A letter from William of Piano

Also, he took and had oaths of fidelity from citizens of that city.  Also he had and took in that city major blood justices, namely theft and adultery and other crimes.  Also he had and held pacifically in that city a certain court as Arnald Garsie and L. Fenassa hold it now.  Also he held and possessed a certain town which is called Le Puy St.Etienne, in which he had full rule and jurisdiction and control, which the knight G. of Le Puy now holds.  Also he had and took tribute and fine and proclamation of which viscounty the lord king of France has rights and actions in said city and what pertains to it elsewhere.  Also that seneschal informs you that when the most illustrious Louis, of happy memory, former king of the Franks by the grace of God, came to Avignon, then the venerable father bishop of Albi and the citizens of that city freely brought the keys of the city as a sign of rule and jurisdiction, and gave them to him, and those citizens swore fidelity to him.  Also when that lord king crossed through the land of Albi, those citizens of Albi freely offered him the oath of fidelity as to a lord, his standard was set over the cathedral church and was proclaimed for him in that city.  Also he informs you that from that time forth the lord king or those in his name had, held, received and possessed all the above and also possession or inheritances of the banned and those condemned of heresy, and tributes of leatherworkers, cobblers and merchants, and all the above were peacefully in seisin.  Also the lord king was in seisin of tribute which William Geisse, citizen of Albi, and lord Sicard Alamanni now hold, of which the lord king was deseised by violence in time of war.  Also he informs [you] that the banned of said city and those condemned of heresy, were 60 and more in number, whose inheritances are worth 10,000 Turin pounds and more, and said court with its appurtenances 1000 pounds and more.  About all the aforesaid, said bishop of Albi, with the help of the noble man lord R formerly count of Toulouse, for fear of future war, deseised the lord king and his men, so that said said bishop and citizens of Albi or the greater part of them, did not receive the king or his men by the precedents (premissa) as they ought.  Also he informs that the same bishop handed over piecemeal to certain citizens of Albi certain inheritances of the banned and heretics, which pertain to the lord king, so that they would favor that bishop and offer counsel and help against the lord king.  When said seneschal, in the name of the lord king, asked for all the said things, together and singly, to be brought back in seisin and possession of all the above, and also sought in the name of the lord king the fruits, rents, and revenues of the said individuals to be adjudicated and restored to those from whom they were taken or to who could collect them, which he estmates at the value of 10,000 Turin pounds and more.   Also he informs that when a certain man serving the lord king was sent as the official letter-bearer (bajulo) of the lord king to the city of Albi to compel a certain Albi citizen to pay a debt that he owed to a certain creditor, exercising the lord king’s jurisdiction, as is the custom, when said creditor complained to said letter-bearer of the lord king over this, the bishop of Albi in his own person took that servant by his clothes and led him captive, casting many insults and inflicting many injuries in contempt of the lord king, and this was done from that time forward as was reported by the venerable father lord archdeacon of Béziers and Frotard of Penne between the bishop and said citizens and that seneschal over the strange events, injuries, and harms committed at the time of his seneschal.  About which injuries, he seeks for himself and the aforesaid servant in the name of the lord king, justice to be done.  Also, he informs that when said bishop and citizens of Albi were called recently to prepare for judgment in your court, that same bishop after this summons conspired by oath interposed with certain citizens of Albi who hold possessions and goods of the banned and those condemned for heresy and other rights pertaining to said king, that all would defend themselves together against the lord king’s court men, who might seek precedents (premissa) from them and for this, having taken counsel and gathered the people, they collected all the people to defend the aforesaid; and said bishop and certain other of his supporters put forth to said people that if the lord kind had the heresies and bannings and other rights which he sought there, they would all be destroyed and not be lords of their own things, and therefore if they could they should defend themselves from the precedents (premissis) since if this happened, the lord king and his men would oppress them in many ways.  Also he informs that when a certain wise citizen of Albi on the part of the people in said meeting told said bishop and his confederates:  “That if the lord king or his men sought the heresies and the bannings from you or any jurisdiction of the township, you might defend it if you wish, and if some hold back the tributes or tolls or other rights pertaining to said king, they might defend them if they wished, but neither we nor the people would insert ourselves into it for them.”  When this was said, several who held [possessions from] heresies and bannings, said to that upright man speaking on the part of the people in a high voce:  “You speak badly, you speak badly” and then with knives drawn shouting “Death, death” they rushed against him and his counselors, cut the garments of some of them, shouding in a loud voice “To the barriers, to the barriers, to arms to arms, let’s go to the homes of the traitors.”  And then they went through the streets, knives drawn, until the people stopped them from their violence.  Also said seneschal adds anew and signifies to your highness that lord William, formerly bishop of Albi, acknowledged to lord Roger, then viscount of Béziers, that he held from him in free fief all the cavalry service he held in the region of Albi, and that he should make such recognition to him by right, which knights made to their lieges, and he acknowledged to said viscount that the third part of all the sureties/pledges (fidantiarum) of the township of Albi, whatever they were there, with the third part of the justices which they ought to agree there, and the whole of Castroveteri, which whole was said viscount’s, with the whole toll of the bridge.  He also asserted that at the same time they had the toll of pile*, and for the toll in separate workers of markets/operations of merchants (operatoriis mercatorum), in the feast of the Lord’s birth, one measure of wool or linen cloth, that was in that operation, not the best or worst, and what they had on said feast in single tables of merchandise (merceriorum) one pound of pepper for toll, and in the separate tables of cobblers, 12 Raymond denari, and in separate tables of meats all the tongues of cows that are killed there and of all the pigs that are killed there, the right anterior tibia over a cubit, and what they had for tribute or for toll on said feast for each baker one bread of one denarius, and from each tavern one measure of wine which is called bale (bal), and from each salt-seller, one tub of salt, and from each smith the shoeing of a horse, and from each skinworker one skin of over-tunic hide and from each seller one pound of whatever they sell.  And the whole of the Puy Amadenc, which is the greater part of said township, was entirely in the viscount’s part, and he declared that in all aforesaid tolls, said viscount had two parts and the bishop the third part.  He also asserted that said viscount had and collected and possessed all the above or others for himself.  He also asserted that at the time of excommunication and banning, after the withdrawal of the lord count of Montfort, before the lord king came to Avignon, Trencavel, said viscount of Béziers and lord R. Bernard, count of Foix, his counsellor and procurator, released the whole city of Albi and all its men from the taxes, exactions, impositions, and tributes or tolls which they could not make, when said viscount lost said land by judgment, nor could  he do anything to the disadvantage to the lord king.  Finally it appears in this that said viscount had the tax, exaction, imposition, and tribute in the city of Albi and all the men of that city.  Truly said seneschal seeks in the name of the lord king possession of the aforesaid  to be restored to him and payment made over the separate [acts] of justice.  in the year of the Lord 1252.