Most dramatic use of The Donation of Constantine by Pope Leo IX to justify Church's supremacy and involvement in temporal affairs. Last modified July 01, 2019. division xcvi. The self-interests of both men coincided perfectly and Childeric III was deposed by Pope Zachary who then crowned Pepin as King of the Franks in 751 CE. concerning the same. Later popes who made use of the Donation – most notably Leo IX (served 1049-1054 CE) – believed it a genuine document and used it to justify ecclesiastical interference in temporal affairs. The Donation of Constantine (Latin: Donatio Constantini) is a forged Roman imperial decree (Diplom) by which the 4th-century emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. Mark, Joshua J. Are you enjoying this site? Pepin the Short would have had no idea whether Constantine was legally able to surrender his power to the pope, what that would have meant in ancient Rome, or whether Constantine had even ever had leprosy and been cured, but he would not have questioned Stephen's claim because he needed papal approval to legitimize his reign. Mark, Joshua J. And, holding the bridle of his horse, out of reverence for St. Peter, we performed for him the duty of groom; decreeing that all the pontiffs his successors, and they alone, may use that tiara in processions. Omissions? 1524. The origins of the Donation of Constantine are bound up with the political transformation that took place on the Italian peninsula in the mid-8th century, even though the exact date of its composition remains uncertain (estimates range from 750 to 800). Donation of Constantine n. A document fabricated probably during the 8th century, in which the emperor Constantine I purportedly grants to the Papacy temporal dominion over Italy and other western regions. The document known as the "Donation of Constantine," on which the medieval popes based claims for far-reaching spiritual and secular power, was revealed in the fifteenth century to be a forgery dating from around 800. The office of the pope was understood as the head of the Church but not as a temporal authority. The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded... A History Of The Medieval Church 590-1500, Popular religion in the Middle Ages: Western Europe, 1000-1300, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Donation of Constantine, Latin Donatio Constantini and Constitutum Constantini, the best-known and most important forgery of the Middle Ages, the document purporting to record the Roman emperor Constantine the Great’s bestowal of vast territory and spiritual and temporal power on Pope Sylvester I (reigned 314–335) and his successors. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Donation_of_Constantine/. Donation of Constantine The Donation of Constantine, Donatio Constantini, is a well-known fraud used by the papacy for more than 10 centuries to strengthen its position and power. The document claims that c. The Donation of Constantine (Donatio Constantini or the Donatio) is a medieval forgery dated to the 8th century CE purporting to be an original 4th-century CE document in which the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306-337 CE) granted supreme temporal and spiritual power to the Church. Pepin almost instantly went to war against the Lombards, defeated them in 752 CE, and seized their lands. (Donation, 5-6). But, what exactly is the Donation of Constantine? In 753 CE, Stephen crossed the Alps (the first pope to do so) and met with Pepin at Quierzy-sur-Oise to discuss the disposition of the lands he had conquered from the Lombards. The Western Church insisted on its superiority to the Eastern Church in that Peter had founded the Church of Rome and so the Roman Church was established by the right-hand-man of Jesus Christ himself while the Eastern Church had developed later. (2019, July 01). 1439 CE - 1440 CE The Donation of Constantine proven a forgery by priest and scholar Lorenzo Valla. Most importantly, Constantine gives the pope control of the imperial palace in Rome and all the regions of the Western Empire; this effectively conveys the notion that the pope has the right to appoint secular rulers in the West. The “Donation of Constantine” is the most famous forgery in European history. Based on legends that date back to the 5th century, the Donation was composed by an unknown writer in the 8th century. Zachary had died by this time and the new pope was Stephen II. The new Pope, Stephen II, appeals for help from the Eastern Emperor, but none arrives. Mark, published on 01 July 2019 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The Donation of Constantine is the biggest ever fib told by the Vatican. When Pope Adrian I (served 772-795 CE) tried to use the Donation with Charlemagne in 778 CE, Charlemagne just ignored him, but Charlemagne was exceptional. There is no evidence the Donation was ever used to resolve the Iconoclastic Controversy in its first phase, however, which ended in 787 CE at the Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea at which the bishops declared icons legitimate expressions of orthodox Christian faith. The Donation seems to have been largely forgotten until its dramatic use by Leo IX. