A letter from Gregory VII, pope (1075, September 11)

Translated letter:

Gregory, bishop, servant of the servants of God to duke Beatrice and her daughter Matilda, greetings and apostolic blessing. We are not a little surprised at what you declared in your letters, that you were consulting us, when it was resolved in your company that the king send two nobles and religious men to us as legates before August, who remain with us still, through whom he enjoined the following: `Your holiness should know, father, that since I perceive that almost all the princes of my kingdom rejoice more about our discord than mutual peace, I am secretly sending you these messengers whom I know to be quite noble and religious and I do not doubt their desire for us to be joined in the good of peace. What I am charging them with, however, I want no one to know except you and my lady mother [Agnes] and my paternal aunt Beatrice and her daughter Matilda.(1) When I return from the Saxon expedition, with God¹s help, I shall send other legates, the most intimate and loyal I have, through whom I shall signify all my will and the reverence which I owe to blessed Peter and to you.' Indeed, he did charge the foresaid legates that they not be surprised or take it amiss that he would send the promised messengers by now and it should not be onerous to them to wait until he sent them, since he would send them without doubt, and he remained unmoveable in that pronouncement. Now, however, we are amazed that this counsel has turned around and what he had disposed to do secretly he wants to do openly, unless what seems to be the case, he in no way desires the peace to be worked out which he wishes now to be made open to those he before wished to hide it from and about whom he said they rejoiced more in our discord than in mutual concord. For this reason, we want you to know that we will not consent to this petition since what we have now does not seem to be for the honor or advantage of St. Peter or us. Though if he should return to the prior counsel, that seems more beneficial for us to accept. As to the counsel which you asked us for, what answer you might give to Godfrey [Matilda's husband], we do not know if he openly broke the promise he made you on oath, nor what we ought to believe about his promises. Truly if you could enter some pact with him which did not depart from the sanction of the holy fathers, that seems praiseworthy to us; if not, we desire to make clear to you that the charity by which God joined us can in no way be dissolved or diminished. Wherefore, if he loves you, we love him, if he begins in his guilt to hate you, we loving you as dearest daughters shall resist him in whatever ways we can with God's favor. Rome, 3rd Ides of September.

Original letter:

Gregorius episcopus servus servorum Dei Beatrici duci Mathildi filie eius salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Non parum de vobis miramur, quod de his, que per vestras litteras mandastis, nobis consulere decrevistis, cum constet apud vos, quod idem rex duos ac nobiles ac religiosos viros ad nos ante mensem Augustum legatos miserit, qui videlicet adhuc nobiscum manent, per quos talia mandavit: "Noverit vestra sanctitas, pater, quoniam, dum ego pene omnes principes mei regni de nostra magis discordia quam de mutua pace gaudere percipio, ad vos istos nuntios latenter dirigo, quos satis nobiles ac religiosos esse cognosco et pacis bonum inter nos optare coniungi nequaquam dubito. Hoc autem quod mando neminem scire volo preter vos dominam matremque meam atque amitam Beatricem et filiam eius Mathildam. Me vero adiuvante Domino de expeditione Saxonica redeunte alios legatos dirigam, quam familiariores ac fideliores habebo, per quos omnem vobis meam voluntatem et reverentiam, quam beato Petro et vobis debeo, significabo." Postea vero prefatis legatis dicendo mandavit, quatenus non mirarentur neque graviter ferrent, quod promissos minime adhuc direxerit nuntios, eisque non fieret onerosum eos, donec ipse mitteret, prestolari, quoniam procul dubio illos missurus erat et in eadem sententia immobiliter permanebat. Nunc autem, qualiter hoc consilium versum sit et, quod facere latenter disposuerat, palam fieri velit, penitus miramur, nisi quod datur intellegi, quia ipse nequaquam hanc cupiat pacem componi, quam modo vult palam eis fieri, quibus eam antea volebat abscondi et de quibus idem testabatur magis eos de nostra discordia quam de mutua concordia letari. Quapropter vos scire volumus nos huic petitioni nullatenus consensuros, quoniam, quod modo inventum est, non videtur beati Petri ac nobis honorabile vel eius utilitati provenire. Quodsi ad prius revertatur consilium, id videtur salubrius nobisque sequendum. De consilio vero, quod expetistis a nobis, quid vobis sit respondendum Gotefredo, nescimus, cum ille aperte infregerit, quod vobis iuramento promisit, nec certum quicquam de ipsius promissionibus credere valeamus. Verum si aliquod foedus, quod a sanctorum patrum sanctione non discrepet, inire cum eo poteris, nobis [bonum] laudandumque videtur; sin autem, caritatem, qua nos Deus coniuncxit, nullo modo posse dissolvi aut aliquatenus minorari certissime apud vos constare optamus. Unde, si vos dilexerit, eum diligemus, si vero ex sua cupa odio habere ceperit, sicut karissimas filias modis quibus poterimus vos diligendo ei Deo favente resistemus. Data Rome III, Idus Septembris, Indictione XIIII.

Historical context:

Gregory addressed this and several other letters to Matilda and her mother Beatrice, who ruled jointly until Beatrice's death. Gregory explains the perplexing status of his negotiations with Henry IV, and assures Matilda of his support for her in her marital problems with Godfrey, provided she find a religiously sanctioned solution.

Scholarly notes:

(1)Beatrice is technically his first cousin once-removed, but as a member of the generation of his father, whose first cousin she was, she is spoken of here as an aunt.

Printed source:

Register Gregors VII, MGH, EpSel, ed. Erich Caspar, ep.3.5

Date:

1075, September 11