A letter from Philip, Count of Savoy (1284)

Translated letter:

To all the faithful of Christ who will see or hear the present letters, Philip, count of Savoy, eternal greetings in the Lord. The excellent and eternal son of the highest father, God, made man in the womb of the virgin, among the other most salutary documents of his instruction, taught his disciples the skill of peace, which he preserved in himself unviolated and which, ascending whence he had come, he left to them, showing himself a mirror and exemplar of peace to all the orthodox; prudently heeding which, the magnificent prince lord Edward, by the grace of God illustrious king of the English, our dearest lord, together with our dearest lady, lady Eleanor, by that same grace renowned queen of England, his mother, aroused us with frequent prayers that to guard against the expenses and dangers that might occur to our county of Savoy, to our heirs and other nephews who might by right claim something from our succession if we left their status in that succession somewhat uncertain, we should arrange about the certain and specific person of our male heir who should succeed us in the county of Savoy, and divide the lands to be assigned to our other male nephews involved, so that having removed the storm of dissension, peace, confirmed among them, might remain perpetually unspoiled. We, therefore, having given diligent thought to this, heeding the prayers and salutary exhortations fixed in the root of solid charity, make known through the presents to your universality. In the name of the Lord, Amen. Because we acknowledge the loyalty, industry and sincere love which our lord king of England and our lady queen, his mother have had towards us and our county of Savoy up to now, so that it is resolved for the health of our soul and the safety of our body, the harmony of our heirs, and the tranquillity and peace of the whole county of Savoy that we wish, concede, and also order that they, our lord king and our lady queen, his mother, express and declare the person of our male heir; whom we determine will be our heir named by them as count of Savoy after our death, who will succeed us in everything by full right: except for those appropriate portions to our other male nephews, to whom something pertains from our said succession, as seems expeditious to them, our lord king and our lady queen, his mother. Which portions, with the added manners and conditions, through the aforesaid, our lord king of England and our lady queen, we wish to be expressed and delimited; or through others or another by their order, we wish to be done, delimited, expressed, and assigned to those concerned; for possessing which peacefully we wish those nephews to be content after our death. We order, moreover, and firmly enjoin that if ever a question should emerge between our heir count of Savoy and our other aforesaid nephews over said portions or their accession, such a question, however many and whenever it occurs, should be brought to the audience of our lord king of England, through him or those he assigns to it, to be determined summarily and without judicial conflict, where that king our lord chooses; so that the count of Savoy our heir and others who will be ordered to have some portion from our succession, may hold it right and confirmed and observe whatever is ordered, pronounced, said or commanded by that king our lord or by his command, over the question; which judgment, pronouncement, order, or command, that lord give by himself or through others or another, determines or has determined to be executed in every way that seems expeditious to them. And if perhaps, before this arrangement is completed, something mortal should happen to the aforesaid our lord king or our lady queen, let it not be, we wish, concede, and order, that either person who remained have full power in the arrangement of all and each of the matters mentioned; moreover, if our said lady were the survivor and hindered so that she could not easily be personally involved in said arrangement (in which we wish it to be understood by her simple word or writing which she could have made about it), our said lord king would have full power in the arrangment of all and each of the matters mentioned. We particularly declare also that by the composition of our last will, already made or to be made, in whatever form of words it is conceived or to be conceived, we do not wish the arrangement of our said lord king and queen or either of them over the matters mentioned to be weakened or diminished or curtailed in any way; except for us, what we might in our will give or leave or assign from our things to churches and pious places, servants, and our poor and needy people, and also to our friends, and to pay our debts and settle complaints, as might seem expeditious; All and each of which, if we do not do otherwise, we wish to be faithfully carried out, done and arranged through our lord king and our lady queen, or either of them; so that if we do not do something to arrange for services rendered and debts to be paid, bequests to be left, or claims of the poor and miserable to be helped, we completely commit our last will to the disposition of those lord king of England and the queen his mother, or either of them in all and each the matters mentioned; and we burden them or either of them as much as we can, wishing that all and each of those things should be carried out by them or either of them or by others or another whem they both or either of them deputizes, as seems expedient; holding it right for us and our heirs and our successors, whoever, whatever by them, our lord king and queen, or either of them, will be done, arranged, or ordered in the form named, in the matter mentioned, or in any of them. We order, moreover, that all archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, and other religious; counts, barons, castellans, knights, provosts, and bailiffs of the county of Savoy, and our other subjects, by the power of the sacrament of loyalty they performed to us, firmly enjoining that the arrangement, command, or mandate of said our lord king and queen, or either of them, over all and each of the matters mentioned, they acknowledge with devotion, and after our death they have them observed inviolably with all their powers. In witness of which our seal is affixed to the present. Dated at Rousillon [Russilyon] on Monday nearest the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, in the year of the lord 1284.

