336 THE GLORY OF CHRISTENDOM

Colonna known as "Sciarra" (the Quarrelsome), and declared that anyone assisting any of the excommunicated
Colonnas in any way would himself be excommunicated and any city harboring any of them would be placed
under interdict. The Pope obtained support from most of the cardinals; all but two of the 17 current members of
the College other than the two Colonnas signed a statement declaring that Pope Peter Celestine V had resigned
freely, that the election of Boniface VIII was valid and that the Colonna cardinals had voted for him and
always until this time recognized him as Pope; the cardinals described the Colonnas as "madmen." Military
operations began against them, which (in another example of excess) Boniface VIII actually designated
crusades; their castles near Rome were taken one by one; in September 1298 they were forced to submit, but a
bitter hatred for the Pope burned in the family, particularly in the heart of "Sciarra."116
Nevertheless the Pope's victory in this sudden and vicious engagement seemed to free him to attend to the
larger concerns of Christendom that he had had to postpone while fighting the Colonnas. In January 1299 he
wrote Philip IV telling him that he was abusing the privileges which had been granted to him and was diverting
Church goods to his own use, or allowing his officials to do SO. 117 Later in the year he learned that many of the
Colonnas had taken refuge in France, where Philip had received them honorably.' 18 In September 1298 he
firmly refused to approve the excommunicated Albert of Habsburg as Holy Roman Emperor, calling him a
traitor to his predecessor Adolf of Nassau (whom he had challenged and killed in battle in July), and a
despoiler and destroyer of churches.119
In June the Pope challenged Edward I of England directly by endorsing the independence of Scotland in
the bull Scimus fili. After conferring with William Lamberton, Archbishop of St. Andrews and primate of
Scotland, Boniface VIII declared that the church in Scotland was under the Pope like any other national
church, rather than under English ecclesiastical authority, and ordered Edward to make amends for imprisoning
the Bishops of Glasgow and Sodor. Boniface consecrated a new Scottish bishop, David Murray, whose nephew
Andrew had been mortally wounded at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. lZ° He sent a letter to Edward I further
confirming his recognition of Scottish independence and urging the English monarch, "for the love of Mount
Zion
lt Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 213-216, 218, 220-221; Boase, Boniface VIII, pp. 172-174, 176-178, 181;
Curley, Conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and Philip IV, lp p. 55,59-61.
Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 312; Strayer, Philip the Fair, p. 24.
118 Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 222-223, 317; Boase, Boniface VIII, p. 183. Mann, Popes in the
119

Middle Ages, XIX, 120-121, 123; Boase, Boniface VIII, pp. 217-218; Cambridge Medieval History, VII, 87-88.
12°
Mann, Popes in the MiddleAges, XIX, 250-251; Boase, Boniface VIII, pp. 209-210; Barrow, Robert Bruce, pp.
134-135, 163-164; Powicke, Thirteenth Century, p. 693.
THE NEMESIS OF POWER 337

and Jerusalem," to give up his attempt to conquer Scotland (he was evidently recalling the long-standing hope
that Edward I, who had been a crusading leader as a prince in the time of St. Louis IX, would one day lead
another crusade to the Holy Land). 121 Presented more than a year later with this papal letter, Edward made the
following reply, which showed how much powerseeking had become central to his life and ambition: "By
God's blood, I will not keep my peace for Mount Zion nor silence for Jerusalem, but while there is breath in
my nostrils I will defend my right, which all the world knows, with all my power." 122 He meant every word of
it; but the Scots, though badly beaten at Falkirk in 1298," still would not submit.
The year 1300 marked the turn of a century, and for the first time a Pope took this occasion to proclaim
a "Jubilee year," with special indulgences for pilgrims to Rome. Consequently pilgrims came in enormous
numbers, which was undoubtedly a great gratification for Pope Boniface VIII and encouragement that papal
leadership of Christendom was still fully recognized by the people, though he had little actual contact with the
pilgrims since he spent the spring and summer (from April to October), when most of them were in Rome, at
his home town of Anagni.l2°
During 1301 Boniface VIII, still hoping that King Edward I might be induced to lead a crusade to the
Holy Land, provided him with the money which had been collected in England for the next crusade there,
absolved him from punishment for his illegal taxation of the Church, and declared himself impressed by his
specious arguments that he was the rightful overlord of Scotland." The Pope maintained his uncompromising
rejection of Emperor Albert of Habsburg, now threatening him with the ultimate penalty, which Pope St.
Gregory VII had first levied against Emperor Henry V: if Albert did not send representatives to Rome within
six months to justify to the Pope how he had taken power in Germany, Boniface would release all his subjects
from their oaths of obedience, thereby encouraging widespread revolt against him. 126
With Philip IV, the most powerful sovereign in Christendom, Boniface in 1301 kept a low profile until
Philip challenged him with the sudden arrest of Bernard de Saisset, Bishop of Pamiers in Languedoc and a
Papal legate, whom Philip especially disliked because he had once compared him to an owl. Bishop Saisset's
correspondence with the Pope and cardinals was seized, his goods
121 Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 252-253; Boase, Boniface VIII, pp. 210-211; Powicke, Thirteenth
Century, p. 693.
122
Ronald M. Scott, Robert the Bruce, King of Scots (New York, 1989), p. 57. 123For the Battle of Falkirk
see Barrow, Robert Bruce, pp. 141-147.
12°
Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 175-183; Boase, Boniface VIII, pp. 231-237. 125Mann, Popes in the Middle
Ages, XIX, 254-260, 297-298; Boase, Boniface VIII, p. 311; Powicke, Thirteenth Century, pp. 705-706; Barrow, Robert
Bruce, pp. 163, 166. 126Cambridge Medieval History, VII, 89; Mann, Popes in the Middle Ages, XIX, 125126; Curley,
Conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and Philip IV, pp. 86-87.