Emperor Lothar I confirms the Venetian possessions in the Empire.
In nomine domini nostri Iesu Christi Dei eterni.
Lotharius divina ordinante providentia imperator augustus.
Dignum est, ut celsitudo imperialis, quantum ceteros honoris ac potestatis fastigio antecellit, tantum erga omnes pietatis sue munus impendere satagat.
Igitur omnium fidelium sancte Dei Ecclesie [ac]a nostrorum presentium silicetb et futurorum comperiat magnitudo, quia Petrus dux ac spatharius Veneticorum per Heverardum fidelem comitem nostrum ac per missum suum Patritium nomine nostram deprecatus est maiestatem, ut ex rebus sui Ducatusc, que infra dictionem Imperii nostri consistere noscuntur, confirmationis nostre preceptum fieri iuberemus, per quod ipse ac patriarcha, pontifices atque populus illi subiectus sibi debitasd res absque cuiusquam contrarietate seu refragatione retinere quivissent, quemadmodum temporibus aviie nostri Karoli per decretum cum Grecis sanccitum possiderunt.
Cuius petitionem, ut nobis celestis suffragatio copiosior adsit, libenter adquiescentes hos excelentief nostre apices decrevimus fieri.
Per quos statuentes decernimus, ut nullus in territoriis, locis, peculiariisg aut ecclesiis, domibus seu rebus et reliquis possessionibush presignati Ducatus, que infra potestatem Imperiii nostri sitej esse noscuntur, iniquam ingerere presumat inquietudinem, diminorationem seu calumpniosam contradictionem aut subtractionem nefandamk, sed liceat eas prefato duci, patriarche, episcopis ac populo sibi subiecto seu successoribus eorum ac heredibus quiete absque cuiusquam insultationisl machinatione aut sinistram quippiamn molientis tergiversatione iure gubernare et gubernando, prout liquidius in presignatoo decreto continetur, legaliter possidere.
Et ut hec nostrep confirmationis atque corroborationisq auctoritas a fidelibus sancte Dei Ecclesie et nostris verius credatur et [a]r nostris successoribus per tempora labentias omni munimine stabiliatur, manu propria fidelitert eam firmavimus et anuli nostri impressione adsignari iussimusu.
Signum Lotharii serenissimi augusti.
Erombaldi notariusv.
Data kalendis septembris anno Christo propitio imperii domini Lotharii piissimi augusti in Italia XXII et in Francia II, indictione octavaw.
Actum Teodonis villa palacio regio.
In Dei nomine felliciterx, amen.
a) om. LZ; em. Boretius et Krause. b) om. Z. c) Z; duchatus et undique sic L. d) Z; debita L. e) avi Z. f) sic LZ. g) Z; pecculiariis L. h) posesionibus Z. i) om. Z. j) scite Z. k) Z; nephandam L. l) corr. al. man. L. m) Z; sinistrum L. n) cuiuspiam Z. o) predesignato Z. p) Z; nostra L. q) Z; coroborationis L. r) om. LZ; em. Schieffer. s) lamlentia Z. t) sic LZ: fort. pro subter. u) seq. et cetera posuit et sic des. Z. v) Erombaldi notarius] sic L; Ercambaldus notarius em. Boretius et Krause; seq. advicem Agilmari recognovi et subscripsi om. L. w) sic L: pro quarta; e lapso prioris exemplatoris, qui IIII in VIII mutaverat. x) sic L.
“Huic ecciam Petrus dux nobilem virum Patricium nomine legatum misit et ab eo privilegium infrascripti tenoris optinuit: [seq. doc. 840_PL1].” – Andrea Dandolo, Chronica per extensum descripta, ed. Ester Pastorello, RIS, ser. 2, 12/1 (Bologna 1958), p. 151.
The 841 praeceptum issued to the doge of Venice by Emperor Lothar I forms the core of all the future regal/imperial praecepta issued to the doges of Venice, guaranteeing the safety of Venetian estates in the Regnum Italicum/Imperium Romanorum. The following praecepta have been preserved, all in later copies of Venetian archival provenance:
Praeceptum of Louis II from March 23, 856 – edited in Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause (eds.), “Pacta et praecepta Venetica,” in Capitularia regum Francorum 2, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio 2 (Hannover 1897), doc. 235, p. 137.
