Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/237

 THE FRANKISH STATE AND CHARLEMAGNE 197 nimself pleaded with him in vain to grant easier terms and to relinquish some of his conquests. Aistulf was not so easily (moved as Liutprand, who had more than once stayed his jattack at the pope's personal intervention. The pope thereupon crossed the Alps to complain in jperson to King Pepin, who came to meet him and walked by his side leading his horse by the bridle. By a p epin ' s march into northern Italy Pepin forced Aistulf intervention « . ," in Italy to promise to restore his conquests and to recog- nize Pepin as his overlord. But as soon as the Franks had gone home, Aistulf resumed the siege of Rome. Pepin there- upon again came south and forced Aistulf to carry out the previous treaty and to pay a large indemnity besides. But the conquests which Aistulf restored were not given back to the Byzantine emperor or to his exarch. Pepin had not twice defeated the Lombard king for their sakes, but from reverence for the grave of the Apostle Peter. Indeed, to hasten Pepin's second relief expedition a letter had been sent him, which purported to be dictated by the Apostle Peter himself, and which promised the Franks future suc- cess in war and life eternal after death if they came to the pope's relief, and which asserted most solemnly that he would shut them all out of heaven if they did not come quickly. Pepin came, and it was to the pope that he handed over the lands which he compelled the Lombards to disgorge. These papal territories were still nominally im- Donations perial, since the pope had not as yet repudiated of Pepin and ,1 i_. . M. ■. ^ 11 Constantine the emperor as his civil sovereign, but actually they were the foundation of the Papal States, which en- dured into the nineteenth century and prevented until then the unification of Italy. Just how much territory Pepin transferred to the pope, and by what right or title the pope held it, is uncertain, since no document has been preserved containing the terms of Pepin's donation. About this time, however, there came into existence a document called the Donation of Constantine. This spurious deed was based upon a legend, also without historical foundation, that Constan-