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This is an incomplete list of papal bulls, listed by the year in which each was issued.
The decrees of some papal bulls were often tied to the circumstances of time and place, and may have been adjusted, attenuated, or abrogated by subsequent popes as situations changed.[1]
 |
Eleventh century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1059 | In nomine Domini ("In the name of the Lord") |
Nicholas II | Establishing cardinal-bishops as the sole electors of the pope.[2] |
| 1079 | Libertas ecclesiae ("The liberty of the Church") |
Gregory VII | About Church's independence from imperial authority and interference. |
| 1079 | Antiqua sanctorum patrum ("The old (traces of the) holy fathers") |
Granted the church of Lyon primacy over the churches of Gaul. | |
| 1095 (March 16) | Cum universis sancte | Urban II | The king or queen of Aragon could not be excommunicated without an express order from the pope.[3] |
Twelfth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1113 (February 15) | Pie Postulatio Voluntatis ("The most pious request") |
Paschal II | Confirming the establishment and independence of the Knights Hospitaller, and placing the Order under Papal protection. |
| c. 1120 | Sicut Judaeis ("Thus to the Jews") |
Callixtus II | Provides protection for the Jews who suffered from the hands of the participants in the First Crusade.[4] |
| 1136 (July 7) | Ex commisso nobis ("From [the office] assigned to us") | Innocent II | Split Archbishop of Magdeburg from the rest of the Polish church.[5] |
| 1139 (March 29) | Omne Datum Optimum ("Every perfect gift") | Endorses the Knights Templar. | |
| 1144 | Milites Templi ("Soldiers of the Temple") |
Celestine II | Provides clergy protection to the Knights Templar and encourages contributions to their cause. |
| 1145 | Militia Dei ("Soldiers of God") |
Eugene III | Allows the Knights Templar to take tithes and burial fees and to bury their dead in their own cemeteries. |
| 1145 (December 1) | Quantum praedecessores ("How much did our predecessors") |
Calls for the Second Crusade. | |
| 1146 (October 5) | Divina dispensatione | Calls for the Italian clergy to support the Second Crusade. | |
| 1147 (April 11) | Divina dispensatione | Calls for the Wendish Crusade. | |
| 1155 | Laudabiliter ("Laudably") |
Adrian IV | Gives the English King Henry II lordship over Ireland. |
| 1171 or 1172 (September 11) | Non parum animus noster ("Our soul [is] extremely [distressed]") |
Alexander III | Calls for the Northern Crusades against the Estonians and Finns. |
| 1179 (May 23) | Manifestis Probatum ("It is clearly demonstrated") |
Recognition of the kingdom of Portugal and Afonso Henriques as the first king. | |
| 1184 (November 4) | Ad Abolendam ("In order to abolish") |
Lucius III | Condemns heresy, and lists some punishments (though stops short of death).[6] |
| 1187 (October 29) | Audita tremendi ("Hearing what terrible...") |
Gregory VIII | Calls for the Third Crusade. |
| 1192 | Cum universi ("To all those...") |
Celestine III | Defined the Scottish Church as immediately subject to the Holy See. |
| 1192 (December 23) | Cum Romana ecclesia | Orders Archbishop Absalon of Lund to place the kingdom of Denmark under interdict and excommunicate Duke Valdemar if the bishop of Schleswig was not released from prison.[7] | |
| 1192 (December 23) | Etsi sedes debeat | Admonished the clergy of Denmark for allowing the bishop of Schleswig to be imprisoned and to work for his release.[7] | |
| 1192 (December 23) | Quanto magnitudinem tuam | Informs King Knud VI, that imprisoning the bishop of Schleswig is a crime, and his kingdom faces interdict if the bishop is not released.[7] | |
| 1198 | Post Miserabile ("Sadly, after...") |
Innocent III | Calls for the Fourth Crusade. |
| 1199 (March 25) | Vergentis in senium | This bull, addressed to the city of Viterbo, announced that heresy would be considered, in terms of punishment, the same as treason.[8] |
Thirteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1205 | Esti Judaeos | Innocent III | Jews were allowed their own houses of worship and would not be forced to convert. Jews were forbidden to eat with Christians or own Christian slaves.[9] |
| 1213 (April) | Quia maior ("Because a more...") |
Calls for the Fifth Crusade. | |
| 1214 (April 21) | Bulla Aurea | Ended papal sanctions against King John in England and the Lordship of Ireland in exchange for that realm's pledge of fealty to the papacy.[10][11] This bull confirmed John's royal charter of 3 October 1213 bearing a golden seal, sometimes called the Bulla Aurea.[12] Payment of the annual tribute of 1,000 marks was finally vetoed by parliament in 1365 under Edward III.[13] | |
| 1215 (August 24) | Pro rege Johanne | Declares Magna Carta "null, and void of all validity for ever" in favor of King John against the barons[14][15] | |
| 1216 (December) | Religiosam vitam ("The religious life") |
Honorius III | Established the Dominican Order |
| 1218 | In generali concilio | Demanded the enforcement of the 4th Lateran Council that Jews wear clothing to distinguish themselves and that Jews be made to pay the tithe to local churches.[16] | |
| 1219 | Super speculam | Closed law schools in Paris and forbade the study of civil law.[17] | |
| 1223 (November 29) | Solet annuere | Approves the Rule of St. Francis.[18] | |
| 1225 (June) | Vineae Domini custodes ("Guardians of the vineyard of the Lord") |
Grants two Dominican friars, Dominic of Segovia and Martin, authorisation for a mission to Morocco. | |
| 1228 | Mira Circa Nos | Gregory IX | Canonizing St. Francis of Assisi[19] |
