A letter from Alix of Vergy (1221, August 26)

Translated letter:

I, D[urand], by divine mercy bishop of Chalon-sur-Saone and the chapter, and I, A[lix], duchess of Burgundy, and I B[eatrice], countess of Chalon, make known to all that we have chosen twelve doctors who, on oath, certified us over the customs and right which each of us has in Chalon. They agreed in this manner:

The cloister extends to the oven Aquot and half the lane of the Jews, and half the Saone, as far as the cloister extends, from the bridge of Mills to the bridge of St. Mary and half the canal (“biez”) up to the tower of lord Vendun.

There are twelve serving in Chalon. Three of them are the bishop’s, three the duchess’s and three the countess’s. They can retain men in Chalon and they are free from all customs, and should not render themselves for a crime except before whoever is their lord.

The cloister is the lord bishop’s and he has his justice within it. The duchess also and the countess have justice in it so that although they cannot contest inside the cloister, when he who has committed the crime comes out of the cloister, then they can lighten the penalty according to the crime.

With small crimes, said duchess and countess cannot lighten the penalty unless they had a claim or if the provost of the bishop had lightened it; and if so, then they can lighten the penalty of one in their household.

If any man comes into the city and is lodged with any of those who can retain men, he will be that lord’s. If however he does not exercise lordship within a year and a day, he will be the duchess’s and countess’s.

If anyone is proved to be a usurer by suitable witnesses, all his moveable goods which he then has will go to the duchess and countess, and similarly, whatever he is proved to have got by usury.

The doctors, indeed, define a usurer only as one who lends a shilling or a pound by week, or month, or year, for a penny or pennies of that money or another, except in gaming. So that from past actions to the completion of the quarter, someone cannot be fined over this. Otherwise he is not understood to be a usurer and must be proved in usury at the New Tower and all injuries of the cloister will similarly come to the New Tower.

And other crimes outside the cloister will come to the provosts of the duchess and countess and viscount.

And in all the compensations to the duchess and countess, the viscount has a third part. But the provosts of the duchess and countess can acquit the penalty up to four pennies.

For all those who can retain men in Chalon, noone can retain a man in Chalon or its dependencies unless the man has been justly and peacefully separated from his lord.

The great routes of merchants through water and land are the duchess’s and countess’s.

Justice in the towns of St. Lawrence and Eschernenc and St. Mary are the duchess’s and countess’s, excepting the freedom of churches and cemeteries and the bishop’s bridge-keeper.

The men of Chalon do not owe tolls for three leagues outside Chalon. And if the bishop or the duchess or the countess or he who is sent on business for the chapter, wished to go by water, they can take from the navigators of the lords at their will, except for their expenses; nor can the duchess or the countess levy [fees] on the bishop or the chapter or their people except with their consent and they may do as they will with the rest.

Also if a suit should come to the bishop, he may do what pertains to him in it.

If it is proclaimed for the community of the town, it must be with the consent of the bishop and the chapter, the duchess, the countess, and the viscount, in cloister and town; others outside the town on the part of the duchess, the countess, and the viscount.

And the justice in Holy Cross, St. Martin, and St. Alexander are the bishop’s; and whatever the duchess has at Chalon and its appurtenances in which she shares with the countess, is of the bishop’s fief.

If still something is committed which has not been defined by the doctors, it should be determined by those doctors or by others whom the bishop and the chapter and the duchess and the countess choose.

Enacted in this year 1221 from the incarnation of the Lord, in the month of August, on the Thursday after the feast of St. Bartholomew.

Original letter:

