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How did the Colonna family challenge Pope Boniface VIII?
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Boniface VIII
Miniature of Pope Boniface VIII from Vaticinia de Pontificibus (an index of prophecies of the popes), c. 14th century; in the British Library, London.
The Colonna family, a powerful Roman dynasty, challenged Pope Boniface VIII primarily due to conflicting interests with the pope's own family, the Caetani, whom Boniface favored to expand his political influence.123
Their opposition manifested in several significant ways:
- Insurrection and Theft: In May 1297, a faction of the family, which included two cardinals, committed an armed robbery of a large amount of papal treasure.4
- Military Conflict: This act triggered a year of military action by the pope, resulting in the family's temporary surrender.4
- Alliance with France: After failing to be reinstated in their offices and possessions, the Colonna rebelled again and fled to the court of King Philip IV of France, with whom they had conspired.14
- The Attack at Anagni: The conflict culminated on September 7, 1303, when Sciarra Colonna, acting alongside the French king’s agent Guillaume de Nogaret, led an armed attack on the pope at his summer residence in Anagni. They held Boniface hostage for two days, an event that marked a historic rejection of papal authority by secular powers.153