In the fourteenth Century, Edward ruled in England while Philip the Fair ruled in France. Both were strong and self-assured, and at odds with each other over lands in France still under English control. To finance their costly campaigns, Edward and Philip hit upon the same solution: tax the clergy within their realms. When Pope Boniface in 1296 threatened excommunication for any lay ruler who taxed the clergy and any churchman who paid those taxes without papal consent Edward decreed that if the clergy did not pay, they would be stripped of all legal protection, and their extensive properties would be seized by the king’s sheriffs. Boniface backed down.
[tags]BlogRodent, Boniface, church-history, ChurchRodent, Edward-I, history, Philip[/tags]
