A letter from Guillaume des Ormes, seneschal of Carcassonne (1240)

Translated letter:

To his most excellent and superillustrious lady, Blanche, by the grace of God queen of the French, G[uillaume/William] des Ormes, seneschal of Carcassonne, her humble and devoted, [sends] greetings and faithful service. Let it be known to your excellence by the presents, Lady, that the city of Carcassonne was besieged by him who calls himself Viscount and his confederates on the Monday after the octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary [September 17]. And we who were in the city immediately took from them the town of Graveillant which is before the Toulouse gate; and from that we had a good deal of wood, which was a great advantage to us. And said town extended from the barbican of the city up to the corner of said city. And on the same day, our said enemies took the mill away from us because of the large number of people they had. Afterwards, Oliver de Termes, B[ernard] Hugo de Serre-Longue, G[erald] d’Aniort, and those who were with them placed themselves between the corner of the city and the water; and there, that same day, they closed themselves off with the ditches that were there and the roads that they destroyed between us and them so that we could not get to them. On the other side, between the bridge and the barbican of the castle, Peter de Fenouillet and Renald de Puy, William Strong (Fortis), P[eter] de la Tour and many others from Carcassonne placed themselves. And these two factions had so many crossbowmen that no one could leave the city without being wounded. Afterwards, they set up a mangonel/siege-engine before our barbican and we immediately set up a very good petrary [siege-engine] inside the barbican, which hurled at said mangonel and on every side of it, so that when they wanted to hurl something against us and they saw the crossbar of our petrary being moved, they fled and surrendered their mangonel. And there they made ditches and a paling. We however, as long as we hurled from said petrary, we put them to flight from that place, since we could not go there, because of the ditches, crossbows, and pits that were there. Moreover, Lady, they began to mine/tunnel to the barbican of the Narbonne gate and we, immediately, when we heard their mining, countermined and made a large and strong wall inside the barbican of dry stones, so that we successfully preserved the middle of the barbican; and then they set a fire in the shaft that they had made so that when the wood was on fire a certain part of the barbican split from the front.  Also they began to mine in a certain other tower of the lists(1)  and we countermined so that we destroyed the shaft they had made. Afterwards they began [to mine] between us and a certain wall and they demolished two of our cranes; but we immediately made a good and strong palisade between us [and them]. Also, they mined at the corner of the city, towards the house of the bishop and, mining at a great distance, they came beneath a Saracen(2) wall, at the wall of lists. And we, when we saw this, immediately made a good and strong palisade between us and them, higher in the lists, and we countermined. And then they set fire to their mining and destroyed about ten arms of our cranes. We swiftly made a good and strong palisade and above we made a good bertresca [projection from the wall] with good arrow-slits so that none of them dared to approach us on that side. Also, Lady, they began to mine to the barbican of the Rodez gate and there they went lower since they wanted to come to our wall; and there they made a wondrously large passage. But when we saw this, we immediately made a great strong palisade, higher and lower, and we countermined similarly, and came upon them so that we took their shaft from them. Also, you should know, Lady, that after they besieged us, they did not cease to attack us. But we had so many good crossbows and people motivated with good will to defence that they lost a lot in those attacks. Afterwards, on a certain Sunday they summoned all their knights, crossbowmen and other men, and all at the same time they attacked the barbican under the castle and we descended to the barbican and had so many stones and bolts drawn and thrown at them that we made them withdraw from said attack; and many of them were killed and wounded. On the following Saturday, after the feast of St. Michael, they mounted a great attack against us; and we, by the grace of God and our people, who had a good will to defend, drove them back; so that many of them were killed and wounded; and of our men, no one was, thanks to God, killed or even mortally wounded. Afterwards, on the following Thursday evening, they heard rumors that your people, Lady, were coming to our aid, and they set fire to the houses of the town of Carcassonne and completely destroyed the homes of the minor brothers and of a monastery of Blessed Mary, which were in the town, with the wood they had used for the palisades. And all who were in said siege fled furtively that same night, as well as those from the town. We were, nonetheless, well prepared by the grace of God, Lady to look for your help; such that, because of their siege, some of our people did not have a lack of food, however poor; rather, Lady, we had an abundance of grain and meat, to await your help for a long period of time, if it were necessary. Know, Lady, that the malefactors on the second day they were there killed thirty-three priests and other clerics, whom they found in the town when they arrived. Know, moreover, Lady that Lord P[eter] de Voisins, S. your constable of Carcassonne, R[aymond] of Capendu, Gerard of Ermenville, did well in this business. Indeed the constable, in his vigilance, fighting, and virile defense, is to be commended before others. About the other matters of the land, Lady, we shall tell you the truth when we are in your presence. Know, therefore, that in seven places they began to mine strongly; whence we countermined a very large part and caused them great damage. And they began to mine from their homes so that we knew nothing about it before they came to our lists. Dated at Carcassonne, 3rd ides of October. You should know, Lady, that those enemies burned the castles and towns they came upon in their flight.

