A letter from Berengaria of Navarre, queen of England (1204, January)

Translated letter:

I, Berengaria, humble queen of England, we wish to make known to all to whom these letters will come, that we have granted to our dearest lord Philip, illustrious king of France, that we will at no time draw him or cause him to be drawn into a suit over Loches, only that he himself will hold Loches in his dominion. It will however be permitted to us to draw any man or woman into a suit about Loches, about whom we see or know to be holding or seised; and the lord king would not be against us in this. Enacted at Paris, in the year of grace, 1204, in the month of January.

Original letter:

Ego, Berengaria, humilis Anglie regina, omnibus ad quos littere iste pervenerint, notum esse volumus nos creantavisse karissimo domino nostro Philippo, illustri Francie regi, quod nullo tempore eum trahemus in causam vel aliquo modo trahi procurabimus de Lochiis, nisi ipse Lochias tenuerit in dominio. Licebit autem nobis omnem hominem et feminam trahere in causam de Lochiis, quem de eis videremus aut sciremus tenentem aut sesitum; et dominus rex exhoc contra nos non esset. Actum Parisius, anno gratiae Mo CCo quarto, mense januarii.

Historical context:

This is a bond in which the queen of England commits herself to never bring a suit against the king of France over Loches. The document is dated 1204; the editor gives 1204-05

Printed source:

Layettes du Trésor des Chartes, ed. A. Teulet (Paris: Henri Plon, 1863), 281-82, #743.

Date:

1204, January