A grand flop (or not)

Here is a translation of a document that Kathy Love has very kindly translated for me in the past few months, from the original old French. It is a deed of surrender from 1301, whereby the barons of Franche-Comté in eastern Burgunday agreed terms of submission with Philip IV, king of France.


These barons had been at war with Philip for over a decade. The context was Philip's desire to bring the Franche-Comté, as well as Flanders and Aquitaine, under the direct rule of France. Franche-Comté was part of the Holy Roman Empire, but the Count of Burgundy agreed to sell his inheritance to Philip in exchange for a pension. His barons, led by Jean de Arlay, refused to submit and created a separatist league to resist the French.


In 1294 the league joined Edward I's grand alliance against Philip, in exchange for large English subsidies. As the surrender describes, they fought 'energetically' against the French, and prolonged their resistance for several years. In March 1298, in exchange for a further English subsidy, they agreed to continue 'lively and open war'. Their resistance finally ended in 1301, by which time England and France were at peace.


All of this turns Anglocentric historiography of the subject on its head. Various academics have stated flatly that 'none' of Edward's allies fulfilled their contracts, and that the grand alliance was a 'grand flop'. That interpretation is simply wrong, and betrays a certain laziness and unwillingness to access difficult sources. It doesn't matter how many letters you have after their name: if you're wrong, you're wrong.


The treaty is very long, but I have pasted it in full to give an idea of the detail and complexity of such agreements. The helpful footnotes are supplied by Kathy:


[270] Letters by which John II of Faucogney undertook, together with the other lords of the France-Comté, formerly allied against Philippe le Bel, to make good the losses caused by them to the partisans of the king of France during the war that they had fought in the county of Burgundy, and specially to have rebuilt the chateaux of Ornans, Clairvaux and la Salle (the state-owned palace)1 of Pontarlier, which were destroyed during the aforesaid hostilities. (31 May 1301)


To all those who will see and hear these present letters, We Symon de Monbéliart, lord of Montron, Jehanz of Vianne, lord of Mireber, Pierres, lord of Marnay, Estenes d’Oyseler, lord of the Vilenove, Girars d’Arguel, knights2, and Estevenat, lord of Oiseler, and Guillame d’Argueil, esquire, greetings in our Lord3, we make known that with the noble barons Jehanz de Chalom, lord of Arlay, Renaut, count4 of Monbéliart, Jehanz de Bourt, Jehanz and Gautier de Monfalcom, Jehanz, lord of Faucoigney, Thiébault, lord of Neufchestel, Humbert, lord of Clerevaux, Guachier de Chastelvilein, Huedes, lord of Monferrant, Guillames, lord of Corcondray, Jehanz d’Oiseler, lord of Flaigé, knights and


[271] Johanz de Jou, esquire, are bound [or have undertaken] by their letters sealed with their seals, toward the very high and very excellent prince our dear lord Philippe, by the grace of God king of France, to hold, keep and accomplish the promises [or covenants] contained in the said letter relating to5 the aforementioned war [which] we energetically pursued6 and made in the county of Burgundy7 contrary to the will of the very excellent prince our dear lord the king as above, we who always [‘on all days’] desire to have and to keep the grace [or favour] and the good will of our aforesaid lord the king, are at his will and his good favour [‘good accord’] and at his mercy and he has received us and has ordained and declared his will in the following manner: It is to be known that we are bound to keep, hold and accomplish all the promises [covenants] contained in the letters sealed with the seals of the noble barons above, having promised and promising before our lord the king to enter, we and our heirs, into his faith and his homage, as the king of France and to his successor kings of France, to take up again and resume toward him as sons8 the things which follow. It is to be known we, Symon de Monbéliart, lord of Montrom, forty livrées de terre9 from our borderlands10 near Rovre; We, Johanz de Vianne, in the manner stated above, thirty livrées de terre, situated at Fronthenay; We, Pierres, lord of Marnay, three hundred pounds in coin11; We, Estenes d’Oiseler, lord of the Vile Nove, thirty livrées de terre, lying at Charmoille, and a little way d’iellue12; We, Girar d’Arguel, two hundred pounds in coin; I, Estevenant, lord of Piseler, two hundred pounds in coin; I, Guillaume d’Arguel, two hundred pounds in coin. It is to be known that all these things stated above, we ought to undertake in faith and homage for us and for our heirs of our dear lord the king of France stated above, and his successors, kings of France, before the next feast of All Saints. As part of our return to fealty13 we render and have rendered, we reestablish and have reestablished, together all the barons named above, all the


