6. Clement V used his papacy to destroy political enemies through warfare, murder, and false charges
Following the death of Benedict XI in 1304, the office of the papacy was empty for a year as the College of Cardinals, equally divided between French and Italian clerics, failed to arrive at a decision regarding who should be the next pope. They finally settled on Raymond Bertrand de Got, who had served as the personal chaplain to Pope Benedict. The pressure from European monarchs on the cardinals, particularly from the French, led to his selection under certain conditions and promises, and he chose the name Clement V, selecting the French city of Lyon for his coronation. Clement V removed the papal court from the Vatican and relocated it to Avignon in France, under the influence of the French King Philip IV.
In accordance with the desires of the French ruler he convened the Council of Vienne, during which the Knights Templar were accused of heresy. Though the council refused to convict them, Clement abolished the Templars, and the order, which had served as papal bankers among other things, had their estates seized by Philip. Clement looked the other way as the Templars were deliberately exterminated and in some cases himself approved execution of the Knights. With the papal court in France, Italy became a largely anarchic region fought over by the powerful Italian families, including in the Papal States. During Clement’s papacy the Emperor, Henry VII, seized Milan and was crowned as its ruler with the pope’s approval, further leading to a division between Italy and the Church.