<P> The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon (then in the Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire, now in France) rather than in Rome . The situation arose from the conflict between the papacy and the French crown, culminating in the death of Pope Boniface VIII after his arrest and maltreatment by Philip IV of France . Following the further death of Pope Benedict XI, Philip forced a deadlocked conclave to elect the French Clement V, as Pope in 1305 . </P> <P> Clement V declined to move to Rome, remaining in France, and in 1309, he moved his court to the papal enclave at Avignon, where it remained for the next 67 years . The absence from Rome is sometimes referred to as the "Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy". A total of seven popes reigned at Avignon; all were French, and they increasingly fell under the influence of the French Crown . On September 13, 1376, Gregory XI abandoned Avignon and moved his court to Rome (arriving on January 17, 1377), ending the Avignon Papacy . </P>

Where did the pope and his court move in 1309