Several months later Boniface issued Unam sanctam, the most extreme assertion of papal power in all church history. This time Boniface made his meaning unmistakable. “It is altogether necessary,” he declared, “for every human being to be subject to the Roman pontiff.” The king’s countermove was no less drastic. He prepared to have Boniface deposed on the ground that his election had been illegal. To execute this plan he chose William of Nogaret, a shrewd lawyer who was helping Philip build the foundations of his nation.
