of aid, loan, relief, subsidy, or gift, or by any other title, manner, or pretext demanded, without the authority of the same see.
And also whatsoever emperors, kings, or princes, dukes, earlsor barons, powers, captains, or officials, or rectors, by whatsoever names they are reputed, of cities, castles, orany places whatsoever, wheresoever situated, and all others of whatsoever rank, pre-eminence or state, who shall impose, exact, or receive the things aforesaid, or arrest, seize, or presume to occupy things anywhere deposited in holy buildings, or to command them to be arrested, seized, or and any occupied, or receive them when occupied, seized, or arrested, and also all who knowingly give aid, counsel, or favor, openly or secretly, in the things aforesaid, by this same should incur sentence of excommunication. Universities, too, which may have been to blame in these matters, we subject to ecclesiastical interdict.
The prelates and ecclesiastical persons above mentioned westrictly command, in virtue of their obedience, and under pain of deposition, that they in no wise acquiesce in such things without express license of the said see, and that they pay nothing under pretext of any obligation, promise, and acknowledgment whatsoever, made so far, or in progress heretofore, and before such constitution, prohibition, or order come to their notice, and that the seculars aforesaid do not in any wise receive it, and if they do pay, or the aforesaid receive, let them fall under sentence of excommunication by the very deed.
Moreover, let no one be absolved from the aforesaid sentences of excommunications and interdict, save at the moment of death, without authority and special license of the Apostolic See, inasmuch as it is part of our intention that such a terrible abuse of secular powers should not in any wise pass under dissimulation, any privileges whatsoever withstanding, in whatsoever tenors, forms or modes, or arrangement of words, conceded to emperors, kings and the others aforesaid; against which premises aforesaid we will that aid be given by no one, and by no persons in any respect.
Let it then be lawful to none at all to infringe this page of our constitution, prohibition, or order, or to gainsay it by any rash attempt; and if any one presume to attempt this, let him know that he will incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of his blessed apostles Peter and Paul.
Given at Rome in St. Peter's on the 24th of February in the second year of our Pontificate.
Source: Henry Gee, William John Hardy, eds., Documents Illustrative of English Church History (London: MacMillan and Co., 1896), 87-89.Text modified by Phillip C. Adamo.