A letter from Alix and her son, Hugh, duke of Burgundy (1227, July)

Translated letter:

I, Alix, duchess of Burgundy, and I her son, the duke of Burgundy, make known to all who will look at the present letters that we have sworn to our beloved and faithful Thibaut, count Palatine of Champagne and Brie, that we will help him against the count of Nevers and against any creature that may live and die, except against the king and queen of France, and except against our lords and men whom we had on the day that the present letters were made, as long as those our men wished to stand before us for justice, and except against those who might hold the fief of said our men, with the exception of the count of Nevers, against whom[quod] we swore to help said Thibaut count of Champagne. These agreements will last between us and the aforesaid Thibaut, count of Champagne, until Hugh, my son the duke, will have reached twenty one years, and after he will have completed the twenty first year, if it please Hugh, my son, they will renew and confirm these agreements, and if it please my son Hugh, these agreements from then on will be altogether null, and they will hold themselves towards each other as they held themselves before the present letters were made. And it should be known that we cannot make other homage in fraud and deceit against these agreements, and if we were to do so, we would amend that to the decision of the said archbishop of Lyon and the bishop of Langres and the said countess B[lanche], or to the decision of two of these three if these three cannot be present at the same time; and it should be known that Hugh, my son, swore and I for him that that same Hugh will not marry the daughter of count Robert, nor the daughter of the count of Brittany, nor the daughter of the count of la Marche, nor the daughter of the count of Boulogne, nor the daughter of Robert of Courtenay, nor the daughter of Enguerrand of Coucy, nor the daughter of Guy of Chatillon, nor their sisters or nieces, except with the consent and will of said Thibaut, count of Champagne. For the holding of these agreements, I duchess A[lix] and I duke Hugh, gave as our pledges William of Vergy, Anseric of Montreal, Clarembald of Chapes, Andreas of Espisia, Peter, marshal of Burgundy, who swore at our command that if we were to – let it not be so -- renege on these agreements, within a month that they were summoned by the reverend fathers the archbishop of Lyon and the bishop of Langres and Blanche the noble countess of Champagne, or by two of them, if three could not be at the same time to do it, they would hold [them] hostage at Troyes, nor could they leave until that had been fully emended at the decision of those three, or of two of those three, if the three could not be together to do it, and also for the greater security of this thing, we gave power to said archbishop of Lyon and bishop of Langres that if we departed from these agreements, they or either of them might promulgate sentences against our persons of excommunication and interdict in our lands by their agreement and that of the countess, if those three could be together to do it or by the agreement of two of the three, if those three could not, and they would hold the judgments by the archbishop of Lyon and the bishop of Langres until we would have emended that to said count, as often as we left those agreements until the end named above our said pledges would [be] held hostage at Troyes after they were summoned in the manner above, and would be held to the archbishop of Lyon and the bishop of Langres(1) to promulgate sentences against our persons and our land in the manner named above. In testimony of which I Alix, duchess of Burgundy, have had my seal appended to the present letters. I, truly, the duke, since I did not yet have a seal, was satisfied by the seal of the lady and mother duchess. Enacted in the 1227th year of the Lord, in the month of July.

Original letter:

Ego Alaidis, ducissa Burgundie, et ego filius ejus, dux Burgundie, notum facimus omnibus presentes litteras inspecturis nos jurasse delecto et fideli nostro Theobaldo, Campanie et Brie comiti Palatino, quod nos juvaremus ipsum contra comitem Nivernensem et contra omnem creaturam que possit vivere et mori, preterquam contra regem et reginam Francie, et preterquam contra dominos et homines nostros quos habebamus die qua presentes littere facte fuerunt, quandiu illi homines nostri voluerint coram nobis stare juri, et preter quam contra illos qui tenerent feodum dictorum hominum nostrorum, excepto comite Nivernensi, contra quod juravimus juvare dictum Theobaldum comitem Campanie. Iste autem conventiones durabunt inter nos et prefatum Theobaldum. comitem Campanie, usque dum Hugo dux, filius meus, compleverit vigesimum unum annum, et postquam compleverit vigesimum unum annum, si placet Hugoni, filio meo, ipsi renovabunt et confirmabunt istas conventiones, et si placet Hugoni, filio meo, iste conventiones extunc in antea penitus erunt nulle, et ipsi habebunt se alter erga alterum sicut habebant se antequam presentes littere essent facte, et sciendum quod non possumus facere alia homagia in fraudem et dolum contra istas conventiones, et si nos id faceremus, nos illud emendaremus ad dictum dictorum archiepiscopi Lugdunensis et episcopi Lingonensis et dicte B. comilisse, vel ad dictum duorum de istis tribus, si isti tres simul interesse non possent; et sciendum quod Hugo, filius meus, juravit,et ego pro ipso,quod ipse Hugo non maritabit se in filiam comitis Roberti, neque in filiam comitis Britannie, vel in filiam comitis Marchie, neque in filiam comitis Bononie, neque in filiam Roberti de Cortenay, neque in filiam Injarrandi de Couciaco, neque in filiam Guidonis de Castellione, neque sororibus, neque neptibus eorumdem, nisi de assensu et voluntate dicti Theobaldi, comitis Campanie. De istis etiam conventionibus tenendis ego A. ducissa, et ego Hugo dux. dedimus pro nobis plegios Wuillelmum de Wirgeio, Ansericum de Monteregali, Clarembaudum de Cappis, Andream de Espisia, Petrum, marescallum Burgundie, qui de mandato nostro juraverunt quod si de istis conventionibus, (quod absit), resiliremus infra mensem quod essent requisiti a reverendis patribus archiepiscopo Lugdunensi et episcopo Lugdunensi [sic] et Blancha nobili comitisse Campanie, vel a duobus de istis, si tres non possent insimul esse ad id faciendum et etiam ad majorem istius rei securitatem nos dedimus potestatem dicto archiepiscopo Lugdunensi et episcopo Lingonensi quod si exiremus de istis conventionibus quod ipsi, vel alter eorum, posset in personas nostras excommunicationis et in terras nostras interdicti sententias promulgare per concordationem suam et comitisse, si ipsi tres possent insimul esse ad id faciendum vel ad concordationem duorum de illis tribus, si ipsi tres insimul esse non possent et sententias tamdiu tenerent archiepiscopo Lugdunensi et episcopo Lingonensi quod illud dicto comiti emendassemus, quotiescumque etiam de istis conventionibus exiremus, usque ad terminum superius nominatum dicti plegii nostri tenerent ostagium apud Trecas postquam essent requisiti modo supradicto, et archiepiscopo Lugdunensi et episcopo Lingonensi tenerentur in personas nostras et terram nostram sententias promulgare modo superius nominato. In cujus rei testimonium ego Alaidis, ducissa Burgundie, presentibus litteris sigillum meum apponi feci. Ego vero dux quia sigillum nundum habebam, sigillo domine et matris ducisse fui contentus. Actum est hoc anno Domini millesimo CC' XX° VII0 mense julio.

Historical context:

Treaty and agreements between the duchess and her son Hugh with Thibaut, count of Champagne, to whom they promise aid and support against the count of Nevers. They also promise that Hugh will not marry any of the women named except with the consent of Thibaut. He would eventually marry Yolande of Dreux. Hugh does not yet have his own seal.

Scholarly notes:

1. The Latin text gives Lugdunensi, Lyon, here but that is obviously a scribal error.

Printed source:

E. Petit, Histoire Generale des Ducs de Bourgogne de la race Capétienne (Dijon: Darentiere, 1885-1905), 6v., 4.229-31, #1872..

Date:

1227, July