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A: Palermo, Sicilia, Italy

Frederick II of Sicily Bans the Use of Paper for Legal Documents

1231
A gold Augustalis, a gold coin bearing on the obverse the profile of Frederick II, from the Messina mint of the Kingdom of Sicily issued from 1231 to the death of Frederick in 1250.
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org
A gold Augustalis, a gold coin bearing on the obverse the profile of Frederick II, from the Messina mint of the Kingdom of Sicily issued from 1231 to the death of Frederick in 1250.

From his book, De arte venandi cum avibus (The art of hunting with birds), a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, flanked by a falcon. (View Larger)

In 1231 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Sicily, from his court in Palermo, banned the use of paper for notarial documents, believing it to be less permanent than parchment or vellum. The use of paper in the chanceries was mainly restricted to drafts, registers, and minutes.

Bernhard Bischoff, Latin Palaeography: Antiquity and Middle Ages (1990) 12.

Timeline Themes

Writing / Palaeography / Calligraphy / Epigraphy
Papermaking by Hand
Survival of Information / Philology
Law / Copyrights / Patents