803_PG | Fontes Istrie medievalis

Era

Vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803

Series

Epistolae pontificum Romanorum

Date

March 21, 803

Place

Roma

Regestum

Pope Leo III confers the pallium upon Fortunatus II, the incumbent patriarch of Grado.

Subjects

Leo III, papa (795–816)

Fortunatus II, patriarcha Gradensis (803 - † 825/6)

Carolus Magnus, rex Francorum, imperator Imperii Romanorum

Source

The original is lost; the text survives in the following manuscript traditions:

T = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Codex Trevisaneus, fol. 34r–v; late 15th-/early 16th-century incomplete simple copy, based on the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, presumably from the 13th/14th century; the copy has the following signature added in the upper left corner: Dand(ulo) carta L a tergo, Eg(natii) carta 81 a tergo, 801, ut puto.

T' = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Codex Trevisaneus, fol. 36r–v; late 15th-/early 16th-century simple copy, based on the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, presumably from the 13th/14th century; the copy has the following title: Epistola Leonis … pontificis ad Fortunatum patriarcham Gradensem pro usu palii, Eg(natii) carta 81 a tergo et Dand(ulo) carta L, and the following dating added in the upper left corner: 801 vel 802. Si inditio recte se habet, non potest esse 801.

Z = Venice, Biblioteca Marciana, ms. Lat. Zanetti, 400 (= 2028), fols. 64v–65r; insert in the 14th-century Chronica per extensum descripta of Andrea Dandolo, of which this is the codex optimus; the copy is incomplete and has the following title, added by another hand in the left margin: Epistola Leonis pape ad Fortunatum patriarcham Gradensem.

D = Venice, Biblioteca Marciana, ms. Lat. XIV, 77 (= 2991), fol. 146r–v; an incomplete simple copy made by Tommaso Diplovataccio in the first half of the 16th century and included in his unfinished Tractatus de Venetae urbis libertate; the copy is presumably based on the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, presumably from the 13th/14th century. the copy has the following title: Item Leo secundus pontifex maximus pallium utendum concessit Fortunato prefato patriarche Gradensi sicut antiqui Romani pontifices suis predecessoribus concesserant cum epistola infrascripti tenoris, videlicet, et erit 204 privilegium et fuit anno Christi 805 et anno 2^o imperii Caroli imperatoris.

D' = Venice, Biblioteca Marciana, ms. Lat. XIV, 74 (= 4056), fol. 281r–282v; a simple copy included in the copy of Tommaso Diplovataccio’s unfinished work Tractatus de Venetae urbis libertate; the entire manuscript, produced in the first half of the 16th century, is not written in Diplovataccio’s hand; the copy is presumably based on the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, presumably from the 13th/14th century; the copy has the following title: Item Leo 3 summus pontifex pallium concessit Fortunato patriarchę Gradensi anno Domini 779, cuius tenor talis est, videlicet, et erit 214 privilegium.

Of these five copies, only T' and D' feature the part Propterea pervenit ad nos—severitate corrigamus; therefore, only these two exemplars, T' and D', are full, in extenso copies of the charter. The papal document is composed based on Liber Diurnus, n. 46, pp. 35–38 of Sickel’s edition.

Previous Editions

Ester Pastorello (ed.), Andreae Danduli ducis Venetiarum Chronica per extensum descripta, Rerum Italicarum scriptores, ser. 2, 12/1 (Bologna 1958), pp. 126–127; based exclusively on Z.

Roberto Cessi (ed.), Documenti relativi alla storia di Venezia anteriori al mille, vol. 1 (Padua 1940), doc. 37, pp. 56–58; even though the editor claimed to have consulted all the manuscript copies, the edition is in reality based solely on TT'.

FIM Edition

Collated edition based on TT'ZDD', primarily following TT', judged to be the best copies; Liber Diurnus is referenced as Ld in the critical apparatus.

Transcription

Leo^a episcopus, servus servorum Dei, reverendissimo^b et sanctissimo confratri Fortunato patriarchae^c sanctę Gradensis ecclesiae^d^/^e, diebus Vitę tuae^f tantummodo.

