Displaying 1 glossary term in Diplomatic Anatomy starting with I
Diplomatic Anatomy
Latin
Invocatio (Pious Invocation)
Lat. invocatio < invocare ('to call upon, invoke')
The solemn initial clause of an Anglo-Saxon diploma invoking the Holy Trinity, Christ, or the Divine Majesty to sanction the legal act and place it under heavenly protection.
Early Insular invocations often feature the Chrismon symbol (+) or phrases like 'In nomine Domini nostri Iesu Christi'. In pre-900 Kentish and Mercian diplomas, invocations establish spiritual legitimacy before the secular royal dispositive verb.
“In nomine Domini Dei salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi. Ego Hlotharius rex Cantuariorum pro remedium animæ meæ dono…”
S 8 — Grant of King Hlothhere of Kent (A.D. 679)
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