Privilegium Maius

The Privilegium Maius was a medieval document forged in 1358/59 at the behest of Duke Rudolf IV of Austria (1358–1365), a scion of the House of Habsburg. It was essentially a modified version of the Privilegium Minus issued by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in 1156, which had elevated the former March of Austria to a duchy. The privileges described in the document had great influence on the Austrian political landscape, and created a unique connection between the House of Habsburg and Austria.

The House of Habsburg had gained rulership of the Duchy of Austria in 1282. Rudolph IV (1339-1365) attempted to restore the Habsburgian influence on the European political scene by trying to build relations with Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg and increasing the respect of the Austrian rulers. However, Rudolph IV did not belong to the seven Prince-electors, who - as dictated by the Golden Bull of 1356 - had the power to choose the King. In the same way Charles IV had made Prague the center of his rule, Rudolph did the same for Vienna, giving it special privileges, launching construction projects and founding the University of Vienna. All this aimed at increasing the legitimacy and influence of the House and its Austrian lands. For this purpose, in the winter of 1358/1359, Rudolph IV ordered the creation of a forged document called Privilegium Maius ("the greater privilege").

The Privilegium Maius consists of five forged deeds, some of which purported to have been issued by Julius Caesar and Nero to the historic Roman regnum Noricum province similar to the modern Austrian borders. Though purposefully modeled on the Privilegium Minus, the original of which "got lost" at the same time, the bundle was already identified as a fake by contemporaries like the Italian scholar Francesco Petrarca.

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