Manifestis Probatum
Manifestis Probatum (Latin for 'Manifestly proven') is a papal bull and the founding document of Portugal. On 23 May 1179 Pope Alexander III promulgated the bull. The bull officially recognized the independence of Portugal from Leon by confirming the Kingdom of Portugal to, the now recognized, king Afonso Henriques and his successors. The bull is, therefore, the single most important written document from Portugal's independence process.
The Papacy did not at first recognize the legitimacy of Afonso's adoption of the royal title in 1139, instead continuing to regard him as a vassal of the kingdom of León. On December 13, 1143, Afonso sent to Pope Innocent II the letter Claves Regni (Latin for 'Keys of the Kingdom'), in which he tells him that he has decided to enfeoff Portugal to the Holy See and asks him for protection against any interference in Portugal's territory.[a] On May 1, 1144, Pope Lucius II in his letter Devotionen Tuam (Latin for 'Your Devotion') replying to Afonso, declared that he recognizes his devotion, but still refers to Portugal as a land and not a kingdom and refers to Afonso as duke of Portugal and not as king, thereby, failling to recognize the kingdom.[b]
The switch in papal policy in 1179 was justified by Afonso's reconquest of lands to the south of the Iberian Peninsula to which no other Christian monarch had claim.[3]
Text
[edit]Alexander, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God, to the most beloved son in Christ, Afonso, Illustrious King of the Portuguese, and to his heirs, in perpetuity:
It is manifestly proven that, as a good son and catholic prince, you have rendered innumerable services to your mother, the Holy Church, intrepidly exterminating through hardships and military prowess the enemies of the Christian name and diligently propagating the Christian faith, thereby leaving to generations still unborn a name worthy of memory and an example deserving of imitation. The Apostolic See must love with sincere affection and strive to efficiently attend, in their just petitions, those chosen by the divine Providence for the government and salvation of the people.
We, therefore, because of your qualities of prudence, justice and suitability for government, take you under the protection of Saint Peter and our own, and grant and confirm by apostolic authority to your excellent domain, the Kingdom of Portugal, full honours of kingdom and the dignity that befits kings, as well as all places which, with the help of the Celestial Grace, you have wrested from the hands of the Saracens, and to which your neighbouring Christian princes may not claim any rights.
And so that your devotion and service to Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and to the Holy Roman Church is further aroused, We decide to extend this same concession to your heirs and, with the help of God, We promise to defend it for them, as far as our apostolic magistracy is concerned. Do continue, therefore, to show yourself a beloved son, humble and devoted to the honour and service of your mother, the Holy Roman Church, and to defend Her interests by spreading the Christian faith in such a way that this Apostolic See may take joy in having such a devoted and glorious son whose affection cannot be in doubt.
As tangible representation that said kingdom belongs to Saint Peter, you have determined as a testimony of great reverence to surrender annually two marks of gold to Us and Our successors. You and your successors will endeavour, therefore, to consign to the Archbishop of Braga pro tempore this census that belongs to Us and Our successors.
We determine accordingly that it is unlawful for any man to brazenly cause any trouble to you or your heirs or your kingdom, or to seize anything that belongs to it or, in the case it has been seized, to keep it, debase it, or cause any torment to it.
If anyone, in future, whether ecclesiastic or secular person, willingly challenges that which has been determined under this Constitution without presenting suitable satisfaction after a second or a third admonition, may they be stripped of the dignity of their honour and power, forelearn that they will be held accountable for their iniquity before the Divine Judgement, and be excluded from the Communion of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, our divine Lord and Redeemer. May the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with all those who respect the rights of this kingdom and their king, so that they may gather the fruit of good works in this world and the reward of eternal peace before the Severe Judge. Amen. Amen.
