Donation of Constantine and Constitutum Constantini : the misinterpretation of a fiction and its original meaning / by Johannes Fried ; with a contribution by Wolfram Brandes, "The satraps of Constantine".

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fried, Johannes.

Contributor:

Brandes, Wolfram.

Series:

Millennium-Studien / Millennium Studies

Millennium-Studien ; Bd. 3

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, -337.

Constantine.

Constitutum Constantini--History.

Constitutum Constantini.

Church and state--Europe--History.

Church and state.

Rescripts (Roman law)--Forgeries.

Rescripts (Roman law).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (212 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2012]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Die Konstantinische Schenkung ist die ungeheuerlichste, wirkmächtigste Fälschung der Weltgeschichte. Allein die Frage nach ihrer Entstehungszeit beschäftigte Generationen von Wissenschaftlern. Was aber genau ist die Konstantinische Schenkung? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage ist die Unterscheidung zweier semantischer Ebenen unerlässlich: zum einen das Constitutum Constantini, ein fiktives Privileg, in dem u.a. die der römischen Kirche von Kaiser Konstantin aus Dankbarkeit gewährten Rechte und Geschenke aufgeführt werden, zum anderen die Konstantinische Schenkung als ein sich seit der Mitte des 11. Jahrhunderts ausformendes Erinnerungsbild und Jedermannswissen. Nicht nur die Entstehung des Constitutum Constantini wird vom Autor völlig neu interpretiert, nämlich der fränkischen Opposition gegen Kaiser Ludwig den Frommen zugeschrieben, sondern auch die Geschichte seines bis in die Textimplantationen reichenden Missverständnisses seit dem Hohen Mittelalter dargestellt. Der Band enthält im Anhang alle relevanten Texte im Original und in englischer Übersetzung.

The Donation of Constantine is the most outrageous and powerful forgery in world history. The question of its precise time of origin alone kept generations of researchers occupied. But, what exactly is the Donation of Constantine? To find the answer, it is necessary to approach the question on two different semantic levels: First, as the Constitutum Constantini, a fictitious privilege, in which, among other things, rights and presents were bestowed on the catholic church by a grateful Emperor Konstantin. Secondly, as a reflection of the Middle Age mindset, becoming part of the culture landscape midway through 11th century A.D. The author not only reinterprets the origin of this forgery (i.e. puts it down to the Franks' opposition of Emperor Louis the Pious), but retells, as well, the history of its misinterpretation since the High Middle Ages. In an appendix, all relevant texts are printed in the original language, an English translation is provided.

Contents:

Front matter

Preface

Contents

I. Introduction

II. The "Donation of Constantine"

III. The origin and fate of the "Donation of Constantine" in the High Middle Ages

IV. The wording and meaning of the "Constitutum Constantini"

V. The origin of the "Constitutum Constantini"

VI. The date and context of the composition of the "Constitutum Constantini"

VII. Conclusions

Appendix A: The Satraps of Constantine / Brandes, Wolfram

Appendix B: Sources

Appendix C: Bibliography

Appendix D: Index of Ancient and Medieval Persons

Appendix E: Plates

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 158-188) and index.

This eBook is made available Open Access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://www.degruyter.com/dg/page/open-access-policy

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 28. Feb 2023)

Related Work:

Brandes, Wolfram. Satraps of Constantine. 2007.

ISBN:

9783110902235

3110902230

OCLC:

850178398

Access Restriction:

Open access Unrestricted online access