Status Updates From Les Papes en Avignon

1410, eventually in the absence of Benedict XIII the townspeople of Avignon declare their support for Pope Alexander V, who is pope in Pisa. Unfortunately for them he was also dead, but news hadn't reached Avignon- a kind of schrodinger's Pope situation. He might be alive or he might be dead, but no one would known until the fateful letter was unsealed.

during the night of 11th of march 1403, Benedict XIII made his escape from Avignon. out from the palace, a gate was opened before dawn and the pope and his companions slipped into a waiting boat and set off down the Rhone.Down river they met up with a party of horsemen and a cardinal before stopping at Chateaurenard near Arles

1398 The French seriously try to capture the papal palace digging mines, but the defender's dig countermines.
I am surprised to read this, the damage must have been well repaired.

Five cardinals remain with Benedict XIII. the rest slope off and submit to King Charles VI of France.

Five cardinals remain with Benedict XIII. the rest slope off and submit to King Charles VI of France.

Five cardinals remain with Benedict XIII. the rest slope off and submit to King Charles VI of France.

1397. The King of France withdrew support from Benedict XIII in Avignon. And tried to pressure him to abandon the palace (which is impressively fortress like (ein festes burg ist unser schloss as Luther did not sing ) Benedict withdraws inside and will not come out for five years.

Cardinals in Avignon elect cardinal Pierre de Luna, a professor of Canon law at Montpellier. He had to be consecrated as a priest a few days after his election and eight days later celebrated his first Mass on the 11th October 1394.

Clement VII died in 1394 at the age of 52, he outlived his rival Urban VI but as a successor was elected the schism continued.

The cardinals mysterious abandon Urban VI in Rome and elect another pope in Avignon: clement VII

thirteen cardinals in Rome elect the Archbishop of Bari Pope Urbain VI

Gregory IX reaches Rome, even celebrates mass on-board his boat, but dies in 1378.

Gregory turns down an offer of Austrian support to go to Rome, but accepts ships offered by Venice, however in 1375 the war of the eight saints breaks out between Florence and the papal states, Catherine of Sienna was not amused.

Gregory IX pushes Charles V of France to take action against Waldensian heretics near to Lyon and pushes for action against the beguins in germany and the flagellants everywhere and against cathars in Corsica.

a nephew of Pope Clement VI is elected Gregory IX in 1370

Urban V enters Rome briefly before returning to Avignon and dying in 1370.

1369 Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos, not for the first or the last time, ends the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches by acknowledging the supremacy of the Pope, however a schism would soon open up again between the two churches

Guillaume Grimoard, the abbot of Saint-Victor's in Marseilles is elected pope in 1362, a monk since the age of 12, he takes the name Urban V to signal his desire to return the seat of the papacy to Rome.

Innocent VI sends a cardinal to assert control over Rome, but dies aged 70 in 1362

After the battle of Poiters, bands of soldiers and/or brigands roamed the countryside, leading pope Innocent VI to have 4,330 meters and 35 towers of Avignon's town walls repaired.

For the feast to celebrate the election of pope Innocent VI; 9900 guest were provided with 6900 goblets , 3000 glasses, 1500 pears , 6000 apples, 300 pounds of Jam, 17 quintels of cheese, 1400 pates, 7800eggs, 1560 rabbits, 2000 loaves of white bread, 52588 loaves of other bread, 100 river birds and quantities of fish

By contrast 10,000 guests attended the coronation of Philip VI of France

Clement VI died december 1352 and has a magnificent funeral, his tomb though will be later attacked by hugenots, his nephew will eventually become pope gregory IX.

revenues increased, but not as much as spending,

his curia was criticised by petrarch, as was the pope by saint Bridget of sweden for not returning to rome already.

Petrarch on Avignon: vous avoueriez que les rues de cette ville abominable ne sont pas moins hideuses et lugubres que ses habitants. les hommes et les lieux ont meme aspect obscene, laid, horrible...

Petrarch employed as ambassador to the King of Hungary in 1347.

Clement VI extended the practise of giving bread to the poor started by John XXII, he , presumably not personally was giving out 32,000 loaves of bread every day. I guess that must have been distributed in several cities, even many cities, since the population of Avignon was nowhere near that large

Plan of the papal palace showing the extension built under Clement VI to the construction work of Benedict XII. Creating the double courtyard with a grand audience chamber and a very useful treasury on the first floor and a chamber for the inevitable notaries.

Clement VI was able to give gifts of land to two of his brothers while he could make five members of his family cardinals allowing a nephew to become pope gregory IX (the college of cardinals was rather small during the Avignon papacy, so five cardinals was a considerable voting block)

to celebrate his election Pope Clement VI held a feast offering 118 cows, 1,023 sheep, 39.980 eggs, 50,00 tarts (as in pastries not prostitutes), and 95,000 loaves of bread.

just think of the eggs, the entire district around Avignon must have been swept clear of eggs for a week (or more!) to meet the demand

upon the death of Benedict XII King Philip VI of France sent his son to Avignon to pressurise the cardinals to elect Pierre Roger Archbishop of Rouen Pope, but he was too late, Roger had already been elected Pope before he could arrive

1334, John XXII died aged 90 having been elected as an old man as a compromise candidate who went on to live for another eighteen years. His papacy is the era that the novel 'in the name of the rose'is set.