A letter from Eleanor of Aquitaine (1139)

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual Trinity. Amen. I, Eleanor, by the grace of God queen of the Franks and duchess of the Aquitainians. We wish to make known to all the faithful, future as well as present, that we, for the redemption of our soul and [that] of our ancestors and for the redemption of the souls of the ancestors of Louis, king of the Franks and duke of the Aquitainians, our husband, have given and granted in eternity to God and the knights of the Temple present and future who were established for the defense of holy Christianity against the unfaithful pagans, the mills which I had at La Rochelle and which Isembert of Castre Julie held in his lifetime and which Gangan of Taunac reclaimed from the gift of the count of Poitou and that Gangan gave them to the said knights of the Temple. Besides that we have given and granted in eternity to the knights of the temple the houses which they had at La Rochelle, occupied by them, that is within their enclosures utterly free and immune from all custom, infringement and legal exaction and tallage and violence of our ministers except our toll. Whoever should wish to give to those knights of the Temple anything from our fief by which we do not lose the service of our men, that we wish and grant. Also we have given and granted to said knights of the Temple that all the possessions of those knights throughout our land may go and come securely and freely without any custom and without any charge/tax either by land or by water. That this deed/charter may obtain the perpetuity of stability, we have commended it to writing and strengthened it with the authority of our seal and the writing of our name. Enacted publically at Lorrez-le-Bocage, in the thousand thirty-ninth year of the incarnation of the Lord, the third of our reign, with those present in our palace whose names and signs are inscribed below. The sign of Ralph count of Vermandois and our seneschal. S[ign] of William, butler. S., of Matthew, chamberlain. S., of Matthew, constable.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis. Amen. Ego Helionordis, Dei gratia regina Francorum et ducissa Aquitanorum. Notum fieri volumus cunctis fidelibus tam futuris quam presentibus quod nos, pro remedio anime nostre et antecessorum nostrorum et pro remedio animarum antecessorum Ludovici Regis Francorum et ducis Aquitanorum mariti nostri, Deo et militibus Templi presentibus et futuris qui ad defensionem sancte Christianitatis contra infideles paganos sunt constituti, donavimus et in eternum concessimus molendinos quos apud Rochellam habebam et quos Isambertus de Castro Iulii in vita sua ibi tenuerat et quos Ganganus de Taunaco ex dono comitis pictavensis reclamabat et ipse Ganganus eos predictis militibus Templi donaverat. Preterea militibus templi donavimus et in eternum concessimus domos quas apud Rochellam habebant, videlicet in occupatu suo, id est infra clausuras suas liberas prorsus et quietas ab omni consuetudine, infractione et tolta et tailla et violentia ministrorum nostrorum excepto teloneo nostro. Quicumque autem eisdem militibus Templi de feodo nostro aliquid dare voluerit unde nostrum servitium hominum nostrum non perdamus, illud volumus et concedimus. Item predictis militibus Templi donavimus et concessimus ut omnes res proprie ipsorum militum per totam terram nostram secure et libere sine omni consuetudine et sine omni exactione sive per terram sive per aquam vadant et veniant. Quod ut perpetuum stabilitatis obtineat munimen[tum] scripto commendavimus et sigilli nostri auctoritate et nominis nostri caractere subiecto firmavimus. Actum publice Lorriaco, millesimo cxxxix anno incarnationis Domini regni nostri iii astantibus in palatio nostro quorum nomina subtitulata sunt et signa. Signum Radulfi Viremand, Comitis et dapiferi nostri. S., Guillelmi buticularii. S., Mathei camerarii. S., Mathei constabularii.

Historical context:

Eleanor makes a gift of mills and houses to the knights Templar from her hereditary possessions. This charter was presented at a meeting of the Medieval Academy of America by Janet Martindale, in a paper "Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of the French and Duchess of Aquitaine (1137-1152)," on April 3, 2008.

Printed source:

Chartes de la Commanderie du Temple de La Rochelle (1139-1268), ed. Meschinet de Richemont (Saintes, 1874), no.1.

Date:

1139