Avignon Papal Curia

Timeline

1. 1309–1316Avignon · ProvenceClement V moved the papal center to Avignon, where the papal secretariat, the College of Cardinals, and the papal courts re-established their operations on the Rhône; the curia's finances and appointment powers increasingly depended on French royal support.
2. 1316–1342Avignon · ProvenceFrom John XXII to Benedict XII, the curia expanded in scale, with the papal palace and administrative system increasingly perfected; power struggles among the curia, the Holy Roman Empire, the Italian city-states, and French royal authority intensified.
3. 1342–1370Avignon · ProvenceFrom Clement VI to Urban V, the Black Death devastated Europe's population and church income; the curia sustained its operations through indulgences, papal taxes, and diplomatic mediation, while calls in Italy for the curia's return grew louder.
4. 1370–1377Rome · LazioUrban V briefly returned to Rome in 1370, and Gregory XI formally ended the Avignon seat in 1377, moving the curia back to Rome, which immediately triggered the Western Schism.