Officium^g sacerdotis assumere^h, si interioriⁱ vigilantia perpendamus, plus est oneris^j quam honoris, quippe cui propria curare non sufficit^k, nisi et salubriter^l gesserit aliena. Nam ad hoc pastoralis regiminis curam aggreditur^m, ut aliorum in se sollicitudinemⁿ pia provisione suscipiat et in eorum sese^o custodia vigilanter disponat, ut^p lupus insidians^q possibilitatem^r in eo irrumpendi non habeat nec lęsionem^s ovibus inferat.

Sic qui animarum curam suscepimus, assiduam debemus sollicitudinem exercere, ut callido^t antiquoque humani generis inimico aditum pręcludamus, et totis contra eius voracitatem^u viribus obsistamus, ne nostra forte desidia, rabida, quod absit^v, quemquam fauce deglutiat^w, et eius ad nostram non inmerito applicetur^x pęnam perditio, qui commissos^y sollicita^z custodire^a' cautela^b' neglegimus^c'. Exhibeamus ergo quod dicimus, et quibus divini dispensatione consilii^d' pręesse^e' nos contigit^f', prodesse quantum possimus festinemus, ut dum creditor^g' rationis^h' nobiscum^i' positurus^j' advenerit, lucrum nos fecisse reperiat^k', et sua sicut^l' promisit^m' remuneratione letificet^n'.

Hoc itaque, frater karissime^o', considera, et locum quem adeptus es non ad requiem, sed ad laborem te suscepisse cognosce. Adhortationis ope fidelium corda corrobora^p': infidelium vero summopere^q' converte. Quod ut facilius assequi^r' merearis^s', prędicationem tuam vita^t' commendet^u'^/^v'; ipsa eis instructio, ipsa magistra^w' sit; ad desiderium aeternę^x' vitę docente suspirent, tuo^y' viventes exemplo perveniant; temporalia^z' despiciant, et quae^a'' transitura^b'' sunt^c'' contemnentes^d'', ad ea^e'' semper^f'', quę nullo fine clauduntur desideria^g'' anhelent^h''. In his^i'' igitur studium adhibe^j'', in his tota mentis intentione persiste, quatenus dum tua prędicatione atque imitatione^k'' haec^l'' fuerint consecuti^m'', tanto maiora a^n'' Deo nostro recipias, quanto congrua sollicitudine lucrandis ei^o'' animabus officii^p'' tui^q'' exercere operam^r'' minime^s'' destitisti.

Pallium^t'' pręterea^u'' iuxta antiquam consuetudinem fraternitati tuę dedimus, quo ita uti memineris sicuti prędecessores nostri tuis prędecessoribus concessere, privilegiorum tuorum^v'' scilicet^w'' integritate servata. Fidem autem fraternitatis tuę quamvis in epistola tua^x'', quam direxisti, subtiliter debuisses^y'' exponere, verumtamen lętamur^z'' in Domino, quia eam rectam esse, ex^a''' solemni^b''' symboli^c''' confessione didicimus.^d'''

Propterea^e''' pervenit ad nos, quod sacri ordines in illis partibus cum datione commodi conferantur. Quod si ita est, flens dico, gemens denuntio, quia cum sacerdotalis ordo intus cecidit, foris quoque diu stare non poterit, scimus quippe evangelium quod Redemptor noster per semetipsum fecerit, quia ingressus templum cathedras vendentium columbas evertit. Columbas enim vendere est de Sancto Spiritu, quem Deus omnipotens consubstantialem^f''' sibi per impositionem manuum hominibus tribuit, commodum temporalem percipere ex quo predixit^g''' iam malo imbuitur qui[d]^h''' subsequitur, quia qui in templo Dei columbas vendere presumpserunt, eorum Deo iudice cathedrę ceciderunt, qui videlicet error in subditis cum augmento^i''' pręparatur^j'''. Nam^k''' in ipsa provectus sui radice vitiatur, paratus est aliis venundare quod emit. Et ubi est quod scriptum est: “gratis accepistis, gratis date”¹? Et cum primam^l''' sanctam Ecclesiam symoniaca^m''' hęresis^n''' sit exhorta^o''', cur non perpenditis, cur non videtis^p''', quoniam eum quisque quem^q''' cum prętio ordinat, provehendo a[g]it^r''' ut hereticus fiat^s'''? Pro^t''' qua re admoneo atque obtestor, ut omnino debeas esse sollicitus, ut nihil sibi commodi datio^u''', nil gratia^v''', nil quarumlibet supplicatio^w''' personarum in sacris ordinibus vindicet, sed ille ad hoc officium perducatur quem morum gravitas commodat^x''' et actione[s]^y'''. Quod non credimus^z''', si^aa fieri tale aliquid senserimus, canonica illud, ut^bb dignum est^cc, severitate corrigimus^dd.^ee

