Translatio imperii facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Translatio imperii (Latin for "transfer of rule") is an old idea from the Middle Ages. It was popular among important people in Europe. This idea suggests that when one empire declines, its power and authority naturally pass to another. It's like a special power being handed down from one ruler or place to the next. For example, people believed power moved from Troy to the Romans, then to the Franks, and even later to Spain. This concept helped explain how empires continued to exist through different rulers and places.

A famous ancient writer who used this idea was Virgil. He was one of Rome's greatest poets. In his epic poem, the Aeneid, Virgil connected the Rome of his time, ruled by Emperor Augustus, to the ancient city of Troy. This idea of power transfer was discussed from the 800s to the 1300s, and even later. In the Early modern period, many authors used the translatio imperii idea. They wanted to make their new centers of power seem important and legitimate. For instance, in Florence during the Renaissance, writers created poems that called their city the "new Rome." They also presented the Medici family as if they were ancient Roman rulers.

In general, this idea sees history as a line of power transfers. This power, called imperium, gives supreme authority to a single ruler, an "emperor." Sometimes, it could even be shared by several emperors, like in the Eastern Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. This concept is also connected to translatio studii, which means the movement of learning and knowledge from one place to another. Both ideas are thought to come from the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible (verses 39–40).

What is Translatio Imperii?
Who Claimed the Power Transfer?
From the Roman Empire to the Holy Roman Empire
From the Inca Empire to the Spanish Empire
The Rus' Land: From Kiev to Moscow
See also

What is Translatio Imperii?

The French historian Jacques Le Goff (1924 – 2014) said that the translatio imperii idea was "typical" for the Middle Ages. He gave several reasons for this:

People in the Middle Ages often saw time and history as a straight line.
The idea of translatio imperii usually ignored what was happening in other parts of the world. Medieval Europeans didn't think those events were important to them.
This idea didn't separate "divine" (religious) history from the history of "worldly power." People in the Middle Ages saw religious and material things as part of the same reality. They also believed that one ruler's time naturally led to the next. This was a common way of thinking back then.

It's important to remember that Le Goff was talking about a very small group of wealthy and powerful people in the Middle Ages. Most ordinary citizens didn't know about translatio imperii.

Who Claimed the Power Transfer?

Many important medieval writers described translatio imperii as power moving to the ruler in their own region. Here are some examples:

Adso of Montier-en-Der (from France, 900s): Believed power went from the Roman Empire to the Carolingian Franks, and then to the Saxons.
Otto of Freising (from Germany, 1114–1158): Thought power moved from Rome to the Franks, then to the Longobards, and finally to the Germans (the Holy Roman Empire).
Chrétien de Troyes (from medieval France, 1100s): Saw the transfer from Greece to Rome, and then to France.
Snorri Sturluson (from Iceland/Norway, around 1200s): In his Prose Edda, he traced power from Troy to Thrúdheim, then to Thrace, and finally to Norway.
Richard de Bury (from England, 1300s): Believed power moved from Athens to Rome, then to Paris, and finally to England.
Dante Alighieri (from Florence, around 1265 – 1321): He was greatly influenced by Virgil. Dante's famous work, the Divine Comedy, features Virgil as his guide. Dante used the Florentine dialect instead of Latin for his work. This choice had a big impact on literature in Europe.
The 'Laurentian poets' (from Florence, 1400s): They presented Lorenzo de' Medici as a leader like those in ancient Rome. This was a key part of the Medici family's efforts to make their rule seem legitimate and important. Other Italian rulers in the late 1400s used this same idea for their own purposes.
Ibrahim Pasha (from the Ottoman Empire, 1523-1536): Saw the power transfer from the Roman Empire to the Eastern Roman Empire, then to the Seljuk Empire, the Sultanate of Rum, and finally to the Ottoman Empire.

This idea continued to be used and reinterpreted by later movements and authors:

Fifth Monarchists (from England, 1600s): Believed power moved from the Babylonians to the Persians, then to the Macedonian Empire, to Rome, and finally to England (and later the British Empire).
António Vieira (from Portugal, 1600s): Saw the transfer from the Assyrians-Babylonians to the Persians, then to the Greeks, to the Romans, and finally to the Portuguese Empire.
Fernando Pessoa (from Portugal, 1900s): Traced power from Greece to Rome, then to Christianity, to Europe, and finally to Portugal.