Original letter:

Excellentissime ac superillustri domine sue, B. Dei gratia Francorum regine, G. de Ulmis, senescallus Carquassone, suus humilis et devotus, salutem et fidele servicium. Excellentie vestre presentibus, Domina, innotescat, quod civitas Carquassone fuit obsessa ab illo, qui se vocat Vicecomitem et suis complicibus, die lune post octabas Nativitatis Beate Marie. Et incontinenti, nos qui eramus in civitate abstulimus eis burgum Graveillenti, qui est ante portam Tholose; et inde multam fustam habuimus, que fecit nobis magnum bonum. Et extendebatur dictus burgus a barbacana civitatis usque ad cornu dicte civitatis. Et, eodem die, dicti inimici nostri abstulerunt nobis molendinum, propter multitudinem gencium quam habebant. Postea, Oliverus de Terminis, B. Hugo de Serra Longa, G. de Aniorto, et qui cum ipsis erant logerunt se inter cornu civitatis et aquam; et ibi, ipsa die, cum fossatis que ibi erant et viis quas fregerunt inter nos et ipsos, se clauserunt, ne ad ipsos venire possemus. Ex alia vero parte, inter pontem et barbacanam castri, Petrus de Fenoilleto et Renaudus de Podio, Guillelmus Fortis, P. de Turre et multi alii de Carquassona se logerunt. Et iste due partes habebant tot balistarios, quod nullus de civitate exire poterat, quin esset vulneratus. Postea, dressarunt mangonellum quemdam ante nostram barbacanam, et nos, contra illum, statim dressavimus quamdam petrariam turquesiam valde bonam, infra [barbacanam], que projiciebat ad dictum mangonellum et circumquaque ipsius; ita quod, quando volebant contra nos projicere et videbant perticam petrarie nostre moveri, fugiebant, et eorum mangonellum penitus dimittebant. Et ibi fossata et palicium fecerunt. Nos autem, quociens cum dicta petreria projiciebamus, de loco illo fugiebamus eosdem, quia non poteramus illuc ire, propter fossata, quarellos et puteos qui ibi erant. Preterea, Domina, ipsi inceperunt minare ad barbacanam porte Narbonensis, et nos statim, audito minamento eorum, contraminavimus, et fecimus infra barbacanam magnum murum et fortem de lapidibus siccis, ita quod retinuimus bene medietatem barbacane; et tunc ipsi posuerunt ignem in foramine quod fecerant, ita quod, lignis combustis, quedam pars barbacane fendit ex parte anteriori. Item [ince]perunt minare in quamdam alteram tornellam de liceis, et nos contraminavimus, ita quod foramen quod fecerant eis abstulimus. Postea inceperunt [minare?] inter nos et quemdam murum, et diruerunt nobis duos cranellos de liceis; sed nos fecimus statim ibi bonum palicium et forte inter nos [et ipsos]. Item minaverunt ad cornu civitatis, versus domum episcopi, et, valde a remoto minando, venerunt subtus quemdam murum sarraceneum, ad murum de liceis. Et nos, cum istud percepimus, fecimus statim bonum palicium et forte inter nos et ipsos, superius in liceis, et contraminavimus. Et tunc apposuerunt ignem in minamento eorum, et diruerunt nobis circa decem brachiatas de nostris cranellis. Nos vero, incontinenti, bonum palicium fecimus et forte, et desuper fecimus bonam bertrescam cum bonis arqueriis; ita quod nullus eorum appropinquare ad nos ex illa parte ausus erat. Item, Domina, inceperunt minare ad barbacanam porte Rodesie, et ibi tenuerunt inferius, quia ad murum nostrum venire volebant; et ibi mirabiliter magnam viam fecerunt. Sed, cum istud percepimus, fecimus statim magnum palicium et forte, superius et inferius, et contraminavimus similiter, et eos invenimus, ita quod eis abstulimus foramen eorum. Iterum sciatis, Domina, quod postquam nos obsederunt, insultus suos contra nos facere non cessarunt. Sed nos