| 1230 | Quo elongati | Resolved issues concerning the testament of Francis of Assisi.[20] | |
| 1231 (April 13) | Parens scientiarum ("The Mother of Sciences") |
Guarantees the independence of the University of Paris. | |
| 1232 (February 8) | Ille humani generis | Instructed the Dominican prior of Regensburg to form an Inquisitional tribunal.[21][22] | |
| 1233 (April 6) | Etsi Judaeorum ("Even if the Jews") |
Demands that Jews in Christian countries be treated with the same humanity with which Christians wish to be treated in heathen lands.[23] | |
| 1233 (June) | Vox in Rama ("A voice in Ramah") |
Calls for action against Luciferians, a sect of suspected Devil worshippers | |
| 1233 | Licet ad capiendos | Marks the start of the Inquisition by the Church. | |
| 1233 (March 5) | Sufficere debuerat | Forbids Christians to dispute on matters of faith with Jews[24] | |
| 1234 | Pietati proximum | Confirms Germanic Orders rule of Kulmerland.[25] | |
| 1234 | Rex pacificus | Announcement of the Liber Extra, the collection of papal decretals.[26] | |
| 1234 (July 3) | Fons Sapientiae | Canonizes Saint Dominic[27] | |
| 1234 (November 17) | Rachel suum videns | Calls for a crusade to the Holy Land and orders Dominicans and Franciscans to preach in favour of it.[28] | |
| 1235 | Cum hora undecima ("Since the eleventh hour") |
First bull authorizing friars to preach to pagan nations.[29] | |
| 1239 (June 20) | Si vera sunt ("If they are true") |
Orders the seizure and examination of Jewish writings, especially the Talmud, suspected of blasphemies against Christ and the Church.[30] | |
| 1243 | Qui iustis causis | Innocent IV | Orders a crusade to the Baltic lands. Repeated 1256 and 1257.[31] |
| 1244 | Impia judeorum perfidia | Stated that Jews could not hire Christian nurses.[32] | |
| 1244 (March 9) | Impia gens | Ordering Talmud to be burned[33] | |
| 1245 (January 23) | Terra Sancta Christi ("The holy land of Christ") |
Calls for a crusade to the Holy Land.[34] | |
| 1245 (March 5) | Dei patris immensa ("God the Father's immense...") |
Exposition of the Christian faith, and urged Mongols to accept baptism.[35] | |
| 1245 (March 13) | Cum non solum ("With not only...") |
Appeal to the Mongols to desist from attacking Christians and other nations, and an enquiry as to their future intentions.[35] Innocent expresses desire for peace (possibly unaware that in the Mongol vocabulary, "peace" is a synonym for "subjection").[36] | |
| 1245 (March 20) | Inter alia desiderabilia | Charges against Sancho II of Portugal[37] | |
| 1245 (late March) | Cum simus super | Letter addressed to multiple prelates and 'Christians of the East' which affirmed the primacy of the Roman Church and urged ecclesiastical unity.[38] | |
| 1245 (July 17) | Ad Apostolicae Dignitatis Apicem ("To the highest point of apostolic dignity") |
Ad Apostolicae Dignitatis Apicem was an apostolic letter issued against Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV (1243–54), during the Council of Lyon, 17 July 1245, the third year of his pontificate. | |
| 1245 (July 24) | Grandi non immerito ("With good reason") |
Removes Sancho II of Portugal from the throne, to be replaced by his brother Afonso, Count of Boulogne. | |
| 1246 (September 13) | Ut pressi quondam | Concessio to the conversos the access to Orders | |
| 1247 (May 8) | Divina justitia nequaquam | Against blood libel Against Jews | |
| 1247 (July 5) | Lachrymabilem Judaeorum | Urged the end of persecution of the Jews based on the blood libel.[30] | |
| 1247 (October 1) | Quae honorem conditoris omnium | On the rules of the Carmelite Order[39] | |
| 1248 (November 22) | Viam agnoscere veritatis ("To know the way of truth") |
Letter addressed to Baiju, king of the Mongols, in response to his embassy.[40] | |
| 1249 | De indulgencia xi dierum | An indulgence to all the faithful who visit the Shrine of St. Margaret in Scotland | |
| 1252 (May 15) | Ad extirpanda ("For the elimination") |
Authorizes the use of torture for eliciting confessions from heretics during the Inquisition and executing relapsed heretics by burning them alive.[41] | |
| 1254 (October 6) | Querentes in agro | Recognised the University of Oxford and "confirmed its liberties, ancient customs and approved statutes".[42] | |
| 1255 | Clara claris praeclara ("Clare outstandingly clear") |
Alexander IV | On the canonization of St. Clare of Assisi[43] |
| 1255 (April 6) | Inter ea quae placita ("Among those pleasing") |
Confirms the establishment of the University of Salamanca[44] | |
| 1255 (September 22) | Dignum arbitramur ("We consider suitable") |
Grants that degrees conferred by the University of Salamanca be valid everywhere[45] | |
| 1255 (April 14) | Quasi lignum vitae | Rejects all measures against dominican professors at the University of Paris; ends the numerus clausus for the chairs of theology.[46] | |
| 1256 | Ut negotium | Alexander IV | Allowed the inquisitors to absolve each other for any "canonical irregularities in their important work".[47] |
| 1258 | Quod super nonnullis | Alexander IV | Ordered all papal inquisitors to avoid investigating charges of divination and sorcery unless they also
“clearly savored of manifest heresy.”[48] |
| 1263/1264 | Exultavit cor nostrum ("Our heart has rejoiced") |
Urban IV | Letter from Urban to Hulagu, discussing the arrival of Hulagu's (uncredentialed) envoy John the Hungarian, cautiously welcoming, and announcing that William II of Agen, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, would be investigating further.[49] |
| 1264 | ? | Discussion of the Egyptian threat (no mention of Mongols).[49] | |