Medieval and Renaissance writers often connected this transfer of power by linking a ruling family to an ancient Greek or Trojan hero. This idea was based on Virgil's story of Aeneas (a Trojan hero) as the ancestor of the city of Rome in his Aeneid. Following this tradition, Anglo-Norman authors like Geoffrey of Monmouth (in his Historia Regum Britanniae) and Wace (in his Brut) in the 1100s linked the founding of Britain to the arrival of Brutus of Troy, who was Aeneas's son.

Similarly, the French Renaissance writer Jean Lemaire de Belges (in his Les Illustrations de Gaule et Singularités de Troie) connected the founding of Celtic Gaul to the arrival of the Trojan Francus (also known as Astyanax), the son of Hector. He also linked Celtic Germany to the arrival of Bavo, Priam's cousin. This way, he created an impressive family tree for Pepin and Charlemagne. The legend of Francus also inspired Ronsard's epic poem, "La Franciade."

From the Roman Empire to the Holy Roman Empire

The idea of translatio imperii was very successful in linking the Western Roman Empire, after its fall in the 400s, to the lands ruled by Charlemagne between 768 and 814. Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and King of the Lombards from 774. He made an agreement with Pope Leo III to be crowned as Roman emperor in 800. This brought back the title in Western Central Europe more than three centuries later.

The title disappeared in 924 but was brought back in 962. This happened after talks between Otto I and Pope John XII. Otto had his troops near Rome. The Pope agreed to Otto presenting himself as the successor to Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire. This started a continuous existence of the empire for over eight centuries. From 962 until the 1100s, this empire, known as the Holy Roman Empire, was one of the most powerful monarchies in Europe.

Emperor Constantine I made Constantinople a "New Rome." It became a second capital of the Roman Empire in 330.
After Emperor Theodosius I died (347–395), the Roman Empire was permanently split into the Western and Eastern Roman Empire.
When the Western Empire ended in 476/480, the Byzantine Empire became the only Roman Empire.
Byzantine Emperor Constantine V arranged for his son Leo IV to marry Irene of Athens in 768. In 771, Irene gave birth to a son, Constantine. After Constantine V died in 775 and Leo IV in 780, Irene became the regent (ruler for a young king) for her nine-year-old son, Constantine VI.
By 781, Irene wanted a closer relationship with the Carolingian dynasty and the Pope. She tried to arrange a marriage between her son Constantine and Rotrude, a daughter of the Frankish king, Charlemagne. Irene even sent someone to teach the Frankish princess Greek. However, Irene herself broke off the engagement in 787, against her son's wishes.
As Constantine VI grew up, the relationship between his mother (the regent) and him (the emperor) became difficult. In 797, Irene removed her son from power. He died before 805.
Some Western leaders thought the Byzantine throne, now held by a woman, was empty. Instead, they believed Charlemagne, who controlled Italy and much of the former Western Roman Empire, had a valid claim to the imperial title. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Roman Emperor in 800. The Byzantine Empire did not recognize this act.
It is said that Irene tried to arrange a marriage between herself and Charlemagne. However, according to one historian, the plan was stopped by Aetios, one of Irene's favorites.
In 802, Empress Irene was removed from power by a group of plotters and replaced by Nikephoros I. She was sent away and died the next year.
The Pax Nicephori was a peace treaty in 803 between the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and Nikephoros I, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Michael I Rangabe, the Byzantine Emperor, recognized Charlemagne as "Emperor" in 812. This happened after Michael reopened talks with the Franks. While Michael called Charlemagne "Emperor," he only referred to himself as "Emperor of the Romans." In return for this recognition, Venice was given back to the Byzantine Empire.
On February 2, 962, Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. Ten days later, at a meeting in Rome, Pope John XII, at Otto's request, established new church areas and confirmed appointments. The next day, the emperor issued a decree, the Diploma Ottonianum. In it, he confirmed the Roman Church's possessions, especially those given by the Donation of Pepin. In return, the Pope had to agree that Otto and his heirs would have a say in choosing popes. They would also oversee law and order in the Papal States.
On April 14, 972, Otto I married his son and heir Otto II to the Byzantine Princess Theophanu. Through their wedding contract, Otto was recognized as Emperor in the West. Theophanu was to share this title with her husband after his death.

From the Inca Empire to the Spanish Empire

Sayri Túpac, the second Inca of Vilcabamba, made an agreement with the viceroy Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza on January 5, 1558, in Lima. He gave up his rights to his crown to the King of Castile. He also gave up his claims as ruler of the Inca Empire and became a Catholic. In return, he received a pardon from the "superior government." He also got land titles and income, recognition that his family line would continue to be important, and the Encomienda del Valle de Yucay. Later, his successor Titu Cusi Yupanqui would confirm this transfer by signing the treaty of Acobamba [es].