Praeceptum of Charles III from May 10, 883 – edited in Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause (eds.), “Pacta et praecepta Venetica,” in Capitularia regum Francorum 2, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio 2 (Hannover 1897), doc. 237, pp. 141–143.
Praeceptum of Guy III of Spoleto from June 20, 891 – edited in Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause (eds.), “Pacta et praecepta Venetica,” in Capitularia regum Francorum 2, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio 2 (Hannover 1897), doc. 239, pp. 147–148.
Praeceptum of Rudolph II of Burgundy from February 29, 924 – edited in Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause (eds.), “Pacta et praecepta Venetica,” in Capitularia regum Francorum 2, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio 2 (Hannover 1897), doc. 240, pp. 148–150.
Praeceptum of Hugh of Italy from February 26, 927 – edited in Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause (eds.), “Pacta et praecepta Venetica,” in Capitularia regum Francorum 2, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio 2 (Hannover 1897), doc. 241, pp. 150–151.
Praeceptum of Otto I from December 2, 967 – edited in Ludwig Weiland (ed.), Constitutiones et acta publica imperatorum et regum, vol. 1: 911–1197, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio IV (Hannover 1893), doc. 15, pp. 36–37.
Praeceptum of Otto III from July 19, 992 – edited in Ludwig Weiland (ed.), Constitutiones et acta publica imperatorum et regum, vol. 1: 911–1197, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio IV (Hannover 1893), doc. 20, pp. 45–46 – this is a new form of a praeceptum that is not modeled upon the hereby edited document; it confirms both the previous pacta as well as praecepta.
Praeceptum of Henry II (doc. 27, p. 57) – edited in Ludwig Weiland (ed.), Constitutiones et acta publica imperatorum et regum, vol. 1: 911–1197, Monumenta Germaniae historica, Legum sectio IV (Hannover 1893), doc. 27, pp. 57–58 – this is also a new form of a praeceptum that is modeled neither on the hereby edited document nor on Otto III’s praeceptum of 992; it confirms both the previous pacta as well as praecepta.
From this point onwards, the monarchs of the Holy Roman Empire would sign only the pactum with the Venetians which would include the praeceptum (for a list of these pacta, see Medieval Recollections under doc. 840_PV).
The MGH editions of all of these praecepta, which are to be preferred over Cessi’s conjecturally and silently emended editions, can be downloaded via the following link.
The oldest surviving imperial praeceptum issued to Venice that complements the pactum (see doc. 840_PL) and confirms the possessions of the Venetians within the Western Roman Empire.
As the basis of the rights conferred upon the Venetians by this praeceptum, Lothar I invokes a “decretum cum Grecis sanccitum”, promulgated by his grandfather, Charlemagne. Communis opinio is that this is a reference to the Treaty of Aachen of 812/15. By extension, this would suggest that the pactum of 840 (doc. 840_PL) referencing “older treaties” would also refer precisely to the Treaty of Aachen of 812/15.
The praeceptum of 841 would be used as a template for all the other regal and imperial praecepta issued to the Venetians by the subsequent kings of Italy and the kings/emperors of the Holy Roman Empire (see Medieval Recollections above). Emperor Otto II fused the pactum and praeceptum into one document, inserting the contents of the praeceptum as the first article of the pactum. From this point onwards, the kings/emperors of the Holy Roman Empire would issue only one document to confirm to old pacts with the Venetians: either only a praeceptum that would also confirm the previous pacta (as was the case with Otto III and Henry II, cited here under Medieval Recollections), or a pactum that would also include the praeceptum, on the model of Otto II (as was the case with Henry IV, Henry V, Lothar III, Frederick I, Henry VI, Otto IV and Frederick II – see Medieval Recollections in doc. 840_PV).
In the context of Istrian history, the praeceptum guaranteed the safety of Venetian possessions and estates in Istria as well, as the Istrians are regularly numbered among the imperial subjects in the Regnum Italicum in all the Veneto-imperial pacta.