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.
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Definition
Timeline
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751 - 756Probable dates for the composition of the forgery known as The Donation of Constantine by the Roman Catholic Church.
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753Possible first use of The Donation of Constantine in coercing Pepin the Short to donate his lands to the Church.
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778First documented use of The Donation of Constantine by Pope Adrian I trying to coerce Charlemagne.
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1054Most dramatic use of The Donation of Constantine by Pope Leo IX to justify Church's supremacy and involvement in temporal affairs.
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1439 - 1440The Donation of Constantine proven a forgery by priest and scholar Lorenzo Valla.
