A letter from Marguerite of Provence (1261)

Translated letter:

To her most illustrious and dearest brother, Henry, by grace of God king of England, Marguerite, by that same grace queen of France, greetings and affection of love as sincere as it is fraternal. You should know that the will of our lord king and ours is that we send to you what was negotiated/arbitrated by us between you and lord Simon of Montfort, count/earl of Leicester. And we assign a date to you, also charging said count in the hope that, within this coming Pentecost or the octave thereof, you will appear before us either in person or through solemn messengers to proceed ... by foresaid, and to take care under certain penalty to observe said arbitration. And if it should happen ... not to come, you so instruct them that they can do whatever you would do if you were present ... through your letters or in another way, under such penalty as will seem expeditious to you. For it is useful to set a large penalty ... large and difficult negotiations between you so that none of the parties can be undone ... compelled to appear.

Original letter:

Illustrissimo et karissimo fratri suo Henrico, Dei gratia regi Anglie, Margareta eadem gratia regina Francie, salutem et dilectionis affectum tam sincere quam fraterne. Noveritis quod voluntas domini nostri regis et nostra est nos expedire de compromisso, inter vos et dominum Symonem de Monteforti, co.....Leycestrensi in nos facto. Et ab spe vobis diem assignamus, etiam dicto comiti mandantes quod infra Penthecostem proxime instantem vel infra octabas, compareatis coram nobis per vos vel per sollempnes nuncios ad procedendum.....supradicto, et ad cavendum sub pena certa de observando compromisso supradicto. Et si contingat.....non venire, sic ipsos instruatis, quod possint facere omnia que faceretis, si presens essetis.....per litteras vestras vel alio modo, sub tanta pena, sub quanta nobis visum fuerit expedire. Expedit quod magna pena apponatur.....magna.....et ardua negocia que inter vos tractantur ut nulli parcium liceat resi.....parere compellatur.

Historical context:

Marguerite was the negotiator accepted by both sides between her brother-in-law Henry and his brother-in-law, Simon of Montfort, who was well thought of in the French court but capable of giving Henry a lot of trouble in England. There are a number of gaps in the letter. I am grateful to Kathleen Neal of Monash University for the corrected date of this letter.

Printed source:

Lettres de Rois, Reines et Autres Personnages des Cours de France et D'Angleterre, ed. M. Champollion-Figeac (Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1839), 1.136, ep.108; also in Royal and Other Historical Letters Illustrative of the Reign of Henry III, ed. W.W. Shirley (London: Longman et al., 1866), ep.549, 2.173-4.

Date:

c.1262, May