The Rise of the Church in the Middle Ages

As the 13th century drew to a close, the papacy had become an overgrown monstrosity. Overstretched authority consistently tried to grab hold of new jurisdictions while fighting to maintain what it already had. Conflict between Philip the Fair of France and Pope Boniface the 8th in the 1290s and 1300s was core issue at play here. But conflict also intersected with trouble with Rome's powerful clans.