A letter from Honorius III (1220)

Translated letter:

Honorius bishop ..., to his dearest daughter in Christ the noble woman, Y[sabel], once queen of England, greetings, etc. We are compelled to wonder and to be moved that, as we have heard, forgetful of maternal piety, unduly persecuting [our] dearest son in Christ Henry illustrious king of the English, your son, you recently had his seneschal B[ernard] captured and held captive for a long time until you extorted a not small amount of money as ransom, nonetheless keeping hostages until now so that you could extort more money from him. Moreover making those bound to the king swear to you, you despoiled him of the castrum of Cognac, inflicting other things on him and serious harm on his faithful/those pledged to him. Since, therefore, we consider the cause of that king our own, as one who was an orphan, a ward, one who had taken the cross, and was left to the special care of the apostolic see, we admonish your nobility intently and exhort that you cease altogether from harm of that king and his faithful, having the hostages of said seneschal set free and what was taken away restored, and restoring the castrum mentioned; so that you end divine offense and human infamy and we can commend your nobility deservedly. Otherwise, not wishing to fail him in his right, we who are debtors to all in justice, give commands by letter to our venerable brothers, bishops ... of Orange and ... Limoges, and our beloved son ... the deacon of Bordeaux, that they compel you and your supporters and accomplices to that, in the aforesaid admonition [Chron: manner], by excommunication of person and interdict of land, without appeal. Dated at the Old City, 7th kalends of October, fifth year of our pontificate.

Original letter:

Honorius episcopus . . ., carissimae in Christo filiae nobili mulieri Y. quondam Reginae Angliae, salutem etc. Mirari cogimur et moveri, quod, sicut audivimus, maternae pietatis oblita, carissimum in Christo filium Henricum, Regem Anglorum illustrem, natum tuum, indebite persequens, nuper B. senescallum suum capi fecisti, et tamdiu detineri captivum, donec ab eo non modicam pecuniae quantitatem redemptionis nomine extorsisti, ejus adhuc nihilominus obsides detinendo, ut ab eo majorem possis pecuniam extorquere. Praeterea, fideles Regis ejusdem tibi jurare faciens, eum castro de Compniaco spoliasti, alias multipliciter ipsi et fidelibus suis damna grandia inferendo. Cum igitur causam Regis ipsius propriam reputemus, utpote qui orphanus, pupillus, crucesignatus et speciali sedis apostolicae custodiae derelictus existit, nobilitatem tuam monemus attentius et hortamur, quatenus, praedicti senescalli obsides liberari, et ablata ei restitui faciens, ac castrum restituens memoratum, ab ejusdem Regis et suorum fidelium molestatione penitus conquiescas, ita quod inde divinam offensam et infamiam declines humanam, et nos nobilitatem tuam possimus merito commendare. Alioquin, nolentes eidem in suo jure deesse, qui sumus omnibus in justitia debitores, venerabilibus fratribus nostris Xantonensi et Lemovicensi episcopis, et dilecto filio decano Burdegalensi, nostris damus literis in mandatis, ut te ac fautores et complices tuos ad id, monitione praemissa, per excommunicationem in personas et interdictum in terras, appellatione remota, compellant. Datum apud Urbem-veterem, VII kal. octobris, pontificatus nostri anno quinto.

Historical context:

The pope reproves the former queen for her attack on her son's castle and capture of his seneschal, and exhorts her to make amends under threat of excommunication and interdict. A similar letter was sent to her husband Hugh (HGF 19, 709-10), but it begins reminding Hugh that he had sworn to marry Isabel's daughter and that he married the mother without consulting the king. In 1222, having once imposed excommunication on Isabel and her husband Hugh and lifted it, he will threaten to impose it again, unless they return her daughter Joanna's dowry and certain castra. And in 1224, the pope will tell the bishops of Orange and Limoges and the deacon of Bordeaux to compel Hugh to restore the city of Orange, the island of Oléron and other lands to Henry, along with Henry's sister, Joanna, whom Hugh had sworn to marry, then foreswore himself by marrying the mother, while he kept the girl and the city.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at the center.

Manuscript source:

Reg. Vat.lib.5, epist.144, fol.29; Vallic.I.53; Mus.Brit.add mss. 15354

Printed source:

Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages: Royal and Other Historical Letters Illustrative of the Reign of Henry III, 1.536, App5, #10; HGF 19.708-09; and summary in I, 1.45Regesta Honorii Papae III 2, #2725.

Date:

1220