What claim about papal power did Boniface VIII make in Unam sanctam?

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King Philip IV — Philip IV Philip IV, detail of the statue from his tomb, 14th century; in the abbey church at Saint-Denis, France.

In the papal bull Unam sanctam (1302), Pope Boniface VIII asserted the primacy of the pope and insisted on the absolute submission of temporal power to spiritual power.1

This declaration was a pivotal moment in the conflict between the pope and Philip IV of France, who had been challenging papal authority by attempting to tax the clergy without consent. By formalizing the doctrine of papal supremacy, Boniface VIII sought to defend the papacy against the encroachment of secular monarchs, ultimately leading to a severe escalation in tensions that resulted in the pope's abduction and the subsequent Avignon papacy.12