The History of the Church through 100 Masterpieces

The Donation of Constantine

The History of the Church 54 The Donation of Constantine In 335, after founding his capital of Constantinople, Emperor Constantine came to Rome to be baptized by Pope Sylvester I. As a sign of submission, he accorded to the sovereign pontiff both the Lateran palace and the insignia of dominion over the Western Empire. Little does it matter that the emperor was never actually baptized and that he bequeathed the entire empire to his own sons. Throughout centuries, this charming legend buttressed the claims of the papacy to temporal power, provoking no end of conflicts between the pope and the rulers of Western Europe, particularly the Italian princes, the French kings, and the Germanic emperors. Still, basing his action on that gift, Pope Alexander VI, in 1493, divided the New World—yet in the course of being discovered—between Spain and Portugal. Illustrations of this controversial story are by necessity polemical, so it is no wonder that they are found primarily in Rome. There is another donation that seems to be historically linked to Constantine’s. In 754, Pepin the Short granted to Pope Stephen sovereignty over Corsica and over the Italian towns he had conquered from the Lombards. In return, the pope consecrated Pepin as king of France, thus establishing the Carolingian dynasty, which replaced the Merovingian kings. Anonymous fresco (1246) The Donation of Constantine Basilica of the Santi Quattro Coronati, Rome ...