The Papacy and Ecclesiology of Honorius II (1124-1130) by Enrico Veneziani;

Author:Enrico Veneziani;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Published: 2023-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

The creation of the kingdom of Jerusalem?

On 29 May 1128 Honorius’s chancery sent a letter, Laudes et gratiarum, to Baldwin II (1118–1131), king of Jerusalem, confirming him as king and conceding to him the kingdom of Jerusalem [342]. Simon John has recently stressed the importance of this letter, because it was the first time a papal document identified Jerusalem as a regnum.88 Building on John’s analysis, this section will consider the 1128 letter from an ecclesiological point of view, allowing us to understand its place in Honorius’s extant documents. I have taken an alternative approach based on comparisons with Anacletus’s creation of the kingdom of Sicily, the closest chronological example, which will also expand the analysis, particularly emphasising the importance of the letter as an opportunity for the papacy to create a document claiming Roman primacy, yet showing that the chancery was once more reacting to requests rather than taking the initiative.89

In his analysis of the papal documents sent to the rulers of the new territories in the Holy Land, John points out that the papacy started addressing the ruler in Jerusalem as ‘kingʼ only in 1107, in a letter, Ecclesie vestre scandalis, from Paschal II to King Baldwin I.90 According to John, the pope gave no reason for this change. The document has been analysed by Rita Tessera and she has concluded that the letter was the first official papal judgement concerning the dispute between Ehremar and Arnulf of Chocques over the patriarchate of Jerusalem. This dispute was also connected to the previous clash between the king and the patriarch of Jerusalem on the relations between the regnum and the sacerdotium in the new political identity.91 The nature of the document seems to have called for close attention to detail, and each word had a very precise meaning.92 Baldwin’s title is perhaps evidence of this, especially since he was involved in the dispute, which was to be settled by a council in Jerusalem presided over by a papal legate.

Gelasius II and Calixtus II echoed the language of Paschal II, also referring to Baldwin I as king. However, the new polity created after the conquest of the Holy City was still addressed in vague terms, never using the word regnum. The first time that the territory was recognised as a kingdom was in Honorius’s letter: here the pope, referring to a concession by Paschal II to Baldwin I (not the 1107 letter), granted the dignity of king and the ʻregnum Jerosolymitanumʼ to Baldwin II. The document was in answer to Baldwin’s request for papal approval of his plan to marry his daughter Melisende to Count Fulk V of Anjou, who was thus destined to succeed the king at his death. The new formula describing the polity had a very precise meaning: the papal chancery was well aware of the institutional developments in Jerusalem, as attested by the titles used in the letter to indicate Godfrey of Bouillon (addressed as dux) and Baldwin I (rex).93 John highlights the singularity of this

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.