One of the Efigies de los incas o reyes del Perú, showing the Kings of Spain as heirs to the rights of the Inca Emperors.

The Spanish Empire used this idea of Translatio Imperii to make its rule in the Viceroyalty of Peru seem legitimate. These treaties meant that the Tahuantinsuyo (the Inca Empire) was now part of the Spanish Monarchy. The Inca royal House [es] was officially recognized. This made the Monarchs of Spain the Kings of Peru. This encouraged loyalty from the Peruvian Monarchists [es] (especially the royalists in the Royal Army of Peru) towards the Spanish monarchy. It also promoted mixing of cultures.

Because of this, the Kings of Spain were seen as the rightful successors of the Sapa Incas. So, Carlos I of Spain was believed to succeed Atahualpa as Emperor of the Kingdoms of Peru, not just in practice, but also by law. This was shown in many paintings from the viceregal art period. Especially in works from the School of Cuzco and the Cathedral of Lima. For example, the famous Efigies de los incas o reyes del Perú at the Lima Art Museum shows Atahualpa giving his Scepter of Power to the Spanish Habsburgs. Another painting by Juan Núñez Vela y Ribera in the Copacabana monastery refers to "the most powerful Inca D. Carlos II the most August Emperor of America." Meanwhile, the King of Spain would show off his rights as Sapa Inca through the title "King of the West Indies." This title combined the rights of the Inca and Aztec crowns. This has been remembered with statues of Aztec and Inca Emperors at the main entrance of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

This also guaranteed that the Inca Nobility would have their titles and traditions recognized under Spanish law. They saw themselves as connected to the Spanish Nobility. The indigenous nobility received many coats of arms and special rights from the Crown. Authors like the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega often referred to this Translatio imperii in his writings.

The Spanish claims to rights in the Kingdoms of Peru followed this path: Pre-Inca Kingdoms and Andean civilizations → Incan Empire/Tahuantinsuyo → Christianity → Spanish Empire.

The Rus' Land: From Kiev to Moscow

Historians have long debated when the term "Rus' land" (Old East Slavic: ро́усьскаѧ землѧ́) changed its meaning. It was first used for the Middle Dnieper river valley around Kiev (modern Kyiv). Later, it shifted to refer to Vladimir-Suzdal, also called "Suzdal land."

Experts agree that by the late 1400s, and possibly earlier, the Daniilovichi princes of Moscow presented themselves as the rightful successors to Kievan Rus'. They claimed to be the true representatives of the "Rus' land." The question is how much earlier this translatio (transfer) can be dated. The evidence is not always clear.

Charles J. Halperin (2016) summarized the debate: "Applying the term 'Rus' to Muscovy has always been a point of disagreement, especially for Ukrainian historians. Some scholars noted that in Kievan Rus', 'Rus' originally meant the Dnieper River area of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Pereslavl', not Vladimir–Suzdal'. 'Rus was not an ethnic term; it was a political term. By the late 1300s, 'Rus meant Moscow, Kolomna, and Serpukhov."

Several scholars, including Halperin, previously used a 1950 reconstruction of the Trinity Chronicle as proof. They dated the translatio to various times between the 1320s and the mid-1300s. However, by 2001, Halperin changed his view. This was confirmed in 2010 after Serhii Plokhy (2006) looked into the question. They found that the reconstruction was not reliable.

In his 2022 collection of articles about the Rus' land, Halperin suggested that "Rus' land" last meant the region around Kiev around 1240. This was when the Tale of the Destruction of the Rus' Land was written (likely in Kiev) during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'. On the other hand, by about 1340, when Ivan I Kalita became Prince of Moscow, "the translatio of the Rus' Land to the Muscovite principality itself, or at least to the Northeast, was already a fact."

Plokhy (2006) argued that this was too early. He believed the translatio could not have happened before the mid-1400s. This was because Donald Ostrowski in 1998 re-dated the works of the Kulikovo cycle to after the 1440s. Halperin (1999) disagreed with this. Instead, Plokhy suggested tracing it to the Muscovite Codex of 1472. An entry in that text from 1471 "may be seen as one of the first expressions of the translatio theory. This theory stated that power in the Rus' lands moved from Kyiv to Vladimir on the Kliazma and then to Moscow."