Romanus Pontifex is a papal bull written by Pope Nicholas V to King Afonso V of Portugal. The original manuscript is in the National Archives in Lisbon. For my purposes I am interested in the date, which reads (in Latin):
Datum Rome apud Sanctum Petrum, anno Incarnationis Dominice millessimo quadringentesimo quinquagesimo quarto, sexto idus Januarii, pontificatus nostri anno octavo.
Source: https://www.questia.com/read/23628843/european-treaties-bearing-on-the-history-of-the-united
Even without a translation, this is pretty recognizable as January 6, 1454.
A footnote reads: "In the dating of papal bulls, up to the pontificate of Innocent XII. ( 1691- 1700), the 25th of March was usually reckoned as the beginning of the year. A. Giry, Manuel de Diplomatique (1894), p. 696. According to our present reckoning, therefore, this bull dates from the year 1455."
I think the corresponding proleptic Gregorian date is January 16, 1455.
So our source here, "European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies to 1648", was published by the Carnegie Institute of Washington in 1917. It says that the original manuscript is in Lisbon. I wonder why there is nothing in the Vatican? In any event, this seems reliable to me. This is the oldest document in the book "European Treaties".
So again, is there anything earlier?
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