The medieval world had its own ‘deepfakes’ – church officials cited a fake imperial decree for centuries

Church officials used a forged imperial decree for centuries to justify expanding papal control over the Italian peninsula, according to historian Susanna Granieri.

The fraudulent document, known as the Donation of Constantine, claimed that Emperor Constantine I transferred authority over Rome and the Western Roman Empire to Pope Sylvester I in the early 300s. The text described Constantine falling ill with leprosy and receiving instructions through a dream to grant this authority. At least 10 popes cited this false claim during the Middle Ages.