Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got, was the first Avignon Pope, reigning from 1305 to 1314. He was a French nobleman and a member of the powerful House of Got, and was elected to the papacy in 1305. Clement V is best known for his role in the dissolution of the Knights Templar, a powerful military order of the Catholic Church. He is also remembered for his role in the Great Schism, which divided the Catholic Church into two branches, the Western and Eastern Churches.
Clement V was born in 1264 in Villandraut, France. He was the son of a wealthy nobleman, and was educated in the arts and sciences. He studied law at the University of Toulouse, and was ordained a priest in 1291. He was appointed Bishop of St. Brieuc in 1297, and was later appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1305.
In 1305, Clement V was elected pope by a conclave of cardinals. He was the first pope to be elected from outside of Rome, and the first to be elected from the French royal family. He was also the first pope to reside in Avignon, France, which became the seat of the papacy for the next seventy years.
Clement V was a strong supporter of the Catholic Church and its teachings. He was a firm believer in papal authority and the supremacy of the pope. He was also a strong advocate of the Crusades, and supported the military orders of the Church, such as the Knights Templar.
Clement V was also a strong supporter of the Inquisition, which was used to root out heresy and punish those who opposed the Church. He was also a strong advocate of the papal monarchy, and sought to strengthen the power of the papacy.
Clement V is best remembered for his role in the dissolution of the Knights Templar. In 1307, he ordered the arrest of all members of the order, and had them tried for heresy. He also ordered the confiscation of all of their property and assets. The dissolution of the order was a major blow to the Church, and it weakened the power of the papacy.
Clement V is also remembered for his role in the Great Schism, which divided the Catholic Church into two branches, the Western and Eastern Churches. In 1310, he convened the Council of Vienne, which declared that the pope had the authority to appoint cardinals and bishops, and that the pope was the supreme head of the Church. This decision caused a rift between the two branches of the Church, and led to the Great Schism.
Clement V died in 1314, and was succeeded by John XXII. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Peter in Avignon. Clement V was a strong supporter of the Catholic Church and its teachings, and his legacy is remembered to this day.