Oramus autem omnipotentem Dominum, ut sua te^ff munitione^gg circumtegat, et sacerdotii^hh susceptum officium operibus implere concedat.

Scriptum per manum Benedicti notarii et scriniarii sanctę Romanę ecclesię in mense martioⁱⁱ, indictione undecima^jj.

Bene valete!

Data XII^o kalendas^kk aprilis per manus Eustachii primicerii^ll sanctę^mm Sedis Apostolicę, imperante domino nostroⁿⁿ Karolo^oo piissimo perpetuo augusto a Deo coronato, magno^pp pacifico imperatore anno tertio^qq, pacis^rr eiusdem domini nostri^ss anno tertio^tt², indictione undecima^uu.

Critical apparatus

a) litteris capitalibus D'. b) reverentissimo Z. c) T'; patriarchę T; patriarche ZD; archiepiscopo D'. d) ecclesię T'; ecclesie Z et undique -e loco -ę seu -ae; ecclesie D et saepe -e loco -ę seu -ae. e) Gradensis ecclesiae] inv. ZD'. f) tuę T'D'. g) oficium D. h) T'ZDD'; asumere T. i) si interiori] sinceriori D'. j) honor is D'; honeris Z. k) suficit Z. l) seq. non add. T; seq. non canc. D. m) adgreditur D'; agreditur Z. n) solicitudinem et saepe sic ZD'. o) ZDD'; sub se TT'. p) et D'. q) insidiens D'. r) posibilitatem Z. s) lesionem ZDD'. t) T'D; calido TZD'. u) veracitatem D'. v) quod absit] inter parentheses TT'. w) deducat D'. x) aplicetur T'Z; adpliatur D'. y) seq. falita canc. D. z) solita D; solicita Z. a') custodii D. b') cautella D'. c') Z; negligimus TT'D; negligemus D'. d') consiliis et sup. l. D'; conscilii Z. e') ex pręęsse corr. T; preesse T'D'. f') contingit D'; ex contiget corr. D. g') credit D'. h') orationis D'. i') nobis DD'. j') ex possiturus corr. T; compositurus D'. k') repperiat D'. l') sic D'. m') promissit Z. n') ZD'; loetificet T; lętificet T'D. o') Z; carissime TT'DD'. p') corobora D'. q') D'; summo opere TT'ZD. r') adsequi ZD'. s') seq. ut add. D'. t') vitam D'. u') D'; comendet TT'Z. v') seq. et add. D'. w') magiam D'. x') sic TT'; ęterne D; ęternę D'; eterne Z. y') tue D'. z') iter. T. a'') T'; quę TD. b'') T'ZD; transitoria TD'. c'') sint T'. d'') contempnentes ZD. e'') seq. quę add. TT'D. f'') seq. durant add. Z. g'') desiderantes Ld. h'') Z; anhelant D; anellint T; hanellent T'; anholont D'. i'') hiis Z. j'') adlibe D'. k'') immitatione D'. l'') sic TT'; hęc DD'; hec Z. m'') ex consequti corr. T. n'') iam D'; om. D. o'') T'ZD; eis TD'. p'') officium D'. q'') tuum D'. r'') opere precium (lect. dub.) D'. s'') esse minime D'. t'') palium ZD'. u'') preterea T'. v'') T'ZDD'; suorum T. w'') silicet Z. x'') om. D'. y'') lebuisses D; debuisset D'. z'') T'D; loetaemur T; letamur ZD'. a''') ZDD'; et TT'. b''') solempni Z; sollemni D. c''') T'DD'; simboli Z; sinodali T. d''') seq. preterea et cetera ut a tergo add. T'. e''') D'; preterea T'. f''') substantialem D'. g''') sic T'D': pro predixi, sicut Ld. h''') qui T'D'; quid em. Banić iuxta Ld. i''') agmunto D'. j''') sic T'D': pro propagatur, sicut Ld. k''') seq. ip canc. T'; seq. ipse quoque qui ad sacrum honorem perducitur, iam add. Ld. l''') sic T'D'; prima (haeresis) contra Ld. m''') symoni D'. n''') heresis D'. o''') D': pro exorta; nolhorta T'. p''') sic T'D': pro videtur, sicut Ld. q''') om. D'. r''') ait T'D'; em. Banić iuxta Ld. s''') sit D'. t''') om. D'. u''') om. D'. v''') gratię D'. w''') D'; suplicatio T'. x''') D'; commendat T'. y''') actione T'D'; em. Banić iuxta Ld. z''') quod non credimus] inter parentheses T'. aa) om. D'. bb) illud ut] inv. D'. cc) ut dignum est] inter parentheses T'. dd) corigimus D'. ee) Propterea pervenit—severitate corrigimus] T'D'; om. TZD. ff) sua te] ex suapte corr. T'. ; sua D'. gg) monitione T'; remunitione D'. hh) sacerdotium D'. ii) martii D'. jj) XI T'ZD'. kk) kallendas Z. ll) primicerey Z. mm) seq. Romane add. D'. nn) domino nostro] T'; inv. T. oo) ZD'; Carolo TT'D. pp) seq. et add. TZ. qq) III^o ZD. rr) sic TT'ZDD': pro post consulatum. ss) domini nostri] T'; domino nostro TZDD'. tt) III^o ZD; 3 D'. uu) XI T'ZDD'.

