The Golden Bull Allegedly Issued in 1226 by Frederick II for the Teutonic Order

In my 1994, 1998 and 2008 publications on the Golden Bull, I established that:

1. A palaeographic analysis of both originals of the Golden Bull shows that their writing, ornamentation and manner of writing the name of Frederick II are characteristic for the 1230s.
2. Publications similar to that of the Golden Bull occur in other imperial documents from 1231; an identical publication appeared twice in 1237. The identical closing protocol of the Golden Bull is found in two documents issued by Frederick II for Teutonic Order in November 1235.
3. Since in the imperial chancery the closing protocol remained unchanged for at best several months, then the Golden Bull must have been written during a joint stay of Frederick II, Herman von Salza and Peter de Vinea (author and editor of the Golden Bulle) in Germany from May to August 1235.

In 2017, the Golden Bull was published in Monumenta Germaniae Historica; its publishers its publishers opposed my findings, saying that:

1. The Golden Bull may have been issued in 1226, and its present copies are new publications (Neuausfertigungen) issued in 1245 (!) based on the Nachurkunde of the Golden Bull (BF 3479), issued in Verona.
2. The Königsberg copy was produced first, and then the Warsaw copy was based on it.

In my 2020 article I proved that:

1. The careful comparison of this document (BF 3479) with the Golden Bull leaves no doubt that publishers MGH are wrong.
2. The comparison of minor variations between the Warsaw, Königsberg and BF 3479 copies proves beyond the shadow of doubt that the Warsaw copy was the original document, and the Königsberg and BF 3479 copies were based on it, independently.

Ultimately, it can be assumed that the Golden Bull of Frederick II for the Teutonic Order was not created in 1226, but in 1235, in connection with a dispute of Duke Conrad over the Dobrin land. The content of the
document, as well as its legal provisions were aligned to the then arbitration proceedings before the papal legate.

Keywords: Order, Emperor Frederick II, imperial documents, Old Prussia