A letter from Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1109)

Translated letter:

It is known to all with no need of persuasion that in order to safeguard peace and the absence of all claims it is especially effective to commit the truth of things done to the memory of letters. Therefore I, countess Adela, wife of count Stephen, ordered that it be certified by the notice of the present charter to all my successors and to those of the monks of Bonneval, how I strove to amend a certain injury I had done to those monks lest my descendants by following that example should presume to attempt anything similar. For at one time I had been angry at them on account of one of my men whom their sergeants had killed and, as if in revenge, I ordered an exaction of money, which is customarily called tallage to be levied in the bourg of Bonneval. The abbot and monks, bearing this grievously, came to me and showed me the testimonies of ancient writings that did not permit tallage to be imposed by me or anyone else. Nevertheless I did not acquiesce immediately, and to the extent that anger was propelling me I persevered in that purpose for some time. However, after they beseeched me with insistent and assiduous prayers that I not introduce a new and harmful custom in their bourg, when finally my anger had subsided and I was led to repent of what I had done, I made the satisfaction the monks sought. For I came before the altar of the holy martyrs Marcellinus, Peter, Florentin, and Hillary and having made a pledge, I confessed before those who were there and promised that I would not do it any more. And so that my successors should not presume to do it, I confirmed it in perpetuity, with my sons Thibaud and Stephen conceding and consenting, in the presence of Ivo, bishop of Chartres, and Bernard the [Bonneval] abbot there, and William abbot of St. Père and many others.  Enacted at Chartres, in the year of grace 1109.

Original letter:

Notum est omnibus, nec persuasione indiget, quod ad pacem et inquietem custodiendam maxime valent rerum gestarum veritatem litterarum memorie commendare. Et ideo ego Adela comitissa, uxor Stephani comitis, omnibus successoribus tam meis quam monachorum Bonevallensium, per presentis carte notitiam decrevi certificare, qualiter injuriam quamdam quam illis monachis feceram studui emendare, ne illius exemplo posteri mei presumant similem attemptare. Aliquando enim erga ipsos propter unum meum hominem quem eorum servientes occiderant irata fueram et quasi in ultionem descriptionem pecunie que consuetudinarie tallia nominatur, in burgo Bonevallensi fieri preceperam. Quod graviter tolerantes abbas et monachi me adierunt, et antiquorum scriptorum testimonia nec mihi nec alicui hoc licere monstraverunt. Ego tamen non illico acquievi, et prout ira trahebat, aliquanto tempore in proposito perduravi. Illis autem instantibus et precibus assiduis rogantibus ne novam et nocivam consuetudinem in burgo illorum inducerem tandem ira sedata et penitudine ducta de hoc quod faceram, quam expetierunt monachi satisfactionem feci. Veni enim ante altare SS. martyrum Marcellini et Petri, Florentini et Hilarii, et* vadimonio [followed by minor text loss] ante altare peracto, coram iis qui aderant confessa sum [minor text loss] ne ulterius fierem spopondi. Et ut mei successores facere non praesumant, concedentibus et volentibus filiis mei Theobaldo comite et Stephano, in praesentia Yvonis Carnotensis episcopi, & Bernerii tunc ibidem abbatis, et Guillelmi abbatis S. Petri, et multorum aliorum in perpetuum confirmavi.  Actum apud Carnotum, anno gratiae MCIX.

Historical context:

The countess moves to correct the injury she had done the monks and the town of Bonneval.  See LoPrete Adela, 262-63, 486-87, #79.

Scholarly notes:

*There is a discolouration in the cartulary copy that renders it largely illegible to the naked eye, but the amount of text loss is quite short, LoPrete informed me in a private communication. She also notes that the original probably included more named witnesses that the cartulary copyist omitted.

Manuscript source:

The Bonneval cartulary transcribed by LoPrete, AD d’Eure-et-Loir, H.606, fo.1r-v and collated with Victor Bigot, ed. Histoire abrégée de l'abbaye de Saint-Florentin de Bonneval (Châteaudun: Lecesne, 1875).

Date: