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A forged imperial decree that allegedly transferred authority over Rome and the western empire to the Pope in the 4th century. Learn about its origin, content, historical impact, and exposure as a fake by Lorenzo Valla in the 15th century.
The Donation of Constantine is a fake document that claims the emperor Constantine gave the pope control of the Western Empire and the church in the 4th century. It was written in the 8th century and influenced medieval politics and religion until it was exposed as a forgery in the 15th century.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jul 1, 2019 · The Donation of Constantine (Donatio Constantini or the Donatio) is a medieval forgery dated to the 8th century purporting to be an original 4th-century document in which the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306-337) granted supreme temporal and spiritual power to the Church.
- Joshua J. Mark
- The Donation of Constantine is a medieval forgery claiming that Constantine the Great surrendered his power to the Church which then allowed him to...
- The Donation of Constantine was used to pressure the Frankish king Pepin the Short into surrendering the lands he had conquered from the Lombards t...
- The Donation of Constantine was revealed as a forgery by the priest and scholar Lorenzo Valla in c. 1439-1440.
- The Catholic Church publicly admitted the Donation of Constantine was a forgery in 1929 and returned the lands it had acquired from Pepin the Short...
Donation of Constantine (Lat. Donatio Constantini ).—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.
Jan 26, 1996 · A forged document that claimed Constantine gave the papacy control over Italy and the West. It was used by popes to justify their power and authority until proven false by Lorenzo Valla in the Renaissance.
Mar 3, 2019 · The Donation of Constantine is a fake document that claims to grant the Pope vast powers and lands in the fourth century. Learn how it was created, what it contained, and how it was exposed as a fraud by a Renaissance Humanist.
Jun 24, 2019 · Donation of Constantine: A medieval forgery created c. 751-756 CE by the Roman Catholic Church purporting to be a genuine 4th century CE document in which Constantine the Great surrendered his power to the Church and the Church then returned it to him as a gift; meaning the Church, not temporal leaders, held absolute power and could interfere ...
