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In 1303, the dispute between Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France was in his peak. Boniface VIII planned to issue the bull "Super Petri Solio", in which he excommunicated Philip the Fair and freed his subjects from his oath of fidelity to him. The bull would have been published on 8 September 1303, but on 7 September the king's councillor Guillaume de Nogaret and cardinal Sciarra Colonna led a band of mercenaries and attacked the palace of the pope in Anagni, where he was held prisoner for three days (the outrage of Anagni), until the people of Anagni rose against the invaders and released Boniface. The pope died a month later. After a brief papacy of Benedict XI, the french Clement V was elected pope, starting the papacy of Avignon.
But what if, for whatever reason, there is no outrage of Anagni and Boniface VIII's bull is published and Philip IV is excommunicated? What would have been the consequences? What would have been Philip IV's situation?
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