| 1260s (undated) | Audi filia et ("Hear, O daughter, and") |
Urban IV or Clement IV |
Caution to Queen Plaisance of Cyprus to cease her unchaste ways, and marry[50] |
| 1260s (undated) | De sinu patris ("The bosom of the Father") |
Urban IV or Clement IV |
Admonishment to an unnamed nobleman to cease his adultery and return to his wife[50] |
| 1265 | Licet Ecclesiarum | Clement IV | Stated that appointments to all benefices were a papal prerogative.[51] |
| 1265 | Parvus fons | Strengthened the general chapter of the Cistercians[52] | |
| 1267 (July 26) | Turbato corde ("With disturbed heart") |
Legally barred Christians from converting to Judaism.[53] | |
| 1272 | Gregory X | Confirms the "Sicut Judæis" | |
| 1272 (July 7) | "Letter on Jews" | Against the Blood Libel[54] | |
| 1273 (April 20) | Prae cunctis mentis | Sets the procedure for the Inquisition in France headed by the Dominicans.[55] | |
| 1274 | Ubi Periculum ("Where there is danger") |
Established the papal conclave as the method of selection for a pope, imposing progressively stricter restrictions on cardinals the longer a conclave lasted to encourage a quick selection. | |
| 1278 (August 4) | Vineam Sorec | Nicholas III | Ordering conversion sermons to Jews |
| 1279 | Exiit qui seminat | Confirming the rules of the Friar Minor[56] | |
| 1281 | Ad fructus uberes | Martin IV | Gave Franciscan priests the right to preach and hear confession.[57] |
| 1283 | Exultantes | Relaxed the restrictions on poverty for Franciscans.[57] | |
| 1288 | Habet carissima filia | Nicholas IV | Letter sent to Christian women at the court of the Mongol Ilkhan[58] |
| 1289 | Supra Motem | On the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis[59] | |
| 1291 (January 30) | Orat mater ecclesia | To protect the Roman Jews from oppression | |
| 1291 (March) | Prae cunctis | Authorized the Franciscans to start the inquisition in Bosnia.[60] | |
| 1291 | Gaudemus in Domino | Letter sent to Arghun's third wife, Uruk Khatun, the mother of Nicholas (Oljeitu), Arghun's successor.[58] | |
| 1291 | Pastoralis officii | Letter sent to two young Mongol princes, Saron and Cassian, urging their conversion to Christianity.[58] | |
| 1294 | Inter sanctorum solemnia | Celestine V | Grants plenary indulgence to anyone who confessed, communicated and visited the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio from Vespers of August 28 to Vespers of the following day[61][62][63] |
| 1296 (January 20) | Redemptor mundi ("Redeemer of the world") |
Boniface VIII | Named James II of Aragon as standardbearer, captain-general, and admiral of the Roman Church. |
| 1296 (February 25) | Clericis Laicos ("Lay clerics") |
Excommunicates all members of the clergy who, without authorization from the Holy See, pay to laymen any part of their income or the revenue of the Church, and all rulers who receive such payments.[64] | |
| 1297 | Super rege et regina ("About king and queen") |
Bestowed on James II of Aragon the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica. | |
| 1297 | Excelso throno | Jacopo Colonna and Pietro Colonna, both cardinals, were excommunicated by Pope Boniface VIII for refusing to surrender their relative Stefano Colonna (who had seized and robbed the pope's nephew) and refusing to give the pope Palestrina along with two fortresses, which threatened the pope. This excommunication was extended in the same year to Jacopo's nephews and their heirs, after the two Colonna cardinals denounced the pope's election as invalid and appealed to a general council.[65] | |
| 1299 (June 13) | Exhibita nobis | Declares Jews be included among persons who might be denounced to the Inquisition without the name of the accuser revealed[24] | |
| 1299 (June 27) | Scimus, Fili ("We know, my son") |
Challenged Edward I's claim to Scotland, stating the Scottish kingdom belonged to the apostolic see.[66] | |
| 1299 | De Sepulturis | Prohibited Crusaders from dismembering and boiling of the bodies, known as Mos Teutonicus so that the bones, separated from the flesh, may be carried for burial in their own countries.[67] | |
| 1299 | Fuit olim | Denounces any who supply arms, ammunition, and provisions to the Saracens[68] |
Fourteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 (22 February) | Antiquorum habet fida relatio | Boniface VIII | Reinstates the Jubilee Years, granting indulgence during those years for those who fulfill various conditions.[69] |
| 1302 (November 18) | Unam Sanctam ("The One Holy") |
Declares that there is no salvation outside the Church (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus), and that the Church must remain united. | |
| 1303 | Excomminicamus et anathematazimus | Directed against those who molest persons travelling to and from Rome[68] | |
| 1305 | Exivi de paradiso | Clement V | On the rules of the Friar Minor[70] |
| 1307 (November 22) | Pastoralis Praeeminentiae | Orders the arrest of the Knights Templar and the confiscation of their possessions. | |
| 1307 (July 23) | Rex regnum | Nominates seven Franciscans to act as papal suffragans in China.[71] | |
| 1308 | Faciens misericordiam ("Granting forgiveness") |
Sets out the procedure to prosecute the Knights Templar. | |
| 1308 (August 12) | Regnans in caelis ("Reigning in heaven") |
Convenes the Council of Vienne to discuss the Knights Templar. | |
| 1310 (April 4) | Alma mater ("A nurturing mother") |
Postpones the opening of the Council of Vienne until 1 October 1311, on account of the investigation of the Templars that was not yet finished. | |
| 1312 (March 22) | Vox in excelso ("A voice from on high") |
