- Latin:
- Donatio Constantini and Constitutum Constantini
Donation of Constantine
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What was the Donation of Constantine?
The Donation of Constantine was a medieval forgery purporting to be a document from the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. In it, he bestows vast territory and spiritual and temporal power to Pope Sylvester I and his successors.
Based on 5th-century legends, an unknown writer composed the Donation in the 8th century. It declares Rome's importance and grants the Pope supremacy over major religious centers and administrative rights over the Western Empire, including the right to appoint secular rulers. Though initially having limited impact, it gained prominence when popes cited it in struggles with secular leaders. In 1440, Lorenzo Valla proved the document a forgery due to its Latin style not matching that of the 4th century.
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Why was the Donation of Constantine important in the Middle Ages?
The Donation of Constantine was a pivotal medieval forgery that greatly influenced the political and religious landscape of Europe. Purportedly written by Emperor Constantine the Great, it granted Pope Sylvester I and his successors vast temporal and spiritual power.
This document asserted papal supremacy over major religious centers and control over the Western Roman Empire, empowering popes in their conflicts with secular rulers. Although its authenticity was questioned over time, it wasn't until Lorenzo Valla's exposé in 1440 that its fraudulent nature was definitively proven through linguistic analysis.
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Who supposedly wrote the Donation of Constantine, and to whom was it addressed?
The Donation of Constantine was written by an unknown writer in the 8th century, based on 5th-century legends. The document is addressed to Pope Sylvester I (reigned 314–335) and his successors. It tells the tale of Constantine's conversion to Christianity after Sylvester I cured him of leprosy. Constantine declares Rome's importance to the church and bestows upon the pope supremacy over major religious centers and administrative rights over estates. He also grants the pope control over the imperial palace in Rome and the Western Empire, suggesting papal authority to appoint secular rulers in the West.
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How did the Donation of Constantine affect the power of the Pope?
The Donation of Constantine was a medieval forgery that greatly affected the power of the Pope. In this document, Emperor Constantine the Great purportedly granted Pope Sylvester I and his successors vast territory, as well as spiritual and temporal power.
This Donation gave the Pope supremacy over the churches of Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, along with administrative rights over estates and control over the imperial palace in Rome and the Western Empire. This implied the Pope's right to appoint secular rulers in the West.
Pope Leo IX was the first pope to use the Donation as an official authority. Subsequent popes then used it in their conflicts with Holy Roman emperors and secular leaders. Although the document's authenticity was questioned, it was not until 1440 that Lorenzo Valla proved it to be a forgery.
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When and how was it discovered to be a forgery?
The Donation of Constantine was proven to be a forgery by Lorenzo Valla in 1440. Valla, a Renaissance humanist, used philological analysis to demonstrate that the Latin style and diction of the document belonged to the 8th century, not the 4th century when Constantine supposedly wrote it.
Doubts about the document's authenticity had been voiced as early as the year 1000 by Otto III and his supporters. The forgery was based on legends dating back to the 5th century and was composed by an unknown writer in the 8th century.
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What were the main consequences after people learned the Donation of Constantine was fake?
The unmasking of the Donation of Constantine as a forgery by Lorenzo Valla in 1440 had significant consequences. Valla proved that the language used was from the 8th century, not the 4th, thus debunking the document.
The consequences of this revelation included:
* Weakening Papal Authority The Donation had been used by popes to claim temporal power over the Western Roman Empire. Its exposure undermined the legitimacy of these claims.
* Fueling calls for Church Reform The exposure of the Donation contributed to the growing calls for reform within the Church during the Renaissance and Reformation.
* Strengthening Secular Rulers Secular rulers could challenge papal claims to authority, consolidating their power.
* Advancing Historical Criticism Valla's methods influenced historical analysis, promoting scrutiny of sources and critical thinking.4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Donation of Constantine, 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. Based on legends that date back to the 5th century, the Donation was composed by an unknown writer in the 8th century. Although it had only limited impact at the time of its compilation, it had great influence on political and religious affairs in medieval Europe until it was clearly demonstrated to be a forgery by Lorenzo Valla in the 15th century.
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). The document has been associated with the coronations of Pippin in 754 and Charlemagne in 800, as well as with papal efforts to secure independence from the Byzantine Empire or to undermine Byzantine territorial claims in Italy. The consensus view is that the Donation was written in the 750s or 760s by a cleric of the Lateran in Rome, possibly with the knowledge of Pope Stephen II (or III; 752–757) if the earlier date is correct.
The Donation was based on the Legenda S. Silvestri (Latin: “The Legend of St. Sylvester”), a 5th-century account of the relationship betwen Pope Sylvester I and the emperor Constantine. It begins with the tale of the conversion of Constantine to Christianity after Sylvester I miraculously cured him of leprosy. Constantine then declares the importance of Rome to the church because it is the city of the apostles Peter and Paul. The second section of the forgery contains the actual donation: Constantine, in preparing to depart to his new capital of Constantinople, bestows upon the pope supremacy over the sees of Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Jerusalem and all the world’s churches. He next grants administrative rights to Sylvester and his successors over estates granted to churches throughout the empire. 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.
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The earliest extant manuscript of the Donation, from the 9th century, was inserted into the collection known as the False Decretals. 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. Leo IX (1049–54) was the first pope to cite it as an authority in an official act, and subsequent popes used it in their struggles with the Holy Roman emperors and other secular leaders. Various ecclesiastics included it in their codes of canon law, including one of Gratian’s students, and even Rome’s opponents seldom questioned its authenticity. Doubts about the document, however, were voiced about the year 1000 by Otto III and his supporters. In 1440 Lorenzo Valla showed that the Latin used in the document was not that of the 4th century.