A letter from Eleanor of Provence (1279)

Translated letter:

Eleanor, by the grace of God queen of England, to our dear son Edward, by that same grace king of England, greetings and our blessing. You should know, sweet son, that we have heard there is a marriage in the making between the son of the king of Sicily and the daughter of the king of Germany. If this alliance is made, we might well be upset in the right we have to a quarter of Provence, which would be a great harm to us, and that harm would be yours as well as ours. Therefore we pray and request that you write particularly to the foresaid king that, since Provence is held of the empire and its dignity requires that he render justice to us for it, he should consider the right we have and give it to us. We particularly ask this of you and commend you to God.

Original letter:

Alianor, par la grace de Dieu reine d’Engleterre, à nostre cher fis Edward, par cele meisme grace roi d’Engleterre, salus et nostre benoyson. Saschiez, dos fis, que nous avons entendu que uns mariages est en fesant par entre le fis le rei de Cézille et la fille le rei d’Alemagne, et se ceste aliance se face, nos porrons bien estre destorbées du droit que nos avons en la quarte partie de Provence, laquel chose serait grant dammage à nos, et cel damage seroit nostre et vostre. Et por ce vos prioms et requeroms que vos voillés especiaument escrivre à l’avant dit roi, que, puisque Provence est tenue de l’empire et sa dignité veut que il nous en face faire droiture, veille regarder le droit ke nous avoms, et faire le nous avoir. De ceste chose vos requeroms especiaument et vos commandons à Dieu.

Historical context:

Eleanor's youngest sister, Beatrice, who died in 1267, had been her father's heir in Provence, but the other sisters had claims to parts of the land and Eleanor here asks her son to argue her claim with the emperor. Eleanor never realized her claims, but neither did she yield them, and she passed them on to the children of her son Edmund. The proposed marriage was between Charles Martel, grandson of Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily, and the daughter of Rudolf of Hapsburg, king of the Germans. The letter is in French.

Printed source:

Lettres de Rois, Reines et Autres Personnages des Cours de France et D'Angleterre, ed. M. Champollion-Figeac (Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1839), 1.245, ep.191.

Date:

1279