A letter from Alphonse of Poitiers (05/12/1264)

Translated letter:

To his excellent and beloved E[leanor], by the grace of God queen of England, Alphonse, son of the king of France, count of Poitiers and Toulouse, greetings and the affection of sincere love. We make known to your excellence that what you wrote in your letters, that we should have all the ships of the English that are found during the war in our land and jurisdiction stopped and seized, we fear — and it seems to many good men — that we ought not and can not do this without great injury and danger. Dated Longpont, Monday after the translation of St. Nicholas.

Original letter:

Excellenti et dilecte sue A., Dei gratia regine Anglie, Alfonsus, filius regis Francie, comes Pictavie et Tholose, salutem et sincere dilectionis affectum. Excellentie vestre singnificamus quod super hoc quod per vestras scripsistis litteras ut nos omnes naves Anglicorum, que in terra et districtu nostro invenientur durante garra (sic), arrestari et detineri faciamus, timemus et videtur multis bonis hoc nos non posse seu debere facere absque magna injuria et periculo. Datum apud Longumpontem, die lune post translacionem beati Nicholai.

Historical context:

Alphonse writes in response to Eleanor's letter of May 7, ep.2022, in which she had asked him to seize any British ships in her port, arguing that during a war everything is at the disposal of the king.

Printed source:

Correspondance Administrative d'Alfonse de Poitiers, ed. Auguste Molinier (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1894), Collection de Documents inédits sur l'Histoire de France, 2.546, ep.2023

Date:

05/12/1264