A letter from Blanche of Castile, queen of France (1240)

Translated letter:

Blanche, by the grace of God queen of France, to her beloved citizens and the whole community of Béziers, greetings and love. That you bear sincere faith towards our [beloved] son the king and have done so in the past and will do so in the future, as we understand from the tenor of your letters and because our beloved, G. des Ormes, seneschal of Carcassonne much extols you, we thank you for your fidelity, in whose constancy we have hope and faith. We ask and request that you so persevere in the constancy of said fidelity and act so faithfully and virilely and give counsel and help to the people of that king our [beloved] son that you deserve to have our help and favor and his. Enacted at Chateauneuf, A.D.1240, in the month of October.

Original letter:

Blanca, dei gracia Francie regina, dilectis suis civibus toteque communitati Bitterris, salutem et dilectionem. Super eo quod sinceram fidem erga [dilectum] filium nostrum regem geritis et gessistis et in futurum geretis, prout ex vestarum tenore perpendimus litterarum, et quod dilectus noster, G. de Ulmis, senescallus Carcassone, de vobis plurimum se collaudat, refferimus vobis grate fidelitatem vestram, de cujus constancia spem et fiduciam reportamus; rogantes et requirentes quatenus in dicte fidelitatis constancia taliter perseveretis, et ita fideliter et viriliter vos habeatis et gentibus ipsius [dilecti] filii nostri regis consilium et auxilium impendatis, quod exinde ipsius et nostrum habere merea[mini] auxilium et favorem. Actum apud Castrum Novum, anno Domini 1240, mense Octobris.

Historical context:

Béziers was the seat of Raymond Trencavel, heir to the former viscount who has been ousted from Carcassonne by Simon de Montfort in 1209 during the Albigensian crusade. Carcassonne went back and forth, until 1240 when Trencavel besieged it with Catalan and Aragonese support and perhaps with the tacit support of the count of Toulouse. He was defeated by the French, see the report sent to Blanche by the seneschal of Carcassonne, Guillaume des Ormes, named in this letter (Epistolae 724.html). Apparently the people of Béziers wrote to Blanche, assuring her of their fidelity to her son and Blanche responds with encouraging words.

Printed source:

Antonin Soucaille, “Lettres inédites de Louis IX, de la reine Blanche et de Louis XII,” Revue des Sociétés savantes 5 (1867), 447.

Date:

1240