The era when the Catholic papacy moved to France

History · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For nearly 70 years, the seat of papal power sat far from Rome. Often called the 'Babylonian Captivity,' this period saw seven successive French popes governing from Avignon, sparking intense political rivalries and a massive reorganization of the Church's administrative heart.

The Avignon papacy (1309–1377) began as a consequence of violent political friction between the Roman papacy and Philip IV of France. Following the death of Benedict XI in 1304 and the turbulent end of Boniface VIII’s reign—which included his arrest and maltreatment by French agents—the papacy's stability was shattered. In 1305, Philip IV successfully influenced the election of Clement V, the Archbishop of Bordeaux. While Clement was initially crowned in Lyon in November 1305, he eventually moved the papal court to Avignon on March 9, 1309.

During this era, the papacy underwent a profound administrative transformation. The Sacred College of Cardinals gained significant influence, and the Church implemented a vast centralization of its offices and agencies. While the period is often criticized as being overly responsive to French interests—all seven popes during this time were French, and 111 of the 134 cardinals created were also French—historians note that the papacy was not as easily manipulated by the French Crown as contemporaries believed. The era also saw expanded missionary efforts reaching as far as China and the promotion of university education.

However, the residency in Avignon caused deep resentment in England and Germany, damaging the papacy's prestige. This tension eventually contributed to the Great Western Schism (1378–1417), a period of rival claimants to the papal throne. The era of Avignon residency effectively ended when Gregory XI moved the court back to Rome in 1376. The administrative enclave of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin remained part of the Papal States for centuries, only being absorbed by the French Republic in 1791.

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