Disbands the Knights Templar.[72] | |
| 1312 (May 2) | Ad providam | Grants the bulk of Templar property on to the Knights Hospitallers.[73] | |
| 1312 (May 6) | Considerantes dudum | Outlined the disposition for members of the Knights Templar.[74] | |
| 1312 (May 6) | Exivi de paradiso | Stated the conditions of Franciscan rule.[75] | |
| 1312 (May 16) | Nuper in concilio | Grants further Templar property to the Knights Hospitallers[76] | |
| 1312 (December 18) | Licet dudum | Suspends privileges and confirms the disposition of property of the Knights Templar. | |
| 1312 (December 31) | Dudum in generali concilio | Further considerations as to the question of the Templars' property. | |
| 1313 (January 13) | Licet pridem | Further considerations as to the question of the Templars' property. | |
| 1313 | Pastoralis Cura | The first legal expression of territorial sovereignty. ... Ruled that an emperor could not judge a king ... that public power was territorially confined.[77] | |
| 1317 | Sane Considerante | John XXII | Elevated the Diocese of Toulouse to Archbishop and created six new bishoprics. |
| 1317 | Sancta Romana | Addressed the claim that the Franciscan Tuscan Spirituals had been authorized by Celestine V.[78] | |
| 1317 (March 31) | Si Fratrum | Negates any imperial-bestowed titles that are not confirmed by the Pope.[79][80] | |
| 1317 (October) | Quorundam exigit | Reiterated Clement V's bull, Exivi de paradiso, while stating that friars who disagreed with their superiors would not accuse them of violating Franciscan rule.[81][82] | |
| 1318 (January 23) | Gloriosam ecclesiam | The Franciscan "Spirituals" of Tuscany are declared Donatist heretics and excommunicated.[83] | |
| 1318 (April 1) | Redemptor noster ("Our redeemer") |
Withdrew the Mongol Ilkhan's dominions and 'India' from the archdiocese of Khanbaligh, transferring to a Dominican province | |
| 1319 (March 14) | Ad ea ex quibus | Created Portuguese Order of Christ.[84] | |
| 1322 | Quia nonnunquam | Freedom of discussion in poverty controversy | |
| 1322 | Ad conditorem canonum | Continuation of poverty controversy | |
| 1323 | Cum inter nonnullos | Defines the belief in the poverty of Christ and the Apostles as heretical.[85] | |
| 1324 | Quia quorundam | Condemned those who disagreed with Cum inter nonnullos[86] | |
| 1329 (16 Nov) | Quia vir reprobus | Declared the right to hold property pre-dated the Fall and noted that the Apostles owned personal property.[87] | |
| 1329 | In agro dominico | Condemned 28 propositions of Meister Eckhart and their further distribution.[88] | |
| 1333 (December 2) | Summa providit altitudo consilii | ||
| 1336 | Benedictus Deus ("On the beatific vision of God") |
Benedict XII | Declared that the saved see Heaven (and thus, God) before Judgement Day.[89] |
| 1337 (August 29) | Ex zelo fidei | Promising inquiry into host-tragedy of Pulka | |
| 1338 | Exultanti precepimus | Letter to Mongol ruler Ozbeg and his family, thanking them for having granted land to Franciscans to build a church[58] | |
| 1338 | Dundum ad notitiam | Letter to Mongol ruler Ozbeg recommending ambassadors, and thanking Ozbeg for prior favors shown to missionaries[58] | |
| 1342 | Gratiam Agimus | Clement VI | Declared the Franciscan Order as the official Custodian of the Holy Land in the name of the Church. |
| 1343 (January 27) | Unigenitus Dei filius | Justified papal power to issue indulgences | |
| 1348 (September 26) | Quamvis Perfidiam | An attempt to dispel the rumor that the Jews caused the Black Death by poisoning wells. | |
| 1350 | cum natura humana | ||
| 1363 | Apostolatus Officium (sometimes known as In Coena Domini)[68] | Urban V | Against pirates, those who supply arms to Saracens, and those who intercept supplies intended for Rome |
| 1372 | Excomminicamus et anathematazimus | Gregory XI | Excommunicating forgers of Letters Apostolic |
| 1383 | Quia sicut | Urban VI | Regarding ecclesiastical immunities |
Fifteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1409 (December 20) | Alexander V | Order to suppress all the books of John Wycliffe in Bohemia.[90] | |
| 1413 (August 28) | Confirmationis Privilegiorum Universitati Sancti Andreæ | Benedict XIII | Grants university status to the Augustinian society of higher learning in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland which became the University of St Andrews |
| 1415 (May 11) | Etsi doctoribus gentium | Against Talmud or any other Jewish book attacking Christianity | |
| 1417 | Bull against Talmud | ||
| 1418 | Quod Antidota | Martin V | Exempt jurisdiction of Ecclesiastical courts |
| 1418 (April 4) | Sane charissimus | After the seizure of Ceuta called on all to support John I of Portugal in his war against the Moors[91] | |
| 1420 (March 1) | Omnium Plasmatoris Domini | Calls for a crusade against followers of Jan Hus, John Wycliffe, and other heretics. It initiates the Hussite Wars. | |
| 1420 (November 25) | Concessum Judaæis | To German Jews confirming their privileges | |
| 1420 (December 23) | Licet Judæorum omnium | In favor of Austrian Jews[24] | |
| 1421 | To the Benedictine Abbey of St. Bertin at St. Omer, granting permission for the monks to elect their own confessors.[92] | ||
| 1423 (June 3) | Sedes apostolica | Renews law requiring Jews to wear badge | |
| 1425 | Sapientie immarcessibilis | Foundation of the Old University of Leuven[93] | |
| 1425 | Mare Anglicanum | Confirmed the bull Mare Magnum and gave Syon independence from Vadstena and the general order chapter house.[94] | |
| 1428 | Ad Repremendas | Supreme jurisdiction of the Roman court | |