Peter, Paul, Alexander PP. III
I Alexander, Bishop of the Catholic Church, SS[c]
BENE VALETE[4]
I Ubaldo Bishop of Ostia SS
I Teodino Bishop of Porto and of Santa Rufina SS
I Peter Bishop of Frascati SS
I Henry Bishop of Albano SS
I Bernardo Bishop of Palestrina SS
I John Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saints John and Paul and of Pammachius SS
I John Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Anastasia SS
I Johannes Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Mark SS
I Peter Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Susanna SS
I Vibiano Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Stephen on the Caelian Hill SS
I Cinzio Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Cecilia SS
I Hugh Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Clement SS
I Arduino Cardinal Presbyter of the title of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem SS
I Mathieu Cardinal Presbyter of the title of Saint Marcellus SS
I Giacinto Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Mary in Cosmedin SS
I Ardicius Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Teodoro SS
I Laborante Cardinal Deacon of the title of Santa Maria in Portico SS
I Raniero Cardinal Deacon of the title of San Giorgio in Velabro SS
I Graziano Cardinal Deacon of the title of theSaints Cosmas and Damian SS
I John Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Angelo SS
I Ranier Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Adrian SS
I Matthaeus Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Maria Nova SS
I Bernardo Cardinal Deacon of the title of Saint Nicholas in the Tullian Prison SS
Given at the Lateran, by the hand of Alberto, Cardinal Presbyter and Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, on the 10th day before the Kalends of June (May 23), in the 11th indiction, the year 1179 of the Incarnation of the Lord and the 20th year of the Pontificate of Pope Alexander III.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^
Knowing that to St. Peter were given by Our Lord Jesus Christ the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, I have decided to take that same Apostle as my Patron and advocate, so that in the difficulties of the present life I may experience his help and counsel, and through his merits may attain the rewards of eternal blessedness. Therefore, I, Afonso, by the grace of God King of Portugal, have rendered homage to the Pope, my Lord and Father, into the hands of the Cardinal Deacon Dom Guido, Legate of the Apostolic See. I hereby constitute my land as a censual (feudal tribute) of St. Peter and of the Holy Church of Rome, with an annual tribute of four ounces of gold, and I decree that all those who, after my death, come to possess this land, shall annually pay the same tribute to St. Peter. As a true soldier of St. Peter and of the Roman Pontiff, I ought to have for myself and for my land—and in all that pertains to its dignity and honor—the defense and aid of the Apostolic See. And I shall never be obliged to admit into it the power or lordship of any ecclesiastical or secular authority, save that of the Holy See and its legates. This letter of oblation and affirmation was drawn up on the Ides of December in the year 1181 of the Spanish Era [13 December 1143 AD]. I, Afonso, King of the Portuguese, who most willingly ordered this letter to be made, confirm it with my own hand. I, João, Archbishop of Braga. I confirm. I, Bernardo, Bishop of Coimbra. I confirm. I, Pedro, Bishop of Porto. I confirm.[1]
- ^
Lucius, Bishop, servant of the servants of God. To his beloved son in Christ, Afonso, illustrious Duke, health and apostolic blessing, etc. We rejoice greatly in your devotion, beloved son in the Lord, because Our Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing you among His sheep, commended you to the care of the blessed Peter. Since you were dedicated to the struggle against the pagans and engaged in many secular affairs, and thus unable to visit the thresholds of the Apostles, through the hand of our beloved son Guido, Cardinal Deacon, then Legate of the Apostolic See in those parts, you rendered homage with praiseworthy devotion to our predecessor of happy memory, Pope Innocent. You offered the land which God entrusted to you to the blessed Peter, and you humbly placed both yourself and your land under the protection of Peter, Prince of the Apostles. Afterward, in truth, both through your own letters and by the mediation of our venerable brother João, Archbishop of Braga, you also promised that you and your heirs would pay annually, from the same land, four ounces of gold to the Roman Pontiff. Therefore, we, who—though unworthy—seek to sit in the place of the blessed Peter, receive both you and your sons and your successors among the heirs of the Prince of the Apostles himself, with his help, so that you may always remain under his blessing and protection, both in soul and in body. Through this blessing, may you be defended from the assaults of visible and invisible enemies, and with the Lord's permission, may you attain the heavenly kingdoms. Given at the Lateran, on the Calends of May (i.e., May 1st).[2]
- ^ subscripsi
References
[edit]- ^ Amaral, Diogo Freitas (1996). "A política portuguesa e as suas relações com o exterior". Em que momento se tornou Portugal um País Independente [At what moment did Portugal became an independent kingdom] (PDF). 2º Congresso Histórico de Guimarães (in European Portuguese). Vol. 2. Guimarães: Guimarães municipal chamber.
- ^ Amaral, Diogo Freitas (1996). "A política portuguesa e as suas relações com o exterior". Em que momento se tornou Portugal um País Independente [At what moment did Portugal became an independent kingdom] (PDF). 2º Congresso Histórico de Guimarães (in European Portuguese). Vol. 2. Guimarães: Guimarães municipal chamber.
- ^ Javier Gallego Gallego and Eloísa Ramírez Vaquero, "Rey de Navarra, rey de Portugal, títulos en cuestión (siglo XII) Príncipe de Viana 48, 180 (1987): 115–20. The kingdom of Navarre presented a similar case at the same time. The Papacy initially refused to recognize the election of García Ramírez as king in 1134, because the kingdom had been willed by the late King Alfonso the Battler to the military orders. The Papacy continued to recognize the kings of Navarre as mere "leaders of Navarre" (duces Navarrae) until 1196. In a bull sent to "Duke" Sancho VII on 29 March, he was urged to break his alliance with the Almohads; on 28 May, a letter to Cardinal Gregory of Sant'Angelo referred to Sancho with the royal title. This was confirmed in a bull addressed to Sancho as king on 20 February 1197, confirming that he could expand his lands by conquest in the south, even though his kingdom did not border Almohad territory.
- ^ https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/bulls-and-briefs
External links
[edit]- [1] in the National Archive of the Tower of the Tombo
- Philipp Jaffé, Regesta pontificum Romanorum ab condita Ecclesia ad annum post Christum natum MCXCVIII, Berlin 1851
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