JCC: The Avignon Papacy, 1300s
Intermediate, Single Delegate
Red hats shuffle between alleyways in the streets of Avignon, as a grand procession enters the city. Heralds shout for citizens to clear the way, as a Papal entourage floods into the city, and the defenses are drawn up. The Avignon Papacy is reborn, and the Western Schism has begun!
Confusion floods the continent, as the unified Christendom which has ruled all of Europe west of Orthodoxy now shows signs of splintering. A rival Pope declares his faith in the traditional capital of Rome, and the banners of the realms of man flock to each side. You are slowly amassing many forces, and have powerful backers at your side – and yet, your rival shares equal fervor and fury.
You play a dangerous game, as only one of you can survive without breaking your Church apart. You must satisfy a complicated web of kings, cardinals, merchants, knights, and other powerful backers. Overall, you must ride the shaky waves of medieval politics, and strategize a way to come out on top. Can you ensure the Avignon Papacy becomes the new home of the one true faith? Or will your work fall beneath the waves of schism and catastrophe?
Note: Both the Avignon and Roman committees are Joint Crisis Committees (JCCs). JCCs operate as normal crisis committees, but actions made in one committee will directly affect the updates of the other!
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Dear delegates,
My name is Jocelyn Yu, and I'm excited to welcome you to the Avignon Papacy committee. Renaissance Rome was certainly a tumultuous era, and with any luck, this committee might be just as tumultuous. In an era of emperors and popes, plagues and art, this century marks arguably one of the most fascinating in more recent history.
This is my fourth semester in collegiate Model UN, but I've been participating in Model UN since high school, where I helped host SFMUN at Lowell. In high school, I also participated in Parliamentary debate, and this spring, I helped staff UCBMUN's Alexander the Great crisis committee.
I'm currently a senior majoring in Computer Science, but history (and English!) will always be my first love, especially Roman history. Thus, I'm excited to see all the concepts you bring to the table, especially with any schemes, backstabbing, and coups cooked up.
Good luck, delegates, but just remember: where's the glory in repeating what others have done?
Best,
Jocelyn Yu, Chair
Meet Your Dias
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Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the JCC: Avignon Papacy committee! My name is Daniel Dolan, hailing from sunny San Diego, and a third year studying Economics and Political Science with a minor in History. My whole life isn’t just politics, but it’s a decent chunk – along with competing on our collegiate MUN team and working as the Chief Legal Officer for our student government, I also handle business relations for our UCBMUN collegiate conference, finances for this BearMUN conference, study progressive politicians and partisan shifts in legislation at the UC Berkeley School of Law, and finally work as a tutor in our Statistics department. In my free time, you can often find me traveling both in and out of the Bay Area, enjoying the many fine adventures that San Francisco has to offer, and hanging out with friends around downtown Berkeley.
In this committee, you’ll face the intricacies of medieval Europe. We arrive in a time period where the Papacy, unlike in our modern world, has been in the French city of Avignon for many years. Yet, the traditional Roman home of the Catholic Church has taken advantage of the previous pope’s movement back to the Holy City, and seeks to reaffirm its roots once more. We cannot wait to see how you will navigate alliances and rivalries over religion, dynasty, legacy, and power against the dynamic backdrop of the post-Black Death Europe. A world without modern technology, a world rooted in tradition, yet completely uprooted through societal upheaval – we are anxious to see which direction you choose to take! Given the historical nature of this committee, we urge you to use your character biographies to aid in your mission, whichever it may be.
Our goal for this committee is to ensure that you delegates have an amazing and enjoyable time while you debate one of the greatest schisms in medieval history. That being said, given the subject matter and our own interest in your experience, we will not tolerate any disrespect to each other or our committee staffers. Any behavior in violation of our code of conduct will be dealt with via the proper channels. Should you have any questions in this regard, please feel free to reach out.
We look forward to witnessing your skills in diplomacy, persuasion, and all-around mayhem as we navigate the ever-shifting world of the Avignon Papacy together!
Best regards,
Daniel Dolan, Crisis Director
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Hello everyone!
My name is Marvin (he/him), and I am a senior from Taiwan studying Economics and Data Science. As my third and final BEARMUN, I am beyond excited to serve as your Coordinating Crisis Director for this JCC. I’ve done competitive MUN since middle school, and UCBMUN has allowed me to continue my competitive spirit and passion for traveling and eating! In the club, I’ve been the Director of Finance for most of my college tenure, and have just freshly retired to act as a new member trainer. MUN, whether in the club or on the circuit, has taught me invaluable life lessons about public speaking and working with others, and allowed me to meet many talented and amazing delegates on the circuit. In my free time, I enjoy golfing, building Legos, playing rogue-like games, learning new languages, as well as spending too much money on cat toys for my cat :).
As someone who has always competed in historical crisis committees, I’m excited to see what kind of creative, medieval arcs you will cook up! I suggest researching extensively on the time period the committee takes place, as well as considering out-of-the-box arcs that fit in the period.
Best,
Marvin Yen, Coordinating Crisis Director