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. We are now World History Encyclopedia to better reflect the breadth of our non-profit organization's mission. The Donation of Constantine T he Donation of Constantine was a document of great importance in the Middle Ages. Donation of Constantine, Giulio Romano. The Catholic Church placed Valla's work on the Index of Prohibited Books for centuries and seems to have done its best to try to bury The Donation of Constantine embarrassment. The Donation of Constantine has not been held up as legitimate since corrupt Roman popes of medieval times. Medieval Sourcebook: The Donation of Constantine (c.750-800) This is perhaps the most famous forgery in history. The earliest extant manuscript of the Donation, from the 9th century, was inserted into the collection known as the False Decretals. shall lawfully remain with the holy Roman Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church denied these claims and cut contact with the west. At a time when the papacy was mired in corruption and intrigue. Though it claims to have been granted by Constantine to Sylvester, bishop of Rome (314 - 335) it is believed to have actually been written The Donation of Constantine suggested that Constantine I "donated" the whole of the Western Roman Empire to the Roman Catholic Church as an act of gratitude for having been miraculously cured of leprosy by Pope Sylvester I. Donation of Constantine (Lat. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. It was used by the Church … This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. [1] He proclaimed it a forgery upon concluding that the Latin was too poor for a 4th-century CE Roman text, that there was no evidence of any change in the administration of the Western Roman Empire from Constantine's time until its fall which could be attributed to such a document, that portions of the piece were blatantly plagiarized from a 5th-century CE text on Pope Sylvester's life, and that the emperor of Rome had no legal right to cede his power to any pope. World History Encyclopedia. The Donation of Constantine (Donatio Constantini, or sometimes just Donatio) is one of the best-known forgeries in European history. Charlemagne's own vision coincided perfectly with the self-interests of the Church and so there really was no reason to try to coerce him with the forged document – he donated lands regularly to the Church without anyone asking him to – but later Carolingian monarchs could have been pressured by the document's use even though it is hard to determine how much influence, if any, it actually had on their reigns. Stephen anointed Pepin Patrician of the Romans in 754 CE, thus linking him with Constantine the Great and, at Pepin's request, also anointed Pepin's young sons and successors Charlemagne and Carloman (l. 751-771 CE). Lorenzo Vallaby Jan Arkesteijn (Public Domain). The Donation of Constantine is the most outrageous and powerful forgery in world history. Written by Joshua J. The futile efforts of pagan priests to subvert Christian truth is then addressed before the author (allegedly Constantine hi… By this name is understood, since the end of the Middle Ages, a forged document of Emperor Constantine the Great, by which large privileges and rich possessions were conferred on the pope and the Roman Church. Related Content The Donation of Constantine (Latin: Donatio Constantini) is a forged Roman imperial decree (Diplom) by which the 4th-century emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. The Roman Church had no interest in complying but was in such a weakened state at this time it seemed it had no choice. By this name is understood, since the end of the Middle Ages, a forged document of Emperor Constantine the Great, by which large privileges and rich possessions were conferred on the pope and the Roman Church. Pepin was illiterate & would not have known what any document Stephen waved at him even said, much less whether it was authentic. It all centres on an alleged letter from the Emperor Constantine … The Donation of Constantine In the middle of the eighth century, the decaying city of Rome lies defenseless against the advance of the warmongering Lombards. World History Encyclopedia. But he, the most holy pope, did not at all allow that crown of gold to be used over the clerical crown which he wears to the glory of St. Peter; but we placed upon his most holy head, with our own hands, a tiara of gleaming splendor representing the glorious resurrection of our Lord. Sylvester explains that they are not gods but apostles of Jesus Christ and the author asks if he has any images of them. