A letter from Joan of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders (1240, November 4)

Translated letter:

Joan, countess of Flanders and Hainaut, to all who will view the present letters, greeting. Since a dispute came forth between our prior, Walter bishop of Tournai, N. deacon and chaplain of Tournai on one side and on the other us, over the tithes present and future of newly tilled land of all our land, of uncultivated land and jetsam of the sea, cast up and to be cast up, forests, woods and marshes and marshland in the diocese of Tournai, things that are not included in clear borders of parishes (but) lie between, for the good of peace we have chosen as arbiters the venerable men TH., prior of St. Jacob of Lille, W., provost of St. Clement and F. of Ghent, canon of Lille, promising under penalty of 400 Flemish pounds that, whatever the aforesaid three will have judged unanimously concerning the said tithes of newly tilled land, we will observe firmly, such that, if one party will have withdrawn from the unanimous judgment of the aforesaid three, that (party) withdrawing should be bound to pay to the other party the aforesaid penalty without any contradiction, with the judgment of those said three to last nonetheless in its strength in perpetuity. However, excluded from the judgment of those said ones are the tithes of newly tilled land of the district of Courtrai, nor are included also in the judgment of those arbiters the tithes of newly tilled land within the borders of parishes as the limits of inclusion; by the command of those same three nothing will increase or diminish to either party from the tithes excluded. But the said arbiters should produce their judgment by the time of the feast of the Lord’s Circumcision, unless with the consent of the parties it will have happened that the term be extended. And so that the judgment of the said three cannot be revoked in the future, we have promised in good faith that we will make the lord and our husband Thomas, count, approve the said compromise through his letters patent. If any obscurity will have appeared or doubt will have emerged even after the judgment produced, it will stand from the same declaration or interpretation of the above-named three, under threat of the above named penalty. Enacted in the year of the Lord 1240, Sunday after the feast of All Saints.(1)

Original letter:

Johanna, Flandrie et Hainonie comitissa, universis presentes litteras inspecturis salutem. Cum super decimis novalium totius terre nostre, presentibus et futuris, wastinarum et jactuum maris, jactis et jaciendis, silvarum, nemorum et paludum ac umhori Tornacensis diocesis, que non sunt certis parochiarum limitibus comprehensa, intervenerent, dum (inter) priorem nostrum, Walterum Tornacensis episcopum, N. decanum et capellanum Tornacensis ex una parte et nos ex altera questio verteretur, pro bono pacis viros venerabiles TH., priorem sancti Jacobi Insulensis, W., prepositum sancti Climentis et F. de Gandavo, canonicum Insulensis, ordinatores elegimus, promittentes sub pena quadringentarum librarum flandrie quod, quidquid predicti tres concorditer ordinaverint super dictis alium decimis, firmiter observabimus, ita quod, si pars altera a dictorum trium concordi ordinatione resilierit, illa resiliens parti alteri predictam penam sine contradictione qualibet solvere teneatur, ordinatione horum dictorum trium nihilominus in suo robore in perpetuum duratura. A dictorum autem ordinatione sunt excepte novalium decime officii Curtracensis, nec comprehenduntur etiam in ordinatione horum ordinatorum decime novalium infra limites parochiarum tam limita comprehensorum; de quibus decimis exceptis per dictum eorundem trium nihil accrescet alterutri parti vel decrescet. Dicti vero ordinator ordinationem suam proferre debent infra instans festum Circumcisionis Domini, nisi terminum de consensu partium contigerit prorogari. Et ne dictorum trium ordinatio possit revocari in posterum, promittimus bona fide quod dominum et maritum nostrum Th[omam] comitem, faciemus dictum compromissum per suas patentes litteras approbare. Si qua etiam post prolatam ordinationem obscuritas apparuerit vel dubietas emerserit, de eadem sepedictorum trium declaratione sive interpretationi [sic] stabitur sub periculo pene superius nominate. Actum anno Domini millesimo CC°XL, dominica post festum Omnium Sanctorum.

Historical context:

The countess appoints a committee to arbitrate a disagreement over tithes between her and the bishop and chaplain of Tournai

Scholarly notes:

1 The translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Printed source:

Johanna van Constantinopel, Gravin van Vlaanderen en Henegouwen ed. Theo Luykx, Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schoone Kunsten van Belgie, Klasse der Letteren, VIII.5 (1946), 587-88, ep.60.

Date:

1240, November 4