Question

During his pontificate (1294 - 1303), repeated claims to papal authority were challenged by King Philip IV of France. When this person died in 1309 (at the hands of Philip's thugs), the French king moved the papal court from Rome to the French city of Avignon, where it remained until 1378.

Answer 1

Answer: Pope Boniface VIII

Explanation: Boniface VIII was murdered at the hand of Phillip's thugs due to the fact that he believed that The Pope had ultimate authority over material and spiritual matters as a representative of God. He died in 1303. After his death, the king of France persuaded the conclave to elect Clement V as the new pope, and later on, convinced the pope to move the papacy from Rome to Avignon in 1309, in order to more effectively control and influence the papal office.