A letter from Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne (1210)

Translated letter:

I Blanche, palatine countess of Troyes, make known to all who will see the present letters that, when there was a disagreement between the monks of Montiéramey and the monks of Quincy over the divisions of the woods of Pargues and the woods of the grange of Balnot, and afterwards Thibaut, abbot of Montiéramey and the monks of Quincy promised mutually to me who established the penalty of 100 pounds in that quarrel and assigned the deceased Clarembald de Capis pledge for the penalty; for the good of peace and since both churches are under my protection, I sent my beloved and faithful monk Warner and Salo de Curjesaines to those woods and had the woods divided by ancient men who lived near the woods and who were said to know more about the woods, who had first sworn that they would make the division faithfully, and they would set the boundaries at the confines of those woods in good faith. When therefore that division was made, by the oaths of the natives, as I said, and by the assent of both sides, and recorded before me on the day, with the cited sides, I, as the arbiter of this matter ordered the sides present that that division be firmly held by both sides. I testify that this dispute was thus settled by me and before me, at the prayers and request of the monks of Quincy by the present letters, enforced by the protection of my seal. Enacted at Payns, in the year of grace 1212. Given over by myself [female].

Original letter:

Ego Blancha, comitissa Trecensis palatina, notum facio universis presentes litteras inspecturis, quod, cum fuisset discordia inter monachos Arremarenses et monachos Quintiaci super divisionibus nemoris de Pargis et nemoris grangie de Beleno, et postmodum Teobaudus, abbas Arremarensis, et monachi Quinciaci in me de querela illa compromiserint, penam centum librarum hinc inde statuentes, et de pena defunctum Clarembaudum de Capis plegium assignantes; ego pro bono pacis, et quia utraque ecclesia in mea est custodia, mittens super illa nemora dilectos et fideles meos Garnerium, monachum, et Salonem de Curjesaines, illa nemora feci dividi per antiquos homines vicinos illis nemoribus, et qui magis scire de illis nemoribus dicebantur, prius juratos, quod divisam facerent fideliter, et quod per fines illorum nemorum et terminos ducerent bona fide. Cum igitur divisio illa facta fuisset per juramenta indigenarum, sicut dixi, et de assensu utrisque partium, et coram me ad diem, citatis partibus, recordata ego dixi, ut arbitra hujus rei, presentibus partibus, et precepi, quod illa divisio ab utraque parte firmiter teneretur. Hanc igitur discordiam sic sopitam, quod per me et coram me factum est, ad preces et requisitionem monachorum Quintiaci presentibus litteris testificor, sigilli mei munimine roboratis. Actum Paantii, anno gracie MCC decimo. Traditum me ipsa.

Historical context:

The countess records her decision in a dispute between two groups of monks over the division of woods, based on investigations she had done in the area.

Printed source:

Arbois de Jubainville, Voyage paléographique dans le Département de l’Aube (Paris: Durand, 1855) Archives Communales, 194-95

Date:

1210