| 1429 (February 15) | Quamquam Judæi | Places Roman Jews under the general civic law, protects them from forcible baptism, and permits them to teach in the school | |
| Etsi cunctis fidei | Eugene IV | Prohibited imposition of inordinately high dues on converted Canary islanders[91] | |
| 1434 (December 17) | Creator Omnium | On slave raiding in the Canaries | |
| 1435 | Sicut Dudum | Forbidding the slavery of converted local natives in the Canary Islands by Spanish and Portuguese slave traders.[95][96] | |
| 1437 (September 18) | Doctoris gentium | Transfers the Council of Basel to Ferrara[97] | |
| 1437 | Praeclaris tuae | ||
| 1439 (January) | Transfers the Council of Ferrara to Florence because of the plague[98] | ||
| 1439 (July 6) | Laetentur Caeli ("Rejoicing of the Heavens") |
Officially re-united the Roman Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox Churches. This agreement was quickly repudiated by most eastern bishops.[99] | |
| 1442 (February 4) | Cantate Domino ("Sing praises to the Lord") |
Part of an attempt by the Catholic Church to reunite with other Christian groups including the Coptic Church of Egypt. | |
| 1442 (August 8) | Dundum ad nostram audientiam | Complete separation of Jews and Christians (ghetto). | |
| 1442 (August 10) | Super Gregem Dominicum | Revokes the privileges of the Castilian Jews and imposes severe restrictions on them. Forbids Castilian Christians to eat, drink, live or bathe with Jews or Muslims and declaring invalid the testimony of Jews or Muslims against Christians.[100] | |
| 1442 (December 19) | Illius qui se pro divini | On Henry of Portugal's crusade against the Saracens[101] | |
| 1443 (January 5) | Rex regum | Takes neutral position on territorial disputes between Portugal and Castile regarding rights claimed in Africa.[102] | |
| 1447 (June 23) | Super Gregem Dominicum | Nicholas V | Re-issues Eugene IV's bull against Castilian Jews to Italy.[103][104] |
| 1451 (January 7) | Foundation of the University of Glasgow.[105] | ||
| 1451 (March 1) | Super Gregem Dominicum | Third issuance of Eugenius IV's bull. Confirms the earlier revocation of privileges and restrictions against Spanish and Italian Jews.[106][107] | |
| 1451 (September 21) | Romanus pontifex | Relieving the dukes of Austria from ecclesiastical censure for permitting Jews to dwell there | |
| 1452 (June 18) | Dum diversas | Authorizes Afonso V of Portugal to reduce any Muslims, pagans, and other unbelievers to perpetual slavery.[108] | |
| 1453 (September 30) | Etsi ecclesia Christi | Calls for a crusade to reverse the fall of Constantinople.[109] | |
| 1454 (January 8) | Concedes to Afonso V all conquests in Africa from Cape Non to Guinea, with authorization to build churches[110] | ||
| 1454 (January 8) | Extended Portuguese dominion over all the seas from Africa to India.[110] | ||
| 1455 (January 8) | Romanus Pontifex ("The Roman pontiff") |
Granting the Portuguese a perpetual monopoly in trade with Africa and allows the enslavement of natives.[111] | |
| 1455 (May 15) | Ad summi apostolatus apicem | Callixtus III | Confirmed the bull Etsi ecclesia Christi.[112] |
| 1456 (March 13) | Inter Caetera | Confirmed the Bull Romanus Pontifex and gave the Portuguese Order of Christ the spiritualities of all lands acquired and to be acquired.[113] | |
| 1456 (June 20) | Cum hiis superioribus annis and is titled Bulla Turcorum | Announces the Fall of Constantinople and seeks funding for another crusade against the Turks.[114] | |
| 1458 (October 13) | Vocavit nos pius | Pius II | Invites the European powers to the Congress of Mantua.[115] |
| 1458 | Veram semper et solidam | Orders the creation of the Order of Our Lady of Bethlehem to protect Christians in Greek waters from the Ottomans.[116] | |
| 1460 (January 14) | Ecclesiam Christi | Calls for a three-year crusade against the Ottoman Empire.[117] | |
| 1460 (January 18) | Execrabilis ("Execrable") |
Prohibits appealing a papal judgment to a future general council.[118] | |
| 1462 (April 28) | Cum almam nostram urbem | Prohibits the destruction or removal of the ancient ruins in Rome and Campagna.[119] | |
| 1463 (October 22) | Ezechielis prophetae | Calls for a crusade against the Ottoman Empire.[120] | |
| 1470 (April 19) | Ineffabilis providentia ("Ineffable Providence") |
Paul II | Declared that a Jubilee would take place every 25 years. |
| 1476 | Regimini Gregis | Sixtus IV | Threatens to excommunicate all captains or pirates who enslave Christians |
| 1478 (November 1) | Exigit sinceræ devotionis | Authorized Ferdinand and Isabella to appoint inquisitors which created the Spanish Inquisition.[121] | |
| 1481 (April 8) | Cogimur jubente altissimo | Calls for a crusade against the Ottoman Empire.[122] | |
| 1481 (June 21) | Aeterni regis | Confirms the Treaty of Alcáçovas.[123] | |
| 1482 (April 14) | Superna caelestis | By which Bl. Bonaventure, Is registered in the Canon of the Saints | |
| 1482 (August 2) | Ad Perpetuam Rei memoriam | Ordered humanitarian reforms to the Spanish Inquisition.[124][125] | |
| 1484 (December 5) | Summis desiderantes | Innocent VIII | Condemns an alleged outbreak of witchcraft and heresy in the region of the Rhine River valley, and deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany. |
| 1486 (July 12) | Catholice fidei defensionem | Grants plenary indulgences to whoever took part in Casimir IV Jagiellon's war against the Ottoman Empire.[126] | |
| 1487 (April 27) | Id Nostri Cordis | Ordered execution of waldenses and indulgences to those who took part.[127] | |
| 1487 (November 13) | Universo pene orbi | Calls for a crusade against the Ottoman Empire.[128] | |