1) Vulg, Matth. 10:18.
2) A contaminated reading of the originally written post consulatum eiusdem domini nostri anno tertio. Post consulatum was usually abbreviated as "p.c.", but late medieval scribes, in whose time the years after consulship were no longer used as dating elements, would often erroneously expand the abbreviation as "pacis" or "pace".

Medieval Recollections

Acts of the Synod of Rome of 1024 – edited here as doc. 1024_SR.

“Post hunc [Iohannem patriarcham] successit Fortunatus patriarhca, qui a Leone papa privilegium cum benedictione pallei iuxta suorum decessorum exemplar consecutus est.” – Chronica de singulis patriarchis nove Aquileie, ed. Giovanni Monticolo, Cronache veneziane antichissime (Rome 1890), p. 14.

“Hic [Fortunatus patriarcha] a Leone papa palium optinuit utendum sicut antiqui Romani pontifices suis predecessoribus
concessere, cum epistola infrascripti tenoris [seq. doc. 803_PG].” – Andrea Dandolo, Chronica per extensum descripta, ed. Pastorello, RIS, ser. 2, 12/1 (Bologna 1958), p. 126.

Selected Bibliography

Paul Fridolin Kehr, “Rom und Venedig bis ins 12. Jahrhundert,” Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken 19 (1927): p. 52.

Heinrich Fichtenau, “‘Politische’ Datierungen des frühen Mittelalters”, in Intitulatio II: Lateinische Herrscher- und Fürstentitel im neunten und zehnten Jahrhundert, ed. Herwig Wolfram (Vienna 1973), pp. 495–499.

Thomas F.X. Noble, “Topography, Celebration, and Power: The Making of a Papal Rome in the Eighth and Ninth Centuries,” in Topographies of Power in the Early Middle Ages, ed. Mayke de Jong, Frans Theuws, and Carine van Rhijn (Leiden 2001), p. 81.

Daniela Rando, “Fortunato,” in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 49 (Rome 1997), online.

Sergio Tavano, “Fortunato II (?–826): Patriarca di Grado,” in Nuovo Liruti: Dizionario Biografico dei Friulani, vol. 1: Il Medioevo, ed. Cesare Scalon (Udine 2006), online.

