Avignon papacy

Period when the papal court resided at Avignon in southeast France (1309-77). The papacy, already under French influence, moved to Avignon to avoid the civil unrest raging in Italy. A magnificent palace was built there to accommodate the court, leading contemporaries to denounce the 'Babylonian captivity of the Church'. All six popes of the Avignon papacy were French, creating unease among France's enemies, especially England. However, the papacy was generally sincere and the period was marked by improvements in bureaucratic efficiency and fiscal development. The court went back to Rome in 1377, but in 1378 the Great Schism returned it to Avignon until 1408.