| 1491 | Officii nostri | (This may be a confusion with the decretal of Innocent III of the same name.) | |
| 1493 (May 3) | Eximiae devotionis | Alexander VI | Accords to Spain recognition of the same rights and privileges regarding lands discovered in the west as had been previously confirmed to Portugal in the east. |
| 1493 (May 4) | Inter caetera ("Among the other") |
On the division of the "undiscovered world" between Spain and Portugal, beginning with the lands visited by Columbus. | |
| 1493 (June 25) | Piis Fidelium | Grants Spain vicarial power to appoint missionaries to the Indies. | |
| 1493 (September 26) | Dudum siquidem | Territorial grants supplemental to Inter caetera | |
| 1495 (February 10) | Primo Erectio Universitatis[129] | Foundation of the University of Aberdeen.[130] | |
| 1497 (October 15) | Ad sacram ordinis | The ancient custom of selecting the Prefect of the Apostolic Chapel from the Augustinian Order was given legal foundation.[131] |
Sixteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 (June 1) | Quamvis ad amplianda | Alexander VI | Calls for a crusade against the Ottoman Empire in response to Ottoman invasions of Venetian territories in Greece.[132] |
| 1506 (January 24) | Ea quae pro bono pacis | Julius II | Approval of the Treaty of Tordesillas by the Catholic Church |
| 1509 | Suspecti Regiminis | Prohibiting appeals to future councils | |
| 1509 | Pontifex Romanis Pacis | Against plunderers of shipwrecks | |
| 1511 | Pax Romana ("Roman Peace"/"Peace of Rome") |
To stop the feuding between the Orsini and Colonna families[133] | |
| 1511 | Consueverunt | ||
| 1513 (December 19) | Apostolici Regiminis | Leo X | Concerning immortality of the soul.[134] |
| 1514 (March 22) | Sincerae devotionis | ||
| 1514 | Precelse denotionis ("Especially the description") |
Renewed Dum Diversas of 1452 | |
| 1514 | Supernæ dispositionis arbitrio | Calls for reform of the curia and declares that cardinals should come immediately after the pope in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. | |
| 1515 (May 4) | Regimini Universalis | Requires that metropolitan bishops hold a provincial synod every three years. | |
| 1515 (July 19) | Salvatoris Nostri | Roman hospitals, S. Maria del Popolo and S. Giacomo and Tridente.[135] | |
| 1516 (May 19) | Illius qui in altis habitat | Roman hospitals. | |
| 1516 (June 16) | De Supernae dispositionis arbitrio | Funding of San Giacomo hospital throughout enfiteusis | |
| 1516 (December 19) | Pastor aeternus | Declared the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges null and void.[136] | |
| 1517 (May 29) | Ite vos | Order of Friars Minor[137] | |
| 1518 (November 9) | Cum Postquam | Decretal on indulgences[138] | |
| 1519 | Supremo | ||
| 1520 (June 15) | Exsurge Domine ("Arise, O Lord") |
Demands that Martin Luther retract 41 of his 95 theses, as well as other specified errors, within sixty days of its publication in neighbouring regions to Saxony. | |
| 1521 (January 3) | Decet Romanum Pontificem ("[It] befits [the] Roman Pontiff") |
Excommunicates Martin Luther.[139] | |
| 1522 (May 10) | Exponi nobis nuper fecisti | Adrian VI | Grants sweeping authority to mendicant orders in the New World |
| 1529 (May 8) | Intra Arcana | Clement VII | Grant of permissions and privileges to Emperor Charles V and the Spanish Empire, which included patronage power over their lands in the Americas.[140] |
| 1533 (April 7) | Sempiterno regi | Clement VII | Partial condemnation of the forced baptism of Portuguese Jews, and general pardon to New Christians.[141] |
| 1533 | Romanus Pontifex | ||
| 1536 (May 23) | Cum ad nihil magis | Paul III | Introduces Inquisition into Portugal.[142] |
| 1537 (May 29) | Sublimis Deus | Paul III | Forbids the enslavement of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. |
| 1538 (October 28) | In apostolatus culmine | ||
| 1540 (May 12) | Licet Judæi | Against blood libel | |
| 1540 (September 27) | Regimini militantis ecclesiae ("To the Government of the Church Militant") |
Approves the formation of the Society of Jesus.[143] | |
| 1542 | Cupientes iudaeos | Converts from Judaism are guaranteed citizenship at their place of baptism.[144] | |
| 1542 (July 21) | Licet ab initio | Institution of the Congregation of the Holy Office of the Inquisition.[145] | |
| 1543 (March 14) | Injunctum nobis | Repealed a clause in the Regimini militantis ecclesiae which had only allowed the Society of Jesus sixty members.[146] | |
| 1550 (July 21) | Exposcit debitum ("The Duty demands") |
Julius III | Second and final approval of the Society of Jesus |
| 1551 (February 25) | Super specula militantis Ecclesiae ("Upon the watchtower of the Church Militant") |
Ended the status of Funchal as the largest diocese in the world, creating new bishoprics throughout the Portuguese Empire at Salvador &c. | |
| 1553 (April 28) | Divina disponente clementia ("So predisposed by the divine clemency") |
Create Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa the first patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. | |
| 1554 (August 31) | Pastoris æterni vices | Imposes tax of ten gold ducats on two out of the 115 synagogues in the Papal States | |
| 1555 (June 20) | Praeclara Carissimi | Paul IV | Consisted of two parts. Confirmed the sale of church lands under Henry VIII of England and imposed the reordination of all clerics consecrated during Henry VIII and Edward VI of England.[147] |
| 1555 (July 14) | Cum nimis absurdum ("Since it is absurd") |
Places religious and economic restrictions on Jews in the Papal States.[148] | |
