Donation of Constantine

   A document apparently forged by the papacy (q.v.) in the eighth century to bolster its claims of political and ecclesiastical supremacy. It states that after Constantine I (q.v.) was baptized by Pope (q.v.) Silvester I (314-335), Constantine moved his residence to Constantinople (q.v.), leaving the pope with full authority over the church and over the western provinces of the empire. The document proved useful as a justification of papal policy toward the Franks (q.v.), including the papal coronations of Frankish ruler Pippin in 751 and of Charlemagne (q.v.) in 800. In the 11th century, it figured in the dispute between Patriarch Michael I Keroularios and Humbert (qq.v.) that resulted in the church schism of 1054 (q.v.). The Renaissance humanist Lorenzo Valla proved that the document was a papal forgery.