A letter from Marguerite of Provence (1263)

Translated letter:

Marguerite, by the grace of God queen of the French, to her dearest brother Alphonse, count of Poitiers and Toulouse, brother of our lord king, greetings and the affection of sincere love. For our dearest relative lord Gaston de Béarn, we offer our prayers to you in affection that you be favorable and benign to him in his business, out of love and consideration for us ... and your wife [Joan of Poitiers] who is joined to him in a line of consanguinity, acting towards him as pertains to your honor, lest it can be said or objected deservedly against you that Gaston seem to be violently oppressed by you or your men, and that you act so that he feels our prayers to have been fruitful and that we may thenceforth be grateful to you.

Original letter:

Margareta, Dei gratia Francorum regina, karissimo fratri suo Alfonso, comiti Pictavensi et Tholose, fratri domini nostri regis, salutem et sincere dilectionis affectum. Pro karissimo consanguineo nostro domino Gastone de Biardo vobis preces porrigimus ex affectu, ut eidem in negociis suis amore nostri necnon contemplatione...uxoris vestre, que sibi in linnea consanguinitatis, conjungitur, sitis favorabilis et benignus, erga ipsum taliter vos reddentes prout ad honorem vestrum pertinet, ne possit dici merito vel obici vobis quod per vos vel vestros idem Gasto violenter opprimi videatur, tantum inde facientes quod preces nostrass ibi senciat fructuosas et quod vobis inde teneamur ad merita graciarum.

Historical context:

Gaston de Béarn was a cousin of Marguerite and Eleanor through his mother, Garsende, sister of their father Raymond Berengar V; in 1243, Eleanor persuaded Gaston to do homage to Henry at Bordeaux, as lord of the largest Gascon fiefs (Howell, 37). Gaston was later part of a rebellion against the king, was captured by Simon de Montfort in 1249, but pardoned and his lands restored at the queen's intercession (Howell, 62). In another act of rebellion, Gaston did homage to Alfonso X of Castile for the same lands in 1253. Nonetheless, he was prepared to bring troops to support Eleanor and Henry in 1263. In this letter, Marguerite urges Alphonse to stop oppressing Gaston, but Alphonse saw Gaston as the aggressor (see epp.1967, 1988).

Printed source:

Correspondance Administrative d'Alfonse de Poitiers, ed. Auguste Molinier (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1894), Collection de Documents indédits sur l'Histoire de France, 2.432-33, ep.1866

Date:

1263