De legato sedis apostolice.
The Pope Sends a Legate to Prussia
Pope Innocent III, informed by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order of the failing Prussian mission due to Duke Swantepolk's tyranny, sends the legate William of Modena to divide the lands into bishoprics and correct abuses.
At this time it was Pope Innocent III, who in the first year of his pontificate — that is, in the year of our Lord 1243 — learning from the loud complaints of Brother Hermann of Salza, Grand Master of the Order of the Teutonic House, that the new planting of the faith in the land of Prussia was notably failing through the tyranny of Duke Swantepolk, sent to those lands a legate, William, formerly bishop of Modena, who was afterwards Pope Alexander, in order to divide those lands into four bishoprics, and if he found anything worthy of correction, to correct it, and to restore them to their proper state.
The Legate's Warning and the Duke's Defiance
The legate commands the duke by apostolic authority to cease persecuting the faith, but the duke hardens in obstinacy and intensifies his violence against Christ's faithful by land and water.
This legate wrote to and commanded the aforementioned duke by apostolic authority that he cease from persecuting the faith and the faithful. But that man, unmindful of his salvation, hardened in stubborn resolve like a twisted piece of wood that cannot be bent, became disobedient to the paternal warnings that had truly proceeded from the root of love — and grew stronger and stronger in evil, confounding Christ's faithful now by land, now by water, and wherever he could, he despoiled some of their possessions, captured others, and slaughtered the rest.
The Preaching of the Cross Against the Tyrant
Seeing no repentance in the duke, the legate orders the cross to be preached by apostolic authority, commanding crusaders and the Teutonic brothers under holy obedience to defend the faith in Prussia from the duke's persecution.
The legate, therefore, seeing that in the duke himself no signs of correction appeared, nor was he willing in any way to return to the bosom of holy mother Church — a sufficient warning having been sent beforehand — so that as his obstinacy grew, punishment might deservedly grow as well, ordered the cross to be preached by apostolic authority in the kingdoms and provinces appointed for this purpose, to restrain the malice of the aforementioned tyrant and his accomplices, commanding the crusaders and the brothers of the Teutonic House, enjoining them by virtue of holy obedience and for the remission of sins, to defend with all their strength the faith of Christ and the Church of the faithful, placed in the parts of Prussia, from the cruel and unjust persecution of the aforementioned duke.
Read the original Latin
Hoc tempore fuit Innocencius papa ini qui pontificatus sui anno primo, anno scilicet domini mccxliii intelligens ex clamosa insinuacione fratris Hermanni de Salcza generalis magistri ordinis domus Theutonice, novellam plantacionem fidei in terra Prussie notabiliter deficere per tyrannidem Swantepolci ducis predicti, misit ad dictas terras legatum Wilhelmum, quondam Mutinensem episcopum, qui postea fuit Papa Alexander im ut dictas terras in episcopatus quatuor limitaret, et si qua inveniret correctione digna, corrigeret, et in statuin debitum reformaret. Qui legatus scripsit et mandavit auctoritate apostolica dicto duci, ut a persecucione fidei et fidelium cessaret. At ille immemor salutis sue, pertinaci animo induratus, ut lignum tortuosum, quod flecti non potest, palernis monitis, que vere ex radice caritatis processerant, faetus inobediens, magis ac magis convalescebat in malo, et confundebat Gristi fideles nunc per terranq nunc per aquam, et simpliciter, ubicunque poterat, alios spoliavit rebus suis, quosdam captivavit, ceteros trucidavit. Videns ergo legatus, quod in ipso duce signa correctionis non apparerent, nec aliquo modo ad gremium sancte matris ecclesie vellet redire, monicione sufficienti premissa, ut crescente contumacia merito cresceret et pena, ad refrenandam dicti tyranni et suorum complicum maliciam jussit in regnis et provinciis ad hoc" deputatis crucem aucto ritate apostolica predicari, precipiens crucesignatis et fratribus domus Theutonice, in virtute sancte obediencie ac in remissionem peccaminum injungens, ut fidem Gristi et fidelium ecclesiam'in Prussie partibus collocatamb a tarn crudeli et injusta dicti ducis persecucione pro viribus suis araodo defensarent.
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