A letter from Thibaut, duke of Lorraine (1218, June 1)

Translated letter:

I, Th[ibaut], duke of Lorraine, marquis, count of Messin and Daubourg, make known to all who will see the present letters, that in the discord which existed between me, on one side, and the lady B[lanche] countess of Troyes and her son, on the other, in the presence of the lord king of the Romans and the lord archbishop of Trier, and many others, such peace and harmony was mediated that I returned to the loyalty which I owed to said countess and her son, namely in the service and justice which my predecessors owed to the counts of Champagne. I conceded also in good faith and swore that not by me nor by my men, those men who are lieges of mine before other lords, would any harm come to the countess or her son or their lands because of war which Erard of Brienne wages against said countess and her son Th[ibaut], but we will help them against said Erard and his wife Ph[ilippa]and against the heirs of Henry, former count of Champagne and his allies. But if, let it not be so, any harm were to come to them through me or my men, as was said, I would be held to make amends and to cause amends to be made by my men to the satisfaction and judgment of my dearest uncle, Odo the duke of Burgundy, and John of Arcis (?Arceiis), within forty days after I had been asked. If however the duke should die or could not participate, Andreas of Esprisa would take his place. Similarly if John of Arcis dies or cannot participate, the countess or her son may put someone else, whomever she/he wishes, in his place. And if perchance those two could not agree, the bishop of Clairmont would be the intermediary, whose judgment about said amends to be made would stand without contradiction. The bishop could also put someone else, whomever he wishes, in place of said Andreas, if Andreas were to die or could not participate. For these agreements to be held thus, I placed in the hand of the countess and her son the fief which my dearest uncle Henry count of Bar-le-Duc holds from me and the fief which Hugo lord of la Fauche holds from me. Moreover I put in the hand of the duke of Burgundy my castrum of Chacenay (?Chastenaio) in such a way that should I fail in any way from making the amends, as was said, the count of Bar-le-Duc and the lord of la Fauche, after forty days in which they had admonished me about making the amends, they would come to the countess and her son, after the forty days were up, with the fiefs which they hold from me, and they would help against me from those fiefs until I had made the amends as stipulated. The duke of Burgundy indeed would render to the countess and her son said castrum of Chacenay within forty days after he had been asked. And the countess or her son would hold it until I had made satisfactory amends, as said above. The agreement on the hostages and the deposit of the castle in the hand of the duke of Burgundy will last, as expressed above, namely from this feast of Pentecost for five years, but I will be held obliged in perpetuity to the loyalty to be observed to that countess and her son, and to helping them in good faith against Erard and the heirs of H[enry] former count of Champagne. That all the things noted in these letters may remain known and kept in force, I have confirmed with the protection of our seal and I asked my dearest lords, Frederick illustrious king of the Romans, Theodore archbishop of Trier, C. bishop of Messin and Speyer, to confirm them by their letters. Enacted at Amance in the year of the lord, 1218, on the kalends of the month of June.

Original letter:

Ego Th. dux Lothoringie marchio, comes Methensis et Dauburgensis, notum facio universis presentes litteras inspecturis quod super discordia, que erat inter me , ex una parte, et dominam B. comitissam Trecensem et filium ejus, ex altera, in presentia domini regis Romanorum et domini Treverensis archiepiscopi et plurium alioram, talis pax et concordia intervenit, videlicet, quod ego redii ad fidelitatem quam debebam dictis comitisse et filio ejus, de servicio scilicet et justicia que predecessores mei comitibus Campanie debuerunt. — Concessi etiani bona fide et juravi quod, nec per me, nec per homines meos, qui sunt homines mei ligii ante alios dominos suos, malum veniet comitisse vel filio ejus aut terre eorum occasione guerre quam movet Erardus de Brena contra predictos comitissam et Th. filium ejus, sed ipsos juvabimus contra predictum Erardum et Ph. uxorem ejus, et contra heredes Henrici quondam comitis Campanie, et coadjutores eorum. — Si vero, quod absit, malum eis eveniret per me vel per homines meos, sicut dictum est, ego tenerer emendare et ab hominibus meis facere emendari ad laudem et arbitrium karissimi avunculi mei Odonis ducis Burgundie et Johannis de Arceiis, infra XL. dies postquam essem super hoc requisitus. — Si autem dux decederet vel interesse non posset, Andreas de Esprisa, loco ipsius interesset. Similiter, si Johannes de Arceiis decederet vel interesse non posset, comitissa vel filius ejus alium poneret loco ejus, quemcunque vellet. Et si forte illi duo concordare non possent, episcopus Claremontis statutus est medius, cujus arbitrio staretur sine contradictione de predicta emenda facienda. Idem etiam episcopus alium poneret loco dicti Andree, quemcunque vellet, si Andreas decederet vel interesse non posset. — Pro his autem conventionibus sic tenendis, posui in manu comitisse et filii sui feodum quod de me tenet karissimus avunculus meus Henricus comes Barriducis, et feodum quod de me tenet Hugo dominus de la Fauche. Et insuper posui in manu ducis Burgundie castrum meum de Chastenaio, tali modo quod, si aliquomodo deficerem de emenda, sicut dictum est, facienda, comes Barriducis et dominus de la Fauche, post quadraginta dies in quibus me monerent de emenda facienda, venirent ad comitissam et filium ejus, illis quadraginta diebus complectis, cum feodis que de me tenent, et eos de feodis illis juvarent contra me, donec, sicut dictum est, emendassem. Dux vero Burgundie redderet comitisse et filio suo predictum castrum de Chastenaio infra quadraginta dies postquam super hoc requisitus fuisset. Et comitissa vel filius ejus illud teneret donec ego, sicut predictum est, de emenda satisfecissem. — Durabit itaque conventio ostagiorum et castri depositio in manu ducis Burgundie, sicut superius est expressum, videlicet ab hoc festo Penthecostes in quinque annos complectos, sed ad fidelitatem ipsi comitisse et filio ejus observandam, et ad ipsos juvandos bona fide contra Erardum et heredes H. quondam comitis Campanie, tenebor imperpetuum obligatus. — Ut autem hec omnia nota permaneant et rata teneantur litteris annotata, sigilli nostri munimine roboravi, et karissimos dominos meos, Fredericum regem Romanorum illustrem, Theodorum Treverensem archiepiscopum, G. Metensem et Spirensem episcopum rogavi ut easdem per suas litteras confirmarent. — Actum apud Esmanciam, anno Domini M°ii0c°xviii, mense junio, in kalendis ejusdem mensis.

Historical context:

The rebellion of Erard, supported by various nobles and prelates, was countered by Blanche and the emperor Frederick, who united against Thibaut of Lorraine. In the words of Theodore Evergates, Aristocratic Women in Medieval France, Blanche “personally led her army to Nancy, torched the town, and witnessed the duke’s humiliating surrender” (84). These are the terms of that surrender.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a castle at the center

Printed source:

Layettes du Tresor des Chartes, ed. A. Teulet, 1.464-65, #1293.

Date: