A letter from Innocent II, pope (1133, June 8)

Translated letter:

Pope Innocent II to august emperor Lothar and empress Richiza. If sacred authority of pontiffs and imperial power complete each other with the glue of charity, the service owed to the almighty can be willingly shown, and the Christian people will rejoice with thankful peace and tranquillity. For nothing in the present world is brighter than the pope, nothing higher than the king: nothing that shines with brighter light than righteous faith in the prince, nothing that so can not be subject to a fall than true religion. Which all doubtless shine so much more manifestly, thanks be to God, in your person [persona tua], than that you are known to be a lover of religion and supporter of justice from an early age, and most recently in these days not sparing your person or your own money, you have born many labors and immense dangers for the service of St. Peter. Since, therefore, with sacred speech as witness, even bad fathers should share goods given to them with their sons, it is quite appropriate that we who, with God disposing, ought to counsel all the sons of the Catholic church with paternal sollicitude, love your person more firmly, and as the very special defender of the church, in those things which are known to conserve the empire in its strength and the utility and liberation of the catholic church, we will increase imperial power as much according to the ecclesiastical office as to the temporal. With this understanding, certainly, we commit to you [vobis] the allod of countess Matilda of good memory which was conferred by her on St. Peter, and by the dispensation of the apostolic see we grant and invest it by the ring in the presence of our brother archbishops, bishops, abbots, and also princes and barons: namely that you pay a hundred pounds of silver each year to us and our successors and after your death the property will revert to the right and dominion of the holy Roman church with integrity and without diminution or harm. And if it should be necessary for us or our successors to come into that land, to stay there, to cross it, we will be honored as much in reception as in care, and with safe conduct as the apostolic see shall decree.1 Whoever will hold the stronghold or be governor of the land, will keep fealty to St. Peter and us or our successors. For the rest, for your charity, we grant to the noble man Henry, duke of Bavaria, your son-in-law and your daughter his wife, with apostolic blessing, that same land with said assessment and aforesaid conditions, provided only that that duke/leader of men does and swears homage to St. Peter and us and our successors. After whose death, the allod of said countess Matilda will return to the right and dominion of the holy Roman church, as said above, whole and without diminution or any difficulty: saving always in all things the right and property of that holy Roman church. Given/dated at the Lateran, sixth Ides of June.

Original letter:

Si auctoritas sacra pontificum et potessas imperialis vere glutino charitatis adinvicem complentur, omnipotenti debitus famulatus libere poterit exhiberi, et Christianus populus grata pace et tranquillitate gaudebit. Nihil enim in prasenti saculo est pontifice clarius, nihil rege sublimius: nihil est quod lumine clariore praefulgeat quam recta fides in principe, nihil est quod ita nequeat occasui subjacere quam vera religio. Quae nimirum omnia tanto manifestius, Deo gratias, in persona tua clarescunt, quanto ab ineunte aetate amator religionis et cultor justitiae exstitisse cognosceris, et novissime diebus istis, nec personae tuae, nec propriae parcendo pecuniae, pro B. Petri servitio mutios labores et immensa pericula pertulisti. Cum ergo, testante sacro eloquio, etiam mali patres bona data filiis suis debeant impartire, dignum profecto est ut nos, qui, disponente Domino, universis Catholicae Ecclesiae filiis debemus sollicitudine paterna consulere, personam tuam arctius diligamus, et tanquam specialissimo Ecclesiae defensori, in his quae ad statum imperii in suo robore conservandum, et utilitatem ac liberationem catholicae Ecclesiae spectare noscuntur, tam secundum ecclesiasticum officium quam temporaliter, imperatoriam potentiam augeamus. Hoc nimirum intuitu allodium bona memoris comitissa Mathilda , quod utique ab ea B. Petro constat esse collatum, vobis committimus, et ex apostolicae sedis dispensatione concedimus, atque in praesentia fratrum nostrorum archiepiscoporum, episcoporum, abbatum, necnon principum et baronum per annulum investimus: ita videlicet ut centum libras argenti singulis annis nobis et successoribus nostris exsolvas, et post tuum obitum proprietas ad jus et dominium sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cum integritate absque diminutione et molestia revertatur. Quod si nos vel successores nostros in eamdem terram venire, manere, transire oportuerit, tam in susceptione quam in procuratione, atque securo conductu, prout apostolica sedes decreverit [al. apostolicam sedem decuerit], honoremur. Qui vero arces tenuerit [al. tenuerint], vel rector terrae fuerit, B. Petro et nobis nostrisque successoribus fidelitatem faciant. Caeterum pro charitate vestra, nobili viro Henrico Bavariae duci genero vestro et filiae vestrae uxori ejus, eamdem terram cum praefato censu et supradictis conditionibus apostolica benignitate concedimus, ita tamen ut idem dux hominium faciat et fidelitatem B. Petro ac nobis nostrisque successoribus juret. Post quorum obitum, praedictum comitissae Mathildae allodium et jus et dominium sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, sicut supradictum est, integrum et absque diminutione atque difficultate aliqua reducatur: salvo tamen semper in omnibus ejusdem sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae jure ac proprietate. Datum Laterani sexto Idus Junii.

Historical context:

The pope bestows the Matildine lands on Lothar, who had ceded them to the papacy, and Richinza, and after them on their son-in-law and daughter.

Scholarly notes:

1. Alternate reading, “apostolicam sedem decuerit,” as shall be fitting to the apostolic see.

Printed source:

PL 179, c.188-89, ep.145.

Date:

1133, June 8