Donation of Constantine - The Donation of Constantine was a
forged document which the eighth century popes produced as a show of
legal precedent and political support for papal rule of Rome and the
nearby territories. The Donation of Constantine was supposed to be
written by Emperor Constantine in 313 CE, in which he gave
control of Rome to the Popes. The popes used it to build their
personal power, however the fact that it was forged speaks more to the
political will of the popes than any validity to their claims to power. definition
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