Golden bull

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Imperial chrysobull of Alexios III of Trebizond, 1374
The Golden Bull of 1356 issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV
The Golden Bull of 1242 of Béla IV to inhabitants of Zagreb in Croatia

A golden bull or chrysobull was a golden seal (a bulla aurea), attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree. Such decrees were known as golden bulls in western Europe and chrysobullos logos, or chrysobulls, in the Byzantine Empire (χρυσός, chrysos, being Greek for gold).

For nearly eight hundred years, they were issued unilaterally, without obligations on the part of the other party or parties. However, this eventually proved disadvantageous as the Byzantines sought to restrain the efforts of foreign powers to undermine the empire. During the 12th century, the Byzantines began to insert into golden bulls sworn statements of the obligations of their negotiating partners.[citation needed]

Notable golden bulls included:

  • The Golden Bull of Berne, supposedly also issued by Frederick II in 1218, but now considered a forgery.

See also

References

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  2. 750th Anniversary of the Golden Bull Granted by Bela IV
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External links