A letter from Gregory IX, pope

Translated letter:

Gregory, bishop, servant of the servants of God to his beloved son, the noble man count Thomas, and to his beloved daughter in Christ the noble woman, Joan, countess of Flanders, greetings and apostolic bnediction.  The see, having diligently investigated the circumstances and merits of the persons affirms the most powerful ecclesiastical ... are known to show special devotion with piety [and ] filial affection to that.  On your part, indeed, it was humbly asked of us that, since you had contracted matrimony publicly in the church and afterwards it was found that you are related by the fourth degree of affinity, lest your conscience suffer any injury from that, we take care to provide mercifully for you on this.  We, therefore, aware of the affection of your devotion and hoping firmly that you should persist in devotion to the apostolic see more readily ... we dispense by the constitution of the general council with us, [we grant] that you may remain in such marriage ... without opposition from apostolic authority.  Let no man, therefor violate this page of our dispensation or oppose it by audacious deed.  If anyone should presume to attempt this, he should know that he will incur the indignation of almighty God and the blessed apostles Peter and Paul.  Given at the Lateran, 13th kalends of March, twelfth year of our Pontificate.

Original letter:

Gregorius episcopus seruus seruorum Dei dilecto filio nobili uiro Thome comiti et dilecte in Christo filie nobili mulieri iohanne comitisse Flandrensium. salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Circumstantiis et meritis personarum diligenter inspectis sedes....confiteuit potissimum erga eos ecclesiasticum ...pietate ...qui filiale affectione noscuntur ad ipsam deuotionem gerere specialem. Ex parte siquidem uestra fuit a nobis humiliter postulatum ut cum publice in ecclesie facie matrimonium inter uos duxeritis contrahendum et postmodum compertum fuerit. quod quarto affinitatis gradu uos ad inuicem contingatis . ne conscientia uestra patiatur exinde aliquam lesionem curaremus uobis in hac parte misericorditer prouidere. Nos igitur uestre deuotionis affectum propensius attendentes et sperantes firmiter. quod in apostolice sedis deuotione persistere debeatis . nobiscum ut in tali possitis matrimonio permanere . a generalis constitutione concilii non obstante auctoritate apostolica dispensamus. Nulli ergo omnino hominum liceat hanc paginam nostre dispensatio­nis infringere. uel ei ausu temerario contraire. Si quis autem hoc attemptare presumpserit indignationem omnipotentis dei et beatorum petri et pauli apostolorum eius se nouerit incursurum. Datum lateranensi xiii kalendas martii Pontificatus nostri anno duodecimo.

Historical context:

Gregory IX gives a despensation to Thomas of Savoy and Joan, countess of Flanders, to marry, despite their being related within the fourth degree of affinity.  Joan was a first cousin of Louis VIII of France (whose mother Isabel of Hainaut was the brother of Joan's father, Baldwin IX); Louis's son, Louis IX, Joan's first cousin once removed, was married to Thomas's niece, Marguerite of Provence.  There are lacunae in the document.

Printed source:

Historiae Patriae Monumenta, edita iussu Regis Caroli Alberti, Chartarum (Augustae taurinorum e regio typographeo, MDCCCXXXVI), 1.1338-39,  #896.

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