[272] inheritance that we have taken in the country of Burgundy stated above, since the time that it came into the hand of our aforesaid lord the king. As part of our return to fealty we together all the other barons aforesaid will have repaired, at our own cost and expense, the chateaux [or castles] of Ornenes, and of Clerevaux, and the palisade14 of Pontarlie, and we will remake them into a sufficient state, in the judgment15 au dit et à l’esgart of the noble men our well-beloved my lord Guachier, lord of Chastillon and constable of Chapaigne, my lord Pierre, lord of Chambry, and my lord Pierre, lord of Veinnes, his son, knights, and chamberlain [or steward] [of] our dear lord aforesaid the king; as part of our return to fealty we will restore and repair all the damage and losses which we and our followers [‘aides’] have caused in the said county of Burgundy, from [the time of] the truce up to the day on which these letters are made, whether by imprisonment, in lands16, or in chattels [movable goods], or by fire, or in any other way whatsoever. And we have prayed and pray on the holy gospels that we will do and accomplish all the things aforesaid well and loyally. And every one of them. And when the aforesaid things have been done and accomplished, we together with all the other barons in manner which is contained in their letters sealed with their seals, have pledged and pledge one for the other17 [I think this means a joint and several undertaking] and we bind ourselves and our goods and our heirs, and have given pledges dou roialme18 sufficient for all the things set out above, to loyally hold, keep and accomplish, in the manner which follows. It is to be known, We, Symond de Monbéliart, have given as surety [or guarantor] Jehanz lord of Cusel, holding land in the kingdom, being the castle of Bart upon [or over] Soigney; We, Jehanz de Vianne my lord Gauthier of Monfalcom; We, Pierres, lord of Marnay, the said Jehanz lord of Cusel; We, Estèes d’Pyseler, lord of Villenove, Girars lord of Chauviré; We, Girar d’Arguel the noble baron my lord Jehanz of Chalom, lord of Arlay; Ik, Estevenat, lord of Oiseler, my lord Jehanz of Oiseler, my uncle; I, Guillame d’Arguel, my lord Vathier de Monfalcon. And so


[271] these things will be forever firm and established, We have put our own seals on these present letters. Given and made at Besancon, the Wednesday after the octave of Pentecost in the year of our Lord 1301.
1 ‘State-owned’ is the translation of domanial, but in this period it may have meant something slightly different. Perhaps this palace was the personal property of the king.
2 The abbreviation ‘chrs’ appears repeatedly. I think this must stand for ‘chevaliers’, knights.
3 I think the lord here referred to is God, and this is a conventional greeting; but it could possibly refer to the king. If it’s important, check.
4 I can’t find any translation for ‘cuens’ but I think it means ‘count’. Monbéliart became a county in the 11th century and its rulers were termed ‘count’ (or countess).
5 I think this probably means ‘relating to’ the war, but I am not sure. ‘Achosom’ looks to me like a variation on ‘achiasun’ which has a wide variety of meanings relating to cause, opportunity and reason. See https://www.anglo-norman.net/entry/achoison But again, if it’s important, get it checked.
6 The word ‘ahue’ means to urge on with shouts---probably related to ‘hue and cry’.
7 The words ‘contée de Bourg.’ appear repeatedly; I am fairly sure they refer to the county of Burgundy.
8 The words ‘rechiez à reprandre de luy en fiez’ seem literally to mean ‘return to an earlier state, and take up again from him as sons [or kinsmen]’ so I think this is a formula of restoring the feudal payments that follow.
9 Clearly a ‘livrée’ is a measure of land, but I have been unable to find any indication of how much land it was. The literal meaning is ‘delivered’ but since there are quantities attached (thirty livrées de terre) it must have a concrete meaning.
10 The words ‘de nre aluef’ could mean either ‘from our free tenancy’ or ‘from our lands near the border’. I think this case the latter makes more sense.
11 Literally ‘in pennies’ (deniers). Clearly refers to a payment in specie.
12 I can’t find any translation for this. It might be ‘d’il lieu’, meaning ‘a little distance from this place’.
13 ‘Rechief’ means to return to an earlier state, here one of feudal loyalty, so ‘de rechief’ must I think mean that the action is done as part of the return to the former state of fealty.
14 ‘Seule’ means ‘stake’ but in this context it sounds like some kind of fortification---I guess at ‘palisade’.
15 ‘A dit et a l’esgard’ literally means ‘according to the word and judgment’ so I think it is a saying that means the named men will determine whether the work has been carried out sufficiently and correctly.
16 Here ‘héritages’ means seizure of estates, I think.
17 ‘Li uns l’autre’ could mean either ‘one and all’ i.e. they all pledge, or ‘the one for the other’, i.e. a joint and several undertaking. I think it’s the former, but if it’s important, check.
18 ‘Roialme’ can mean ‘territory under the authority of a monarch’ so it may mean pledges of land within the kingdom of France.