Laudabiliter

The Papal Bull Laudabiliter ( Latin : glorious / praiseworthy ... ) from Pope Hadrian IV. From 1155 was addressed to Henry II of England . With the bull, the English king received permission to intervene in the reforms of the Irish Church .

Hadrian IV's intention is said to have been to gain papal control over Ireland and to promote the expansion of further monasteries in Ireland. The Pope, himself an Englishman, was very interested in an expansion of his power and in this letter released Ireland for the "conquest" by the English King Henry II; in it he approved the property right. However, there have been doubts about the authenticity of the bull for a long time: "The relevant bull Laudabiliter could also be an English forgery." No copy of the bull has been found in the Vatican archives. The later Pope John XXII. the bull was unknown, as it appears in the correspondence with Robert Bruce .

Self-portrait of Matthew of Paris

However, it is undisputed that Pope Alexander III. confirmed the rule of Henry over Ireland in September 1172 and thus at the latest since then the papal approval of the rule of Henry over Ireland existed.

The bull is mentioned a good 33 years after its creation by Giraldus Cambrensis , who wrote the Expugnatio Hibernica around 1188 , a description of the conquest of Ireland by the Normans . The text of the bull is reproduced here in the second part.

Furthermore, the bull of Matthaeus von Paris , the author of the Historia Anglorum in the 13th century, is mentioned.