habebamus tot bonas balistas et gentes animosas et bone voluntatis deffendendi, quod ipsi, faciendo suos insultus, quam plurimum amiserunt. Postea vero, quadam die dominica, omnes suos milites balistarios et alios homines convocarunt, et omnes insimul insultum fecerunt ad barbacanam subtus castrum, et nos descendimus inferius ad barbacanam, et fecimus tot lapides et carellos contra eos trahere et projicere, quod eos redire fecimus a dicto insultu; et de eis plures fuerunt interfecti et vulnerati. Die vero sabbati sequenti, post festum sancti Michaelis, fecerunt contra nos insultum maximum; et nos, gratia Dei et nostrarum gencium, que bonam voluntatem deffendendi habebant, retrotraximus eos: ita quod plures ex ipsis fuerunt interfecti ac vulnerati; de nostris vero, nullus fuit, Dei gratia, mortuus, nec etiam vulneratus ad mortem. Postea vero, die jovis, in sero, sequenti, audierunt rumores quod gentes vestre in succursum nostrum, Domina, veniebant, et apposuerunt ignem domibus burgi Carquassone, et destruxerunt penitus domos Fratrum Minorum et domos cujusdam monasterii Beate Marie, que erant in burgo, de lignis quorum palacia sua fecerant. Et omnes qui erant in obsidione predicta furtive de nocte eadem recesserunt; et illi etiam de burgo. Veruntamen nos eramus bene preparati, per Dei gratiam, spectare, Domina, succursum vestrum; taliter quod, propter eorum obsidionem, aliquis de gentibus nostris de victualibus non habebant indigenciam, quantuncunque pauperrimus extitisset; immo, Domina, copiam bladi et carnium habebamus, ad spectandum, per magnum temporis spacium, succursum vestrum, si necesse fuisset. Scientes, Domina, quod dum malefactores occiderunt, secunda die qua venerunt, triginta et tres inter presbiteros et alios clericos, quos in adventu suo in burgo invenerunt. Scientes preterea, Domina, quod Dominus P. de Vicinis, S., constabularius vester de Carquassona, R. de Cane Suspenso, Gerardus de Ermenvilla multum bene se in isto negocio habuerunt. Veruntamen, constabularius, vigilando, pugnando et viriliter deffendendo, potest super hiis pre aliis commendari. De aliis vero terre negociis poterimus, Domina, dicere vobis veritatem, cum in vestra presencia erimus constituti. Scientes igitur, quod in septem locis nos inceperint minare fortiter: unde nos maximam partem contraminavimus, et maximam penam opposuimus. Et inceperunt minare de domibus suis, ita quod nichil sciebamus, antequam ad licias nostras venerunt. Datum Carquassone, III idus octobris. Sciatis, Domina, quod ipsi inimici comburunt castra et villas quas in fuga sua invenerunt.

Historical context:

Carcassonne was taken in 1209 by Simon de Montfort during the Alibigensian crusade, but it rebelled against his successor and was eventually restored to Raymond Trencavel the young heir of the former viscount of Béziers in 1220. Trencavel was ousted again in 1227, after most of his vassals had gone over to Louis. He reappeared to besiege Carcassonne with Catalan and Aragonese support in 1240 and perhaps with the tacit support of the count of Toulouse but was defeated by the French. The letter from the seneschal describes the siege to Blanche. See L. Douet d’Arcq, “Siége de Carcassonne,” BEC 2nd series 2 (1845-46), 7.363-79.

Scholarly notes:

1. The list is apparently the space between the inner and outer walls. 2. The editor of the Latin text suggests a Roman wall is meant.

Manuscript source:

Archives Nationales J 1030 #73.

Printed source:

L. Douet D'arcq, "Siege de Carcassonne," Bibliothèque de L’Ecole des Chartes, 2nd series (1845-46), 363-79, text 371-75.

Date:

1240