A letter from Hugh of Fleury (1109/1110)

Translated letter:

Incited by the reputation of your generosity, venerable countess, I gathered these things from ancient historians, like a bee collecting honey from different flowers. In this one volume, I say, I recited to you the names and acts of all the Roman emperors and bishops, I noted all the Catholic men who took on governing churches after the apostles in very famous places. I narrated the grave storms of persecutions which the primitive church endured for its Saviour, and named the very pleasing flowers of confessors whom it put forth in peace. I sang to you, moreover, the memorable acts of the best men, of the Gauls and other peoples from the third age to the death of the emperor Charlemagne. The damnable blasphemies of heretics and how they should be opposed, I declared in brief. And I took care to write the destruction of the Jewish people which they suffered for their impieties and by disseminating which Christianity spread through the world. But I dedicated such a compact and honorable volume not to uneducated princes, for whom the literary art is to be scorned, but deservedly to you, so that the monument of your name would never be tarnished by age, which is hostile to the memory of those who come later. If one wanted to know the peak of your highness, he should recognize that you are the daughter of William, the most famous duke of the Normans and king of the English, namely the one who by his industry subjugated that celebrated kingdom. No king of our times is wiser, more fortunate, or more moderate. No one, I believe, can suffice to praise the rest of his royal magnificence and generosity; he ought not rightly be compared in magnanimity to his ancestor Rollo, but may be raised with much greater praise since he imitated Julius Caesar and the emperor Claudius who compelled the foresaid island, that is the earth of the English, with victorious arms, because no other emperor of the Romans dared to attack it. You are therefore to be placed before many princes, as I said in the first prologue of this book; illustrious by birth, special by prowess/uprightness, erudite in letters which is the great civility or nobility. Finally, I shall call to mind the splendid genealogy of your ancestors in this epilogue and then if it please you, in another book I shall briefly sing of your ancestors, Danes and Normans as well as the deeds of the Frank kings from emperor Louis, son of emperor Charlemagne, to our times. Rollo whom we remembered earlier, was an ancestor of the Norman princes and most powerful duke of the Danes; but at the time of Charles, king of the Franks after the death of emperor Louis he entered Gaul by the Seine; he entered it and conquered Normandy for himself. His admirable son, William of the Long Sword, succeeded him, the one who by his power recalled from hiding in exile to the kingdom of the Franks, Louis, son of the Frankish king Charles, as I shall not conceal in the book I promise you. And this William was succeeded by Richard and Richard by another Richard. Robert followed the second Richard and he engendered the honorable William, king of the English, your father.

Original letter:

Haec, opinione liberalitatis vestrae provocatus, venerabilis comitissa, ab antiquis historiologis, velut apis a diversis floribus mel colligens, aggregavi; uno, inquam, hoc volumine omnium Romanorum imperatorum et presulum nomina vel actus vobis recitavi, quique viri catholici in locis celeberrimis post apostolos regendas susceperunt ecclesias indicavi. Graves quoque persecutionum procellas, quas primitiva pro suo Salvatore pertulit ecclesia, peroravi, et iocundissimos confessorum flores quos in pace protulit nominavi. Optimorum preterea virorum, Gallorum scilicet et ceterarum gentium, memorabiles actus a tercia mundi aetate usque ad obitum imperatoris Karoli Magni vobis decantavi. Dampnandas etiam hereticorum blasphemias et quomodo eis obsisti debeat breviter declaravi. Erumpnas quoque Iudaici populi, quas pro suis impietatibus passi sunt et quibus propagantibus christianismus per orbem diffusus sit, scribere procuravi. Sed tam compendiosum et honestum volumen non illiteratis principibus, quibus ars litteratoria spretui est, sed vobis merito dedicavi, ne nominis vestri monimentum ulla valeat umquam vetustate corrumpi, quae posterorum memoriae solet inimicari. Apicem preterea celsitudinis vestrae si quis scire desiderat ; Guillelmi famosissimi ducis Normannorum et regis Anglorum filiam vos esse cognoscat, illius videlicet qui memoratum sibi regnum sua subiugavit industria. Nullus rex nostrorum temporum illo sapientior felitior ac moderatior fuit. Ceterum illius regalem magnificentiam et liberalitatem nemo credo laudare sufficiet; non enim recte magnanimitate Rolloni suo antecessori debet adequari, sed tanto maiori preconio potest efferri, quo Iulium Caesarem et Claudium imperatorem imitatus est, qui prefatam insulam, id est Anglorum terram, armis subegere victricibus; quod nullus Romanorum imperatorum preter illos ausus est aggredi. Tamen ille deficiens licet ducatus et regni sui principatum hereditario iure filiis suis, vestris fratribus, dereliquerit, morum suorum elegantiam et eam quae semper eum comitabatur affluentiam vobis deseruit; affluentiam enim eius et morum elegantiam specialiter pre ceteris vestris fratribus possidetis, teste Gallia, quae nunc tota vestra liberalitate fulcitur et non mediocriter insignitur. Multis igitur estis preponenda proceribus, sicut in huius libri primo prologo dixi; tum generositate preclara, tum probitate precipua, tum quoniam estis litteris erudita, quod est gentilitium sive civilitas magna. Attavorum denique vestrorum splendidam hoc in epilogo subiciam genealogiam, et demum alio, si vobis placuerit, libro tam attavorum vestrorum, Danorum scilicet atque Normannorum, quam regum gesta Francorum ab imperatore Ludovico, Karoli Magni imperatoris filio, usque ad haec nostra tempora breviter decantabo. Rollo igitur, cuius ante meminimus, antecessor principum Normannorum, Danorurn dux potentissimus extitit; sed Karoli regis Francorum tempore post Ludovici imperatoris decessum per Sequanam intravit in Galliam; ingressusque in eam, Normanniam sibi vindicavit. Admirabilis ei filius successit nomine Guillelmus, cui cognomen Longa spata fuit, qui Ludovicum, Karoli Francorum regis filium; sicut in libro quem vobis promitto non reticebo, ab exilio quo latebat Francorum sua potentia revocavit in regnum. Et huic Guillelmo successit Richardus, et Richardo alter Richardus. Richardo vero secundo successit Robertus; qui genuit honorabilem Guillelmum regem Anglorum, patrem vestrum.

Historical context:

In the epilogue to his universal history, Hugh of Fleury alludes to what is in the book and promises Adela another book about her more recent ancestors.

Printed source:

Historia Ecclesiastica, MGH SS9, p.353

Date:

1109/1110