[Holy Roman Empire]

Bulla Aurea Caroli IV. Romanorum Imperatoris. Noribergæ Sancita, Anno 1356. [Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV]

[Franckfurt am Mayn]: [1657]. Sewn wraps. 8vo (6" x 7.5" or 14.75cm x 19cm). Pp. [2] 5-84. Title across top of pages: "Gulden Bull Kaiser Carl deß IV" (Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV). Parallel text in double columns, Latin and German, with caption titles. With six engraved initial letters. Bound in recent tan laid-paper wrappers. One page (40) with a one-inch scuff affecting text, but attached. Slight wear to edges; margins remain generous. Old ownership name of Joannes Bayer on title page (please see photo). Very Good. Item #3418

A vital tract in the constitutional history of the Holy Roman Empire, the Golden Bull of 1356 was issued by HRE Charles IV (1316-1378) for the purpose of delineating the process for the election and coronation of the emperor. The office of Holy Roman Emperor was historically elected through princes, predominantly German. Through the process, they would elect one of their peers as "King of the Romans," to be then crowned emperor by the Pope. Per Ernest Henderson (Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages) the Bull "regulated the duties, rights and privileges of the elector princes, distinctly defining to whom the electoral rights belong." Notably, this Bull doesn't reference the role of the Pope, Of some-10 libraries that hold this edition, half state the publication date as 1650, others as 1657.

Price: $2,250.00