Original letter:

UNIVERSIS CHRISTI fidelibus, praesentes literas. inspecturis vel audituris, Philippus comes Sabaudiae, salutem in Domino sempiternam. Egregius & summi Patris aeternus Dei Filius, in uterum virginis factus homo, inter alia instructionis suae saluberrima documenta, pacis usum discipulos docuit, quam in seipso illibate servavit, & quam, ascendens unde venerat, reliquit eis, pacis se ostendens speculum & exemplar omnibus orthodoxis; quod magnificus princeps dominus Edwardus, DEI gratia, Rex Anglorum illustris, dominus noster carissimus, prudenter attendens, una cum carissima domina nostra, domina Alianora, eadem gratia, Regina Angliae inclita, matre sua, nos crebris precibus excitavit ut praecaventes dispendia & pericula, quae contingere possent comitatui nostro Sabaudyae, heredibus, & aliis nepotibus nostris, qui ex successione nostra possent juris aliquid vendicare, si statum ipsorum in successione eadem dimitteremus aliquatenus sub incerto, de certa & expressa persona haeredis nostri masculi, qui nobis succedat in comitatu Sabaudiae, ordinaremus, & portiones terras faceremus aliis nepotibus nostris masculis, quorum interest, assignari, ut, per hoc sublata dissensionis turbine, pax, inter ipsos firmata, perpetuo maneat incorrupta. Nos igitur, deliberatione super hoc habita diligenti, avertentes preces & Exhortations huius salubres, ac fixas in radice solidae caritatis, universitati vestrae notum facimus per praesentes. In nomine Domini, Amen. Quod nos attendentes fidelitatem, industriam, & sinceram dilectionem, quam idem dominus noster Rex Angliae, & domina nostra Regina, mater sua, erga nos & comitatum nostrum Sabaudiae hactenus habuerunt, ut animae nostrae saluti, & securitati corporis nostri, concordiae haeredum nostrorum, ac tranquilitati & paci totius comitatus Sabaudiae consulatur, volumus, concedimus, ac etiam ordinamus ut iidem, dominus noster Rex & domina nostra Regina, mater sua, personam haeredis nostri masculi exprimant & declarent; quem, per ipsos haeredem nostrum nominatum, decernimus fore comitem Sabaudyae post decessum nostrum, qui & nobis succedat in omnibus pleno jure: salvis competentibus portionibus aliis nepotibus nostris masculis, ad quos pertinet aliquid ex successione nostra praedicta, prout ipsis domino nostro Regi, & dominae nostrae Reginae, matri suae, videbitur expedire. Quas quidem portiones, cum modis & conditionibus adiciendis, per ipsos dominum nostrum Regem Angliae,& dominam nostram Reginam praedictos, limitari, exprimi, volumes: aut per alios, seu alium, ex praecepto eorum, fieri, limitary exprimi, & his quorum interest assignari; quibus ipsos nepotes contentos esse volumus, post decessum nostrum pacifice possidendis Ordinamus insuper, & firmiter praecipimus ut si quandocumque inter haeredem nostrum comitem Sabaudiae, ac alios nepotes nostros praedictos, super praedictis portionibus, seu accessione earumdem, quicquam emerserit quaestionis; huiusmodi questio, quotienscunque & quantumque contigerit, ad audientiam domini nostri Regis Angliae deferatur, per ipsum vel ipsos, quos ad hoc duxerit assignandos, de plano & absque judiciali strepitu, ubi idem dominus noster Rex elegerit, terminanda; ita quod tam haeres noster comes Sabaudyae, quam alii, ex successione nostra portionem aliquam percepturi, ratum & firmum teneant & observent quicquid per ipsum dominum nostrum Regem, seu mandato ipsius, super questione huiusmodi sententiatum, ordinatum, dictum fuerit vel praeceptum; quam sententiam, dictum, ordinationem vel praeceptum, idem dominus Rex per se, vel per alios, seu alium, executioni demandet vel faciat demandari modis onnnibus, quibus viderit expedire. Et, si forsan, huiusmodi ordinatione non completa aliquid humani contingeret de domlno nostro Rege, vel domina nostra Regina praedictis, quod absit, volumus, concedimus, & ordinamus quod persona alterunam superstes in ordinatione omnium & singulorum praemissorum plenam habeat potestatem: & insuper, si domