chapter 49._

"But this is not all, although this is what historians, in admiration of its splendid audacity, have chiefly dwelt upon. The edict proceeds to grant to the Roman pontiff and his clergy a series of dignities and privileges, all of them enjoyed by the emperor and his senate, all of them shewing the same desire to make the pontifical a copy of the imperial office. The Pope is to inhabit the Lateran palace, to wear the diadem, the collar, the purple cloak, to carry the sceptre, and to be attended by a body of chamberlains. … The practice of kissing the Pope's foot was adopted in imitation of the old imperial court. It was afterwards revived by the German Emperors."

_J. Bryce, The Holy Roman Empire, chapter 7, and foot-note._

ALSO IN: _M. Gosselin, The Power of the Pope in the Middle Ages, volume 1, page 817._

_E. F. Henderson, Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages, book 8, number 8._

PAPACY: A. D. 800. The giving of the Roman imperial crown to Charlemagne.

See GERMANY: A. D. 687-800; and 800.

PAPACY: A. D. 816-1073.

The succession of Popes. Stephen IV. (or V.), A. D. 816-817; Paschal I., 817-:824; Eugene II., 824-827; Valentine, 827; Gregory IV., 827-844; Sergius II., 844-847; Leo IV., 847-855; Benedict III.; 855-858: Nicholas I., 858-867; Hadrian II., 867-872; John VIII., 872-882; Marinus: 882-884; Hadrian III., 884-885; Stephen V. (or VI.), 885-891; Formosus, 891-896; Boniface VI., 896; Stephen VI. (or VII.), 896-897; Romanus, 897-898; Theodore II., 898; John IX., 898-900; Benedict IV., 900-908; Leo V., 908; Sergius III., 904-911; Anastasius III., 911-918; Lando, 913-914; John X., 914-928; Leo VI., 928-929; Stephen VII. (or VIII.), 929-981; John XI., 981-986; Leo VII., 936-989; Stephen VIII. (or IX.). 989-942: Marinus II.,942-946; Agapetus II., 946-956; John XII., 956-964; Leo VIII., antipope, 963-965; Benedict V., 964-965; John XIII., 965-972; Benedict VI., 972-974; Donus II., 974-975; Benedict VII., 975-984; John XIV., 984-985; John XV., 985-996; Gregory V., 996-999; John XVI., antipope, 997-998; Sylvester II., 999-1003; John XVII., 1003; John XVIII., 1003-1009; Sergius IV., 1009-1012: Benedict VIII., 1012-1024; John XIX., 1024-1033; Benedict IX., 1033-1044; Sylvester III., antipope, 1044; Gregory VI., 1044-1046; Clement II., 1046-1047; Benedict IX., 1047-1048; Damasus II., 1048; Leo IX., 1049-1054; Victor II., 1055-1057; Stephen IX. (or X.), 1057-1058: Benedict X., antipope, 1058-1059; Nicholas II., 1058-1061; Alexander II., 1061-1073.

PAPACY: A. D. 829-847. The False Decretals.

"There existed in each of the national churches, a collection of ecclesiastical laws, or canons, which were made use of as circumstances required. One of these collections was in use in Spain as early as the sixth century, and was subsequently attributed to Isidore, Bishop of Seville. Towards the middle of the ninth century, a new recension of these canons appeared in France, based upon the so–called Isidorian collection, but into which many spurious fragments, borrowed from private collections and bearing upon their face incontestable evidence of the ignorance of their authors, had been introduced. This recension contained also a number of forged documents. There were, altogether, above a hundred spurious decrees of popes, from Clement to Damasus (A. D. 384), not to mention some of other popes, and many false canons of councils. It also contained the forged Deed of Donation ascribed to Constantine [see above: A. D. 774?]. However, these decretals, which, as they stand, are now proved, both by intrinsic and extrinsic arguments, to be impudent forgeries, are nevertheless, in matter of fact, the real utterances of popes, though not of those to whom they are ascribed, and hence the forgery is, on the whole, one of chronological location, and does not affect their essential character."

_J. Alzog, Manual of Universal Church History, volume 2, page 195._

"Various opinions exist as to the time at which this collection was made, and the precise date of its publication. Mabillon supposes the compilation to have been made about A. D. 785; and in this opinion he is followed by others. But the collection did not appear until after the death of Charlemagne. Some think that these Decretals cannot be of an earlier date than 829, and Blondel supposed that he discovered in them traces of the acts of a council at Paris held in that year. All that can be determined is that most probably the Decretals were first published in France, perhaps at Mayence, about the middle of the ninth century; but it is impossible to discover their real author. The spuriousness of these Decretals was first exposed by the Magdeburg Centuriators, with a degree of historical and critical acumen beyond the age in which they lived. The Jesuit Turrianus endeavoured, but in vain, to defend the spurious documents against this attack. … Of these Epistles none (except two, which appear on other grounds to be spurious) were ever heard of before the ninth century. They contain a vast number of anachronisms and historical inaccuracies. {2426} Passages are quoted from more recent writings, including the Vulgate, according to the version of Jerome; and, although the several Epistles profess to have been written by different pontiffs, the style is manifestly uniform, and often very barbarous, such as could not have proceeded from Roman writers of the first century. … The success of this forgery would appear incredible, did we not take into account the weak and confused government of the successors of Charlemagne, in whose time it was promulgated; the want of critical acumen and resources in that age; the skill with which the pontiffs made use of the Decretals only by degrees; and the great authority and power possessed by the Roman pontiffs in these times. The name of Isidore also served to recommend these documents, many persons being ready to believe that they were in fact only a completion of the genuine collection of Isidore, which was highly esteemed. … The unknown compiler was subsequently called Pseudo-Isidorus."

_J. E. Riddle, History of the Papacy, volume 1, pages 405-407._

ALSO IN: _A. Neander, General History of the Christian Religion and Church, volume 6 (Bohn's edition), pages 2-8._

_H. H. Milman, History of Latin Christianity, book 5, chapter 4._

_M. Gosselin, The Power of the Pope, volume 1, page 317._

_J. N. Murphy, The Chair of Peter,