Document 2/137/77 (Glas. Reg., no. 89)
- Description
- Pope Innocent III writes to W[illiam], king of Scots and his successors, recalling the king’s longstanding reverence and devotion to the Roman church, and following the example of Pope Celestine, his predecessor, he establishes the church of Scotland as a special daughter of the apostolic see and should be subject directly to it with no intermediary. In Scotland he knows the bishoprics to be: the churches of St Andrews, Glasgow, Dunkeld, Dunblane, Brechin, Aberdeen, Moray, Ross and Caithness. No one is permitted, except the Roman pontiff or his legate a latere, to promulgate a sentence of interdict or excommunication in the realm of Scotland, and if one is promulgated, it shall not be valid. In the future no one who is not from this kingdom is permitted to exercise a legatine office there, except one whom the apostolic see may send specially from itself for this purpose. Controversies which arise in the kingdom about its possessions should not be referred to judges outside the kingdom, with the exception of appeals to the Roman church. No prejudice can be generated to the liberties granted here by documents which have been, or in future will be impetrated, where no mention is made of this grant. The liberties and immunities granted by previous Roman pontiffs to the king, to the kingdom, and to the churches situated therein, and observed up to the present, are held as ratified.
- Firm date
- 22 February 1198 X 4 December 1214
- Dating Notes
- Consecration of Pope Innocent III × death of King William of Scotland
- Source for Data Entry
- Glasgow Registrum, i, no. 89
- Trad. ID
- Glas. Reg., no. 89
- Calendar number
- 2/137/77
- Charter type
- Papal letter
- Language
- Latin