History: 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.