| 1559 (February 15) | Cum ex apostolatus officio ("By virtue of the apostolic office") |
Confirms that only Catholics can be elected Popes. | |
| 1560 (January 19) | Ad caritatis et misericordiae opera | Pius IV | Roman hospital of San Giacomo degli Incurabili. |
| 1564 | Dominici Gregis Custodiae | Containing the rules for forbidding books[1] | |
| 1564 (January 26) | Benedictus Deus ("Blessed God") |
Ratified all decrees and definitions of the Council of Trent.[149] | |
| 1565 (January 17) | Æquum reputamus ("We consider it equal") |
Pius V | |
| 1566 | Cum nobis ex parte | Reiterates condemnation of those who plunder shipwrecks | |
| 1567 | Ex omnibus afflictionibus | Condemns 79 statements made by Michael Baius[150] | |
| 1567 | Etsi Dominici gregis | Forbids the sale of Indulgences[151] | |
| 1567 (January 19) | Cum nos nuper | Orders Jews to sell all property in Papal States | |
| 1568 (June 7) | Quod a nobis | Modified the Roman Breviary | |
| 1569 (February) | Hebraeorum gens sola | Restricted Jews in the Papal States to Rome and Ancona.[152] | |
| 1569 (August 27) | Magnus Dux Etruriae | Elevated Cosimo I de' Medici to Grand Duke of Tuscany.[153] | |
| 1569 (September 17) | Consueverunt Romani Pontifices | On the power of the Rosary | |
| 1569 (December 21) | "Concerning the primacy of the Lateran" | Confirming a decision by the Roman Rota[154] that "the right of precedence...of St. Peter's...should pertain...to the church of the Lateran."[155] | |
| 1570 (February 25) | Regnans in excelsis ("Ruling from on high") |
Declares Elizabeth I of England a heretic and releases her subjects from any allegiance to her.[156] | |
| 1570 (July 14) | Quo primum ("From the first") |
Promulgates the Roman Missal (Tridentine Mass), and forbids use of other Latin liturgical rites that cannot demonstrate two hundred year of continuous use. | |
| 1572 (September 16) | Cristiani Populi | Gregory XIII | Foundation of Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus |
| 1572 (November 13) | Pro Commissa Nobis | Dispositions about Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus | |
| 1574 | Ad Romani Pontificis | ||
| 1581 (March 30) | Multos adhuc ex Christianis | Renews Church law against Jewish physicians | |
| 1581 (June 1) | Antiqua Judæorum improbitas | Gives jurisdiction over Jews of Rome to Inquisition in cases of blasphemy, protection of heretics, possession of forbidden works, employment of Christian servants | |
| 1582 (February 24) | Inter gravissimas ("Among the most important") |
Establishes the Gregorian calendar. | |
| 1584 (May 24) | Ascendente Domino | Confirms the constitution of the Society of Jesus. | |
| 1584 (September 1) | Sancta mater ecclesia | Ordered that the gospels be preached in Roman synagogues.[157] | |
| 1586 (January 5) | Coeli et terrae ("The heavens and the lands") |
Sixtus V | Condemned "judicial astrology" as superstitious. |
| 1586 (October) | Christiana pietas ("Christian piety") |
Allowed Jews to settle in the Papal States, revoking Pius V's 1569 bull, Hebraeorum gens sola.[158] | |
| 1588 (February 11) | Immensa Aeterni Dei ("The immense [wisdom] of Eternal God") |
Reorganized the Roman Curia, establishing several permanent congregations to advise the Pope.[159] | |
| 1588 (October 29) | Effraenatam ("The unbridled [audacity and daring]") -- a.k.a. Against Those Who Procure |
Declares that the canonical penalty of excommunication would be levied for any form of contraception and for abortion at any stage of fetal development. | |
| 1588 | Triumphantis Hierusalem | Officially elevates St. Bonaventure to the status of Doctor of the Church[160] | |
| 1591 (April 18) | Cum Sicuti | Gregory XIV | Decrees the emancipation of all indigenous slaves in the Philippines.[161] |
| 1592 (February 28) | Cum sæpe accidere | Clement VIII | Forbidding Jews to deal in new commodities |
| 1593 | Caeca et Obdurata ("The Blind and Obdurate") |
Expelled the Jews from the Papal States. | |
| 1593 | Pastoralis |
Seventeenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1603 (February 3) | Dominici gregis | Clement VIII | Marian piety as the basis of the Church. Upheld the perpetual virginity of Mary.[162] |
| 1604 (August 23) | In favor of Portuguese Maranos | ||
| 1631 | Contra astrologos iudiciarios | Urban VIII | Condemns astrological predictions of the deaths of princes and popes.[163] |
| 1639 (April 22) | Commissum nobis | Reaffirms "Sublimus Dei" forbidding enslavement of indigenous people | |
| 1641 (6 March) | In eminenti Ecclesiae militantis | Censures Jansenist publications.[164] | |
| 1644 | Grants pilgrims to the Jesuit mission at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons "a Plenary Indulgence each year and the remission of all their sins."[165] | ||
| 1653 (May 31) | Cum occasione | Innocent X | Condemns 5 Jansenist propositions.[166] |
| 1658 (Nov. 15) | Ad ea per quae | Alexander VII | Orders Roman Jews to pay rent even for unoccupied houses in ghetto, because Jews would not hire houses from which Jews had been evicted |
| 1659 | Super cathedram Principis Apostolorum | Establishing the Catholic mission in Vietnam | |
| 1664 | Speculatores domus Israel | Introducing the new edition of the Index of Forbidden Books | |
| 1665 | Ad sacram ("To the sacred") |
Confirms bull Cum occasione and further condemns Jansenism[167] | |
| 1676 (November 16) | Inter Pastoralis Officii Curas | Innocent XI | Establishes Salvador as independent of Lisbon and as primate over Brazil, Congo, and Angola |
| 1687 | Coelestis Pastor | Condemns Quietism as heresy. | |
| 1692 | Romanum decet Pontificem ("It befits the Roman Pontiff") |
