Liutprand, king of the Lombards (reigned (712 – 744) is remembered for his "Donation of Sutri", in 728, the historic foundation of the Papal States. Having just overwhelmed the Byzantine forces at Ravenna, making the Exarchate of Ravenna Lombard at last, Liutprand advanced towards Rome along the Via Cassia, but was met at the ancient city of Sutri by Pope Gregory II. There the two reached an agreement, by which Sutri and some hill towns in Latium (see Vetralla) were given to the Papacy, "as a gift to the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul" according to the Liber Pontificalis. They were the first extension of Papal territory beyond the confines of the Duchy of Rome. Sutri (ancient Sutrium), a town and episcopal see of Italy, in the province of Rome, is picturesquely situated on a narrow hill, surrounded by ravines, a narrow neck on the west alone connecting it with the surrounding country. ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) is one of the historical states of Italy before its unity under the crown of Savoy and comprised those territories over which the Pope was the ruler in a civil as well as a spiritual sense... For other places named Ravenna, see Ravenna (disambiguation). ... The Exarchate of Ravenna was a center of Byzantine power in Italy, from the end of the 6th century to 751 A.D., when the last Exarch was put to death by the Emperors enemies in Italy, the Lombards. ... Sutri (ancient Sutrium), a town and episcopal see of Italy, in the province of Rome, is picturesquely situated on a narrow hill, surrounded by ravines, a narrow neck on the west alone connecting it with the surrounding country. ... Saint Gregory II, pope from 715 or 716 to February 11, 731, succeeded Pope Constantine, his election being variously dated May 19, 715, and March 21, 716. ... Latium (now Lazio in Italian) is a region of central Italy, bordered by Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania and the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... The Book of the Popes or the Liber Pontificalis is a major source for early medieval history and one that has received intense critical scrutiny. ...

• See also the "Donation of Constantine" a later forgery.
• See also the "Donation of Pippin".

The Donation of Constantine (Latin, Constitutum Donatio Constantini) is a fraudulent Roman imperial edict, supposedly issued by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 324, which purported to grant Pope Sylvester I and his successors sovereignty and spiritual authority over Rome, Italy, and the entire Western Roman Empire. ... The Donation of Pippin in 756 provided a legal basis for the erection of the Papal States, which extended papal temporal rule beyond the traditional diocese of Rome. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14257a.htm) "States of the Church"

Further reading

• Riché, Pierre 1993. The Carolingians : A Family who forged Europe M. I. Allen, translator (Philadelphia), pp