The Treatise of Lorenzo Valla on the Donation of Constantine Text and Translation Into English

by Christopher B. Coleman

The Donation of Constantine is the most famous forgery in European history. Written in the eighth century, it was allegedly a fourth-century document by which the Emperor Constatine the Great gave extensive privileges and property to Pope Sylvester I. This document was accepted as genuine for seven centuries and was cited by at least ten popes in contentions for the recognition of papal control. Lorenzo Valla's 1440 treatise established the Donation of Constatine was forged, and made him a pioneer of modern historical criticism.

The reprint is of the 1922 edition of Valla's treatise and presents the Latin text and English translation of it and the forged donation document on facing pages.

Hardcover

First published November 11, 1993

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorenzo Valla, a Renaissance Humanist, set out to demonstrate that the "Donation of Constantine," a document that was inserted into Gratian's Decretals by an unknown hand, was a forgery. The Papacy had relied upon the Donation to assert Temporal Power over the West.

Valla succeeded in his text, employing logic, psychology, and most importantly textual criticism. He correctly noted that the Latin of the document was "bad" (read medieval Latin) and not consistent with Latin usage of the purported date of the Donation (early 4th C.). Modern criticism has confirmed this. This may sound boring, but the work is very polemical, and Valla does not pull any punches, whether at the Papacy, the Emperor Constantine, or modern rulers.

This edition is a reprint of a 1920's translation. The introduction was informative, the full test of the Donation is included, and the book even includes the Latin text (on the left-hand pages).

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful example of historical and textual criticism from the 15th century... it critiques a text that supposedly proved that Constantine gave the Church authority over his empire. For nearly 700 years this absurd and poorly written forgery was taken as fact and legal precedent....Lorenzo Valla's critique is a short and interesting read that reminds us all of how important it is to ask questions of established concepts and conventions.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

renaissance humanist lorenzo valla set out to prove through a philological analysis that the "donation of constantine", a document in which the emperor allegedly granted supreme power to the pope, wass a forgery. obviously the topic is pretty obscure, but valla's rhetoric is impressive, and he turned out to be right.