Ein unbekannter Brief Innocenz’ III. betreffend den deutschen Thronstreit und die Entstehung des Liber consuetudinum Mediolani von 1216

A hitherto unknown letter by Innocent III regarding the Thronstreit, and the making of the Liber consuetudinum Mediolani of 1216. The present paper intends to draw attention to the additions to the codex Berlin, Staatsbibliothek–Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Ms. Lat. Fol. 462, entered by the Milanese judge Passaguerra with his own hand. The focus is especially on the last folium, on the recto side of which a hitherto unknown letter from Innocent III dated 8 November 1203 is copied, while the verso side contains a short treatise, entitled De feudis. The historical context of these texts and their entry into the manuscript help to throw light on the history of the commune of Milan during the first decades of the 13th century, with respect to its relations to the Papacy and the Empire, as well as in regard to the city’s society.