Translatio imperii

Translatio imperii (Latin for 'transfer of rule') is an idea that was important during the medieval times in Europe. It started from older ideas in antiquity. This idea says that when one empire ends, another takes its place, like passing a baton in a race. It suggests empires don’t just disappear; instead, their power moves from one place to another.

One famous writer who used this idea was Virgil, a great poet from ancient Rome. In his famous poem, the Aeneid, he connected Rome at that time, ruled by Caesar Augustus, back to the ancient city of Troy. People kept using this idea from the ninth century to the fourteenth century and even later. During the Renaissance, writers in Florence used it to show that their city was the new Rome, and that leaders like the Medici family were like Roman rulers.

This concept sees history as a straight line where power moves from one ruler or empire to the next. It is often linked to another idea called translatio studii, which is about learning moving from place to place. Both ideas are believed to come from a story in the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible.

Definitions

The idea of translatio imperii means the transfer of rule. It was a common thought in the Middle Ages. People believed that when one empire ended, another would take its place, like a chain of power passing from one to the next.

Important writers from different places saw this transfer in their own ways. For example, some thought power moved from Rome to the Franks and then to the Saxons. Others believed it went from Rome to the Franks, then to the Lombards, and finally to the Germans. Still others saw the transfer as moving from Greece to Rome and then to France, or even to Norway. This idea was used by leaders to show their importance and connect themselves to great past empires.

From Troy to Rome

The Romans thought they came from Troy. This idea made them feel more important. The story appears in Virgil’s famous book, the Aeneid. In this story, Aeneas, a hero from Troy, travels to start a new kingdom in the Latium area after the Trojan War. The Romans liked this story because it gave them a more exciting past.

From the Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire to the Holy Roman Empire

See also: Legacy of the Roman Empire, Succession of the Roman Empire, Problem of two emperors, and Last Roman Emperor

A famous idea called translatio imperii helped connect the Western Roman Empire to the lands ruled by Charlemagne. Charlemagne was King of the Franks and later became King of the Lombards. In 800, with help from Pope Leo III, he was crowned Roman emperor, bringing back that title in Western Europe after more than 300 years. Though the title stopped being used in 924, it returned in 962 when Otto I, with support from Pope John XII, became emperor. This began the long history of the Holy Roman Empire.

• Emperor Constantine I created Constantinople as a second capital of the Roman Empire in 330.
• After Emperor Theodosius I died in 395, the Roman Empire split into a Western and an Eastern Roman Empire.
• When the Western Empire ended around 476–480, the Byzantine Empire carried on as the Roman Empire.
• Byzantine Emperor Constantine V arranged for his son Leo IV to marry Irene of Athens in 768.
• Irene became ruler for their young son, Constantine VI, after both Constantine V and Leo IV passed away.
• Irene tried to build closer ties with Charlemagne and the Pope.
• As Constantine VI grew up, Irene and her son had disagreements. In 797, Irene removed her son from power.
• Some leaders in the West believed the throne was empty because it was held by a woman and instead supported Charlemagne as emperor. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Roman Emperor.
• Irene was later removed from power and sent away.
• A peace agreement in 803 was made between Charlemagne and the leader of the Byzantine Empire.
• In 812, the leader of the Byzantine Empire recognized Charlemagne as emperor.
• On February 2, 962, Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. Shortly after, Otto married his son Otto II to Byzantine Princess Theophanu, strengthening ties between the two empires.

From the Inca Empire to the Spanish Empire

See also: Fifth Empire

Sayri Túpac, the second leader of Vilcabamba, agreed to stop ruling in 1558. He gave up his power to the King of Castile. In return, he was forgiven and given land and rights. His successor, Titu Cusi Yupanqui, later agreed to this deal too.

The Spanish Empire used this idea to say they should control the area that is now Peru. They believed they were the rightful successors to the Inca rulers. This helped them gain support from local leaders who still respected their Inca heritage. The Spanish kings even used titles that connected them to ancient Inca and Aztec rulers.

This transfer of power was shown in artworks. It also helped the Inca nobility keep some of their traditions and status under Spanish law.

The Rus' land from the Middle Dnieper to Suzdalia

See also: Moscow, third Rome

Further information: Trinity Chronicle § Value for historical and textual criticism; Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia; and Gathering of the Russian lands

A big question in history is when the name "Rus' land" changed from meaning the area around Kiev (now Kyiv) to meaning the area around Vladimir-Suzdal. By the late 1400s, leaders from Moscow saw themselves as the true successors of Kievan Rus'.

Historians have debated this for years. Some thought the change happened in the 1300s or 1400s, but newer research shows it might have been earlier. One historian suggested that by about 1340, when Ivan I Kalita became Prince of Moscow, the idea that Rus' land was now Moscow and its nearby areas was already accepted. Others think it happened even later, maybe in the mid-1400s. This debate continues among historians today.