A letter from Philip, Count of Savoy (1285)

Translated letter:

To that most excellent man and his dearest Lord, Lord Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, and his most serene Lady, Lady Eleanor, by the same grace, illustrious Queen of England, Mother of that King, Philip, Count of Savoy, sane of mind, though sick of body, greetings/salvation in him who is the true salvation of all. Because of the merits of faith and legality and fidelity which we have known to thrive in you, and because of the sincere affection which you have always had for us by your grace, we have special faith, not undeservedly, in your persons which we have found always benign and favorable in our affairs; therefore considering all these things, we have committed the ordering of our things and goods, especially those which pertain to the salvation of my soul to your providence to be done, ordered, and carried out. And over this, we have long ago given full power and special mandate to you and whomever of your people, through our open letters which we believe are in your possession. Which power and mandate we have confirmed in the present [letters]; asking and requiring you and the goodness of your Lordship, humbly begging that you deign to do, order, attend to, and carry out said ordering of our things and goods, in consideration of divine piety and for the redemption of our soul, you or another of your people, through you or through certain messengers of yours, as is suitable to us and you know to be useful to the salvation of our soul; that is, to pacify complaints against us: to pay our debts; to make bequests and give alms to the churches of religious and non-religious, as much for the perpetual celebration of anniversaries and for other hospices, bridges, and other pious places. Moreover, since we have undertaken to have a certain hospice constructed at Mount Meliano for the redemption of our soul and that of our ancestors, we beg your Lordship that you order that without loss of time, and do it as would be fitting to us to be endowed and finished. Again, to our familiars [the members of our household] and servants remaining from our household and family, you will repay and make to be paid, as you know would serve our salvation; ordering it in such a way that they not be defrauded of their service. For we give over to you from now on in order to do, carry out, and give attention to all these things, all our goods, mobile and immobile, to you and whomever of your people, and we bind you, transferring their possession to you to you and whomever of yours. Prohibiting no less that anyone, cleric or lay, grandson/nephew or granddaughter/niece, should presume anything about our things and goods, especially the mobiles, or put their hand to them in any way, except by your permission or that of one of yours, until you will have done and ordered everything mentioned above, so they are fully and wholly carried out, observed, and put into effect. About all these, also, we honor your persons, firmly holding that they can all be carried out and cared for for the salvation of our soul, better and more honorably through you or any of yours than through any others. And lest such a burden seem heavy to you, you may deliberate securely with the Lord Bishop Augustine, our comrade and table-mate and our other familiars attending him (about about whom in all things and through all things in our affairs, we trust as ourselves; whom we send for the foresaid to you and whomever of yours) in whom you may believe without doubt as in us, over all things which they have said about our affairs orally. Be well in the Lord Jesus Christ. That faith may be placed fully in all the foresaid, we have had the present letters signed with our seal. Given and enacted at La Rochelle on the Feast of St. Lawrence, in the 1285th year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Excellentissimo viro, & Domino suo karissimo, Domino Edwardo, Dei gratia, Regi Angliae, Domino Hiberniae, & Duci Aquitaniae, & serenissimae Dominae suae, Dominae Alianorae, eadem gratia, illustri Reginae Angliae, Matri ejusdem Regis, Philippus, Comes Sabaudiae, sanus mente, licet aeger corpore, salutem in eo qui est omnium vera salus. Propter fidei, et legalitatis, ac fidelitatis merita, quae in vobis vigere cognovimus, & propter sinceram affectionem, quam ad nos vestri gratia semper habuistis, de personis vestris, quas in negotiis nostris benignas & favorabiles semper invenimus, non inmerito fiduciam gerimus specialem; idcirco haec omnia attendentes, ordinationem rerum & bonorum nostrorum, praecipue quantum ad ea quae ad salutem animae meae pertinent, providentiae vestrae commisimus, & committimus faciendam, ordinandam & complendam. Et, super hoc, diu est vobis, & cuilibet vestrum, per litteras nostras apertas, quas penes vos esse credimus, plenam dedimus potestatem & mandatum speciale. Quam potestatem & quod mandatum in hiis praesentibus confirmavimus; Serenitatem ac Dominationis vestrae bonitatem rogantes & requirentes, humiliter supplicando, quatinus dictam ordinationem rerum & bonorum nostrorum, divinae pietatis intuitu, & pro remedio animae nostrae, facere dignemini, ordinare, attendere, & complere, vos, vel alter vestrum, per vos, vel per certos nuncios vestros, prout nos decet, & animae nostrae saluti noveritis expedire; videlicet, clamores nostros pacificare: debita nostra solvere: legata & elemosinas facere Ecclesiis religiosis, & non religiosis, tam pro anniversariis perpetuo faciendis, quam aliis hospitalibus, pontibus, & aliis piis locis. Praeterea, cum nos quoddam hospitale construi ceperimus apud Montem Melianum pro remedio animae nostrae & antecessorum nostrorum, supplicamus Dominationi vestrae ut illud, sine morae dispendio, praecipiatis & faciatis prout nos decet perfici & dotari. Item, Familiaribus & servatoribus nostris, de hospitio & familia nostra existentibus, remuneretis, & remunerari faciatis, prout saluti nostrae noveritis expedire; ordinantes taliter quod non contingat ipsos de suo servitio defraudari. Nos enim, pro hiis omnibus faciendis, complendis & attendendis, omnia bona nostra, mobilia & inmobilia, vobis & cuilibet vestrum tradimus exnunc & obligamus, possessionem eorum in vos & in quemlibet vestrum transferentes. Inhibentes nichilominus quod nullus, Clericus aut Laicus, nepos aut neptis, in rebus & bonis nostris, specialiter de mobilibus, aliquid praesumat, vel aliquo modo in eiis manum apponat, nisi de licentia vestra, vel alterius vestrum, donec omnia supradicta, prout ea facienda & ordinanda duxeritis, plene & integre sint completa, observata, & effectui mancipata. De hiis etiam omnibus personas vestras honoramus, firmiter tenentes quod melius & honorabilius per vos vel per alterum vestrum, quam per aliquos alios, haec omnia, ad salutem animae nostrae, compleri poterunt & attendi. Et, ne hujusmodi honus vobis grave videatur, cum Domino Episcopo Augusten. socio & commensali nostro, & aliis familiaribus nostris, eum concomitantibus (de quibus, in omnibus & per omnia, de negotiis nostris, tanquam de nobis proprie confidimus; quem & quos, pro praedictis, ad vos, & ad quemlibet vestrum, transmittimus) secure deliberare poteritis, quibus credatis indubitanter, tamquam nobis, super omnibus quae de negotiis nostris vobis dixerunt viva voce. Valete in Domino Jehu Christo. Ut autem praedictis omnibus fides plenior habeatur, has praesentes litteras sigillo nostro fecimus sigillari. Dat. & actum apud Rupecl. in Festo Sancti Laurentii, anno Domini milesimo, ducentesimo, octogesimo, quinto.

Historical context:

Philip, Count of Savoy, sends his will and testament, to his niece Queen Eleanor and her son, King Edward, as his executors, leaving the particulars to them, to be carried out primarily for the salvation of his soul.

Printed source:

Rymer, Foedera, 1.3.5

Date:

1285