Clement V 181cities, and urban life SeeINDIVIDUAL CITIES.
civic ritual SeeRITUAL.
Clarendon, Constitutions of This was a document
containing 16 royal decrees issued in January 1164, after
a dispute between King HENRYII of England and Thomas
BECKETabout royal authority over the church. Most of
the provisions reiterated the legislation first issued by
WILLIAMI THECONQUERORand HENRYI. These included
articles that required royal consent before the excommu-
nication of royal vassals. They also restricted appeals to
ROMEby requiring a preliminary approval by the king.
The document contained an innovation concerning eccle-
siastical jurisdiction over criminal clerics: Investigations
were to be conducted by royal officers. Although ecclesi-
astical law and justice would continue to be exercised,
the hearing was to be conducted in the presence of a
royal justice who controlled the procedure. If convicted
the cleric had to be handed to royal justice for punish-
ment. This was not accepted by Becket and led to further
confrontation and eventually his murder.
Further reading:David C. Douglas and George W.
Greenway, ed., English Historical Documents, II:
1042–1189 (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1953),
718–722; David M. Knowles, Thomas Becket(London: A.
and C. Black, 1970).
Clare of Assisi, Saint(Chiara Offeduccio di Favarone)
(1194–1253)founder of the Franciscan order of the “Poor
Clares”
Born on July 16, 1194, in 1212, inspired by the teachings
of Saint FRANCIS, Clare gave up all her possessions in cen-
tral ITA LYto lead a life of poverty following FRANCISCAN
ideals. Followed by a group of women (the Poor Clares or
Clarisses), she joined Saint FRANCISand became abbess of
the separate community of Franciscan nuns at ASSISIin
- They were not to be mendicants actively begging in
the community, but an enclosed group of nuns. The order
spread rapidly with the founding of many daughter
houses. In 1229 it was recognized by Pope GREGORYIX.
Clare wrote the first rule for women in 1253 and promoted
a life of contemplation as prayer. Clare died on August 11,
1253, and was buried in the CRYPTof the Franciscan cathe-
dral of Assisi. Her body is displayed there to this day, unde-
cayed. Her cult rapidly spread all over Europe.
Further reading:Regis J. Armstrong, ed. Clare of
Assisi: Early Documents (St. Bonaventure: Franciscan
Institute Publications, 1993); Regis J. Armstrong and
Ignatius century Brady, eds., Francis and Clare: The Com-
plete Works(New York: Paulist Press, 1982).
Clarisses and Poor Clares See CLARE OF ASSISI,
SAINT; FRANCISCAN ORDER.
class SeeSOCIAL STATUS AND STRUCTURE.classical antiquity and classical scholarship See
RENAISSANCE AND REVIVALS IN ART AND CULTURE.Clement V (Bertrand de Got)(1264–1314) first pope
of the “Babylonian Captivity”
Bertrand de Got was born about 1260 and was a noble-
man from Gascony, FRANCE. Trained as a lawyer, he
became archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299. His election to
the papacy on June 5, 1305, in Perugia followed the pon-
tificate of BONIFACEVIII and after the brief rule of Bene-
dict XI (r. 1303–04). It came after a long quarrel between
France and the papacy culminated in Boniface’s capture
and mistreatment by representatives of the French king,
PHILIPIV, at Anagni, ITA LY, in 1303. The French had
humiliated the papacy, and the cardinals chose de Got as
a compromise candidate who had neither opposed Boni-
face nor displeased Philip. Clement V, the name Bertrand
took as pope, was not a mere tool of France, although
throughout his reign he was under pressure from Philip
IV. At Philip’s request Clement was crowned at LYON;he
suffered a fall from his horse that may have permanently
affected his health, for chronic illness perhaps contributed
to his frequent weak submission to royal demands.
Philip IV proposed a posthumous HERESYtrial for
Boniface VIII. It was probably to prevent this embarrass-
ing situation that Clement agreed to settle in AVIGNONin- Clement approved of Philip’s suppression of the
TEMPLARS; withdrew Boniface VIII’s bull on taxation,
CLERICIS LAICOS,and withdrew his support of the emperor
Henry VII’s (ca. 1275–1313) activities in Italy.
PAPAL ADMINISTRATION
Clement V took important financial and political actions
as pope. He introduced the annates, a lucrative papal tax.
He spent the money on his relatives and on loans to the
monarchs of France and England. He created 24 CARDI-
NALS, of whom 23 were French and Gascon, including
four of his nephews. He thus produced a large French
majority in the college. In the meantime he was con-
demned for his nepotism, accused of SIMONY, and disliked
for his luxurious style of living. A scholar, he ordered for
missionary purposes the study of the Hebrew, Syriac, and
Arabic languages at the universities of PARIS,BOLOGNA,
OXFORD, and Salamanca. He collected canonistic material
and produced a sixth book of the Decretals, named the
Clementinesafter him.
Clement’s reputation today is predominantly unfa-
vorable because of his submission to French domination
and his role in moving the papacy to Avignon. It was
always his wish to return the papacy to Rome, but poor
health and fear of Philip kept him in Avignon. After long
suffering stomach cancer, Clement died on April 14,
1314, in Provence.