Born at Saint Gilles du Gard, Guy Foulques studied law at Paris, married, pursued a brilliant legal career in France including being appointed legal consultant to Loius IX, and only after his wife's death did he take Holy Orders. His advancement in the church was rapid, and it was while travelling as legate in support of Henry III of England against the English barons that he was elected Pope. Clement supported Charles of Anjou in his campaigns against the Hohenstaufens in Italy and Sicily, though ultimately the Papacy discovered the Angevin yoke to be as burdensome as the German. Clement's support of Charles however coloured his attitude towards the east. In 1261 Michael VII Palaeologus recovered Constantinople from the Latins, and he appealed to Clement to prevent the expedition Charles was planning for the recovery of the city. Clement had already approved Charles' project, which came to nothing.