Formulae Marculfi

diplomatics

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June 26, 2026

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Formulae Marculfi refers to a collection of document templates from the early 8th century, used in the Frankish era. These formula books served as models for notaries when drafting various medieval documents, allowing them to create new texts by adapting pre-existing formats rather than composing each one from scratch. This practice can be traced back to Roman procedures. The formulas often contained only legally essential passages, with specific details like names and dates being abbreviated or omitted. Diplomatics, the study of documents, includes the examination of such formula books as a way to understand historical record-keeping and the creation of legal and administrative texts.12

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diplomatics
Types of documents
…were made, such as the Formulae Marculfi (early 8th century) and the Formulae imperiales (828–832). Significant collections of formulas serving as models for papal documents have been preserved from the 13th century.
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…were made, such as the Formulae Marculfi (early 8th century) and the Formulae imperiales (828–832). Significant collections of formulas serving as models for papal documents have been preserved from the 13th century.
Read More