he ascension of Clement IV (Bertrand
de Got) to the papacy was an ill-omened one. After his coronation, he rode
in procession through Lyons, with King Philip IV of France, the king's brother
and another duke. As they rode, King Philip noticed a wall collapsing and
reined in his horse. The wall collapsed upon the procession, narrowly missing
the king. Clement was thrown from his horse, though unharmed. The duke was
not so lucky, he received mortal injuries. Philip's brother, Prince Charles
of Valois wasal so seriously injured.
hat Philip played a major role in
Clement's election is not doubted. The extent of his influence is not known
- though Clement certainly owed him "favours". Clement, as bishop of Bordeaux,
was known as a weak and greedy man, honour-bound and averse to responsibility.
He hid behind his comprehensive training in Roman and Canon law. It is recorded
that Clement caved in on several of Philip's demands - appointing numerous
French cardinals, revoking Philip's crusader vow and rescinding the move
to place France under Church edict. He resisted Philip's desire for the
absolution of an excommunicated friend (Guillaume
de Nogaret) and the posthumous trial of Boniface. When Philip told Clement
of his plans to accuse the Templars, the pope was apparently astonished and
incredulous. Clement's order for a full papal investigation may have been
intended to prove such accusations ridiculous - only to be hijacked by Philip's
puppet cardinals that Clement had himself appointed.
lement's confusion and uncertainty
was probably the single greatest cause of the success of Philip's accusations.
While initially publicly declaring his support for the Templars, he failed
to act. Frightened to resist openly (remembering previously poisoned and
kidnapped popes), he took a path of resistance - causing delaying and legal
hurdles, but nothing definite. Finally, he was left with no choice but to
dissolve the Order, or lose all credibility. Clement died one month after
Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charney were burnt at the stake. Both he
and Philip had been cursed from the flames - a curse that proved lethal.