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Donation of Constantine, a document supposedly prepared by the Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century in which Constantine said “I have this vast empire that the Lord has given to me and it’s difficult to rule this whole empire and therefore I give the western half of my empire to the Pope.” What a guy that Constantine was. It begins with the tale of the conversion of Constantine to Christianity after Sylvester I miraculously cured him of leprosy. The Donation of Constantine (Latin: Donatio Constantini) is a forged Roman imperial decree by which the 4th-century emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. Pepin forced the Lombards to surrender their lands which he then gave to the papacy through The Donation of Pepin which established the conquered lands as Church property and formed the Papal States of Italy. The Donation of Constantine is often cited as the most famous forgery in history, and if it’s a bit off the radar now, that’s not for the lack of impact it had for several centuries and even to today. He next grants administrative rights to Sylvester and his successors over estates granted to churches throughout the empire. The futile efforts of pagan priests to subvert Christian truth is then addressed before the author (allegedly Constantine himself) tells how he received a revelation of this truth in a dream which he did not understand and brought his questions to Pope Sylvester I, asking who these “gods” were who went by the names Peter and Paul, both of whom he had seen in his dream. Valla himself opposed the Donation on religious and political grounds and was no doubt only too happy to apply his considerable critical skills to analyze the text. The use of the Donation at this meeting with Pepin has never been proven but is considered likely in that, when it shows up again during Charlemagne's reign, it seems familiar to him. The document itself begins with a lengthy prologue on the goodness of God, the sanctity of the Church, and the legitimacy of the papacy. (Latin, Donatio Constantini). World History Encyclopedia. the donation of constantine. Despite the document’s obvious value to the papacy, no mention of it was made in the 9th or 10th centuries, even during controversies with Constantinople over matters of primacy. The Donation was used by … We also decreed this, that this same venerable one our father Sylvester, the supreme pontiff, and all the pontiffs his successors, might use and bear upon their heads, to the Praise of God and for the honor of St. Peter, the diadem - that is, the crown which we have granted him from our own head, of purest gold and precious gems. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Donation of Constantine – we start with the fourth century Roman emperor. The legitimacy of the Donation went unquestioned until the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III (r. 996-1002 CE) raised questions about its authenticity. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The Lombards had seized large tracts of land in Italy, extending their territories by taking those once claimed by the papacy. Bust of Charlemagneby Beckstet (CC BY-NC-SA). It led him to debate whether the pope was antichrist himself. Icons, therefore, were obviously approved by God and the Eastern Church was in error to condemn Christian iconography as a pagan practice. as given in part one, division xcvi, chapters xiii and xiv of gratian's decretum, or harmony of the canons. The document itself begins with a lengthy prologue on the goodness of God, the sanctity of the Church, and the legitimacy of the papacy. Very important work of early history. In imitation of our own power, in order that for that cause the supreme pontificate may not deteriorate, but may rather be adorned with power and glory even more than is the dignity of an earthly rule, behold we giving over to the oft-mentioned most blessed pontiff, our father Sylvester the universal pope, as well our palace, as has been said, as also the city of Rome and all the provinces, districts and cities of Italy or of the western regions; and relinquishing them, by our inviolable gift, to the power and sway of himself or the pontiffs his successors-do decree, by this our godlike charter and imperial constitution, that it shall be so arranged; and do concede that they (the palaces, provinces etc.) https://www.ancient.eu/Donation_of_Constantine/. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It was, however, a shock to Martin Luther to discover that the Donation of Constantine (and the Isidorian Decretals) were forgeries. It then maintains the truth of God as three-in-one embodied in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and of Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten son before discussing the history of the world from Creation through the Fall of Man as described in the Bible. The Donation of Constantine became a focal point for early reformers like Martin Luther (l. 1483-1546 CE) who, like the earlier Waldensians he admired, pointed to the document to prove the Church had compromised itself and fallen into sin and corruption. And Louis the Pious, in 778 and 817 respectively needed the Church to legitimize reign... Were voiced about the document was not that of the Church to legitimize his reign of... 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