Harald Krahwinkler, “Patriarch Fortunatus of Grado and the ‘placitum’ of Riziano,” Acta Histriae 13/1 (2005): pp. 66–67.

Steven A. Schoenig, SJ, Bonds of Wool: The Pallium and Papal Power in the Middle Ages (Washington DC 2016), pp. 40–41, 59–60, 69–70, 169–170.

Editor's Notes

The official conferral of the pallium upon Fortunatus II, the patriarch of Grado, was also the solemn confirmation of the metropolitan status of the Patriarchate of Grado. The document is noteworthy for several reasons.

First, the text survives in several manuscript traditions, but only two – hereby dubbed T' and D' – feature the full text of the document, including the part Propterea pervenit—severitate corrigimus, the simony admonition featured in the Liber Diurnus as well. Cessi, who edited the document solely following TT', relegated the simony admonition paragraph to a long footnote and edited the main text without it. Thus, when Schoenig analyzed the document in a larger, European context, he was led to the conclusion that “Pope Leo III’s grant to Arno of Salzburg in 798 included the simony admonition, but his grant to Fortunatus of Grado five years later did not” (cited above, p. 169). This inference can now be abandoned as not one, but two textual traditions, wholly independent of each other, confirm that the original conferral of pallium indeed featured the simony admonition paragraph. The question of why certain copies (T, Z, and D) omit the paragraph remains open. Perhaps the simony admonition was deemed hurtful to the glorious history of the Venetian church that the authors aimed to present and document.

Second, there is the question of the title given by Pope Leo III to Fortunatus II of Grado. Four out of five copies have the “patriarchae Gradensi” in the protocol, but one – D', a complete and trustworthy copy – has it “archiepiscopo Gradensi”. Indeed, Pope Leo III did, in fact, refer to Fortunatus II as “archbishop” in one of his later letters (see doc. 806_PLK). Therefore, the question is also open regarding the precise title given by the pope to Fortunatus II.

Finally, the document features one of the earliest – if not the earliest – dating by way of Charlemagne’s years after his consulship (post consulatum eius). This line was erroneously transcribed already in the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, because all the surviving copies have the corrupted form “pacis eiusdem”, without a doubt a contaminated form of the originally written “p.c.” standing for “post consulatum”. The only earlier example of such dating in a papal document comes from Leo III’s letter to Æthelhard, the archbishop of Canterbury, purportedly issued in 802, but the document is a later forgery, or at least suffering from later interpolations (see Heinrich Böhmer, Die Fälschungen Erzbischof Lanfranks von Canterbury (Leipzig 1902), pp. 155–156 for the edition of the document; R. W. Southern, “The Canterbury Forgeries,” The English Historical Review 73/287 (1958): pp. 193–226). Thus, the hereby edited document is the oldest authentic papal writ to feature the dating according to the years after Charlemagne’s consulship. Fichtenau’s conclusions regarding the usage of the years after Charlemagne's consulship (cited above), must be corrected, as Fichtenau based his inferences on incomplete and faulty editions of his document. The same goes for Noble’s study (cited above), based largely on Fichtenau.

This conferral of pallium would be used in 1024 when Patriarch Urso Orseolo of Grado successfully defended the metropolitan status of his Patriarchate in front of Pope John XIX (see doc. 1024_SR).

How to Cite

First citation: Josip Banić (ed.), Fontes Istrie medievalis, vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803, doc. 803_PG, fontesistrie.eu/803_PG (last access: date).

Subsequent citations: FIM, 1: doc. 803_PG.

Facsimile

Image Source and Info

The publication of the facsimile of T' (Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Codex Trevisaneus, fol. 36r–v) is granted free of charge by Archivio di Stato di Venezia by way of the “simplified procedure” of publishing archival facsimiles (La circolare della Direzione generale archivi n. 39 del 29 settembre 2017: procedura semplificata: pubblicazioni online che perseguano finalità scientifiche o pedagogiche, non beneficino di inserzioni pubblicitarie o commerciali e non siano soggette ad accesso a pagamento).

Photo by Archivio di Stato di Venezia.

The digital facsimile remains under the exclusive copyright of Archivio di Stato di Venezia.