Innocent XII | Abolished the office of Cardinal-Nephew[168] |
Eighteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1713 | Unigenitus ("The only-begotten") |
Clement XI | Condemns Jansenism. |
| 1715 (Mar. 19) | Ex illa die | Chinese customs and traditions that are not contradictory to Roman Catholicism will be allowed, while ones clearly contradictory to it will not be tolerated. | |
| 1737 (Dec. 17) | Inter praecipuas apostolici ministerii ("Among the main attributes of the Apostolate") |
Determines that whoever is elected Patriarch of Lisbon is to be elevated to the dignity of cardinal in the first consistory following their election. | |
| 1738 | In eminenti apostolatus specula ("In the high watchtower of the Apostolate") |
Bans Catholics from becoming Freemasons. | |
| 1740 (Dec. 13) | Salvatoris nostri Mater ("The Mother of Our Saviour") |
Benedict XIV | Suppresses the vacant Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eastern Lisbon and merges it with the Patriarchate of Lisbon; grants the canons of the cathedral chapter the title of Principal. |
| 1741 (Feb. 23) | Apostolicae Servitutis ("Apostolic Servitude") |
Forbids members of the clergy from engaging in worldly pursuits such as business. | |
| 1741 (Dec. 20) | Immensa Pastorum Principis | Against the enslavement of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in particular of Brazil, and of the other places. | |
| 1747 (Feb. 28) | Postremo mense superioris anni | Confirms decision of Roman Curia of October 22, 1597, that a Jewish child, once baptized, even against canonical law, must be brought up under Christian influences and removed from its parents | |
| 1755 | Beatus Andreas ("Blessed Andreas") |
Beatified child martyr Andreas Oxner, said in a blood libel accusation to have been murdered by Jews in 1462.[169] | |
| 1773 | Dominus ac Redemptor noster ("Our Master and Redeemer") |
Clement XIV | Ordered the suppression of the Society of Jesus. |
| 1794 (August 28) | Auctorem Fidei[170] | Pius VI | Condemning the Gallicanism and Jansenism of the Synod of Pistoia. |
Nineteenth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1809 (June 10) | Quum memoranda | Pius VII | Excommunicated Napoleon Bonaparte and anyone who contributed to the annexation of the Papal States and overthrow of the Holy See's temporal power by the First French Empire |
| 1814 | Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum ("The care of all the churches") |
Reestablishes the Society of Jesus. | |
| 1824 | Quod divina sapientia ("What divine wisdom") |
Leo XII | Restructures education in the Papal States under ecclesiastical supervision. |
| 1831 | Sollicitudo ecclesiarum | Gregory XVI | That in the event of a change of government, the church would negotiate with the new government for placement of bishops and vacant dioceses.[171] |
| 1850 (September 29) | Universalis Ecclesiae ("Of the Universal Church") |
Pius IX | Recreates the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England. |
| 1853 (March 4)[172] | Ex qua die arcano ("From the very day when by the secret [counsels]...") |
Reestablishment of the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands | |
| 1854 | Ineffabilis Deus | Defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception | |
| 1866 (July 12) | Reversurus ("To come back") |
Extends to the Armenian Catholic Church the Western provisions about appointment of bishops. | |
| 1868 (June 29) | Aeterni Patris ("Of the Eternal Father") |
Summons First Vatican Council. | |
| 1869 (October 12) | Apostolicæ Sedis moderationi ("To the guidance of the Apostolic See") |
Regulates the system of censures and reservations in the Catholic Church. | |
| 1871 | Pastor aeternus ("The eternal shepherd") |
Defines papal infallibility. | |
| 1880 (July 13) | Dolemus inter alia ("Among other things, we lament") |
Leo XIII | Reinstates the privileges of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), nullifying the bull Dominus ac Redemptor Noster of 21 July 1773.[173] |
| 1884 (November 1) | Omnipotens Deus ("God Almighty") |
Accepted the authenticity of the relics at Compostela, Galicia, Spain. | |
| 1896 | Apostolicae curae ("Of the Apostolic care") |
Declares all Anglican Holy Orders null and void. |
Twentieth century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | Quam singulari ("How special") |
Pius X | Allows the admittance of Communion to children who have reached the age of reason (about seven years old).[174] |
| 1930 | Ad Christi nomen | Pius XI | Created the Diocese of Vijayapuram. |
| 1949 | Jubilaeum Maximum ("Great jubilee") |
Pius XII | Announcement of 1950 as a Holy Year |
| 1950 (November 1) | Munificentissimus Deus ("The most bountiful God") |
Defines the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.[175] | |
| 1961 (December 25) | Humanae salutis ("Of human salvation") |
John XXIII | Summons Second Vatican Council. |
| 1998 (November 29) | Incarnationis mysterium ("The mystery of the Incarnation") |
John Paul II | Indiction of the Great Jubilee of 2000 |
Twenty-first century
| Year | Bull | Issuer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 (April 11) | Misericordiae vultus ("The Face of Mercy") |
Francis | Indiction of a Holy Year: The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy 2015-2016 |
| 2024 (May 9) | Spes non confundit ("Hope does not disappoint") |
Indiction of the 2025 Jubilee |
Also note In Coena Domini ("At the Lord's dinner"), a recurrent papal bull issued annually between 1363 and 1770, at first on Holy Thursday, later on Easter Monday.
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