Ego D., miseracione divina episcopus et capitulum Cabilonenses, et ego A. ducissa Burgondie, et ego B. comitissa Cabilonensis, omnibus notum facimus quod nos elegimus duodecim doctores qui, juramento prestito, nos super consuetudinibus et jure quod unusquisque nostrum habebat apud Cabilonem certifficarent. Qui in hunc modum concordaverunt: .— Claustrum durat usque ad furnum Aquot, et dimidium vicum Judeorum, et dimidium Sagonam, quantum claustrum durat, a ponte Molendinorum usque ad pontem Sancte Marie, et medietatem du biez usque ad turrem domini Venduni. — Duodecim servientes sunt in Cabilone. Tres illorum sunt episcopi, et tres ducisse et tres comitisse. Isti possunt retinere homines in Cabilone, et liberi sunt ab omnibus costumis, nec debent aplegiare de forefacto suo, nisi coram domino suo, unusquisque.— Claustrum est domini episcopi; et habet in eo justiciam suam. Ducissa eciam et comitissa habent in eo justiciam, ita tamen quod non possunt vadiare in claustro, sed quando ille qui forefecit recedit a claustro, et tunc possunt emendam levare secundum quod forefecerit. —- De parvis forefactis non possunt emendam levare, dicte ducissa et comitissa, nisi inde clamorem habuerint, vel si prepositus episcopi emendam inde levaverit; et si ita fuerit, tunc possunt emendam levare famuli earum. — Si aliquis homo venerit in civitatem et hospitatus fuerit penes aliquem eorum qui possunt retinere homines, illius domini erit. Si autem non fecerit dominum infra annum et diem, erit ducisse et comitisse. — Si aliquis probetur esse fenerator per testes ydoneos, totum mobile ipsius erit ducisse et comitisse quod tunc habebit, et similiter quocienscunque probabitur esse fenerator. — Doctores vero illum solummodo feneratorem intelligunt qui solidum vel libram per ebdomadam, vel mensem, vel annum pro denario vel denariis ejusdem monete vel alterius accommodat, ludo excepto. Ita quod de retroactis usque ad confectionem quarte (sic) non posset aliquis super hoc conveniri. Alio modo non intelligitur esse fenerator, et debet probari de usura ad Turrim novam, et de omnibus forefactis claustri venietur similiter ad Turrim novam. — Et de aliis forefactis extra claustrum venietur ad prepositos ducisse et comitisse et vicecomitis. — Et de omnibus emendis ducisse et comitisse habet vicecomes terciam partem. Sed prepositi ducisse et comitisse emendam possunt quietare usque ad quatuor denarios. — De omnibus qui possunt retinere apud Cabilonem homines, nullus potest retinere hominem alterius in Cabilone vel dependenciis, nisi juste et pacifice fuerit homo a domino suo separatus. — Magne strate mercatorum per aquam et per terram sunt ducisse et comitisse. — Justicia ville Sancti Laurencii et d'Eschernencs et Sancte Marie sunt ducisse et comitisse, salva libertate ecclesiarum et cimiteriorum et pontenario episcopi. — Homines de Cabilone non debent pedagium circa tres leucas extra Cabilonem. Et si episcopus vel ducissa vel comitissa, vel ille qui pro negocio capituli mitteretur, voluerit ire per aquam, capient de navigatoribus dominorum pro voluntate sua, salvis expensis eorumdem; nec ducissa nec comitissa super episcopum vel capitulum vel suos possunt allevare nisi de assensu eorum, et de residuo facient voluntatem suam. — Item si clamor veniret ad episcopum, faceret inde quod ad se pertineret. — Si crietur pro communitate ville, criari debet assensu episcopi et capituli, ducisse et comitisse et vicecomitis in claustro et villa; alias extra claustrum, ex parte ducisse et comitisse et vicecomitis. – Et justicia Sancta Crucis, Sancti Martini et Sancti Alexandra est episcopi; et quicquid ducissa habet apud Cabilonem et appendentias, in quo partitur cum comitissa, est de feodo episcopi. — Si vero est aliquid commissum super quo non est a doctoribus diffinitum, per eosdem doctores vel per alios, quos episcopus et capitulum et ducissa et comitissa elegerint, debet terminari.—Actum est hoc anno ah incarnacione Domini millesimo ducentesimo vicesimo primo, mense augusti, die jovis post festum Beati Bartholomew.

Historical context:

This document records the understanding of the particular and shared rights of the three who have some jurisdiction over Chalon-sur-Saone: the bishop, the duchess of Burgundy, and the countess of Chalon-sur-Saone.

Printed source:

Layettes du Tresor des Chartes, ed. A. Teulet (Paris: Henri Plon, 1863), 1.522-23, #1465.

Date:

1221, August 26