Boniface VIII 
was born Benedetto Gaetano at Anagni in 1235 to a noble family. At an
early age he entered the monastery of the Friars Minor at Velletri and later studied canon
and civil law first at Todi and then at Spoleto in Italy. It has been suggested he also
studied law in Paris. He was made a canon at Todi in 1260, followed by Anagni, Paris,
Lyons and Rome. In 1264 he went with Cardinal Simon de Brie (the future Pope Martin
IV) on a mission to France. In 1265 he went with Cardinal Ottobono Fieschi to England
to support King Henry III in the Second Baron’s War. On his arrival he was besieged in
the Tower of London along with other royal supporters. Soon afterwards the rebellion
was crushed and he remained in England through1268. He entered the Curia in 1276 and
immediately became the consistorial advocate and notary apostolic. In 1281 Pope Martin
IV made him a Cardinal-Deacon which was followed in 1291 by his appointment as
Cardinal-Priest by Pope Nicolas IV. During this time he served as papal legate, first to
the Kingdom of Sicily and then to France, an experience which would prepare him for
dealing with the Sicilian problem.
During the 27 month interregnum of the papacy following the death of Nicolas IV Cardinal Gaetani had become heavily involved in the election process and had developed a dislike for the Angevins. He reportedly had a heated exchange with Charles II of Naples in the spring of 1294 over the election and the Angevin right to Sicily. Celestine V was elected July 5, 1294 and Charles II used this opportunity to bring the pope to Naples and force the Curia to reside there. This act in many ways presaged the Avignon Captivity and the Great Schism. Charles II forced the election of seven new French cardinals, something the future Boniface VIII would not forget. By December 1294 the pressure had become too much for the hermit-pope and he began to consider resignation. Who actually suggested it has been hotly debated, but Celestines total ineptness certainly demanded it. However, there was the problem that a pope had never resigned and there was no legal precedence for it. Cardinal Gaetani wrote what would become the legal foundation for a papal resignation entitled Liber Sextus. Charles II was outraged and tried to stop it with staged protests in the streets. He accused Cardinal Gaetani of pressuring Celestine V into resigning, an accusation the cardinal hotly denied.
On December 13, 1294 the reclusive Celestine V finally resigned his position as pope. Cardinal Gaetani was crowned Boniface VIII on January 23, 1295 at Rome. Fearing that the Celestine would become a pawn for the opposition, he had the former pope seized. Celestine escaped but was recaptured. He was confined to a narrow cell in the castle of Fumone where he died on May 19, 1296. While the holding of Celestine was prudent considering the political situation, Boniface VIII has been roundly criticized for the harsh treatment Celestine received. Boniface first tried the settle the War of the Sicilian Vespers with the Treaty of Anagni in December 1295, but this proved ephemeral when Frederick of Aragon refused to give up the kingdom and was elected king. Boniface VIII had hoped to use the treaty to separate Sicily from the Angevins, but the situation forced him to give up that hope and finally confirmed in 1303 the Treaty of Caltabellota which had been signed in 1302.
While trying to end the war, Boniface had been fighting other battles. The first was with the Colonna family in 1297, which he crushed. In the north, Guelph and Ghibelline feuds had erupted in Florence and other cities. Boniface had called in Charles of Valois to restore peace, but Charles instead acted in a partisan and ruthless manner. This action gained the French and Boniface the hatred of Florence and Northern Italy. Boniface VIII became embroiled in political conflicts in Denmark, Germany and Scotland. Except with Denmark, his attempts to manipulate these crises all failed. His most fateful battle was with Phillip IV of France. In 1296 he had issued the famous bull Clericis laicos in an attempt to stop Phillip from taxing the Church. He was forced to withdraw it, but the battle was rejoined in 1302 when Boniface issued the famous Unam sanctam which forcefully stated papal prerogative. Phillip IV, with the help of the Colonna family, had him seized on September 7, 1303 on trumped up charges of heresy. After three days of beatings and threats, the citizens of Anagni freed him and he escaped to Rome. However, there he was confined to the Vatican by the Orsini family. He died on October 11, 1303. While he failed to keep the Church independent from France, he was instrumental in ending the War of the Sicilian Vespers, a task his predecessors were either unable or unwilling to do.
