Pope Clement Vi Characters

A complex man with conflicting elements that made up his character, Pope Clement VI (figure 1 ) was an accomplished diplomat, connoisseur of the good life and courageous protector of the poor during the Black Death. Born Pierre Roger in 1291 France he quickly established himself as a keen scholar devoting himself to the church at a young age. It was here that he developed his diplomatic skills. When he became Pope in 1342 he attempted to bring an end to the Hundred Year War between England and France. However despite his political skills and friendships with both kings he was only able to bring about a quick truce (Kelly & Walsh, 2010: Online). During his pontificate Clement enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle claiming that those before him ‘had

When the Plague hit in 1347 Clements’s doctors ordered he remained isolated and surrounded by fire which kept the rats and fleas away. However he soon grew tired of this and showed great charity by supervising the care and burial of the sick – even declaring that anyone who died of the plague would automatically have their sins forgiven so as to reduce their spiritual worries (Snell ). When people started blaming and attacking the Jews for the disease Clement issued two edicts condemning the violence and urged the Church to protect them showing his concern for his fellow man. Thus it can be seen that when Pope Clement VI died in 1352 he left the “reputation of a fine gentleman…. but no saint” (Gregorovius in )A complex man with conflicting elements that made up his character, Pope Clement VI (figure 1 ) was an accomplished diplomat, connoisseur of the good life and courageous protector of the poor during the Black Death. Born Pierre Roger in 1291 France he quickly established himself as a keen scholar devoting himself to the church at a young