bull [Lat. bulla=leaden seal], papal letter. As the diplomatic organization of the papal chancery progressed in the Middle Ages, the papal bull came to be more solemn than the papal brief or encyclical. The letter, traditionally sealed with lead, but in special circumstances with silver or gold...,


With the possible exception of Philippa of Hainaut, no medieval ... - [ Traducir esta página ]
de JC Parsons - 1984 - Citado por 3 - Artículos relacionados
Castile causes some difficulties with the privilegios rodados, the formal royal charters that are the principal diplomatic souces.7 It will suffice here to ...
brepols.metapress.com/index/W5M316L11M35251W.pdf


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Note added at 35 mins (2010-02-24 19:53:24 GMT)
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Although usually seen as "papal bulls" "royal bulls" would surely be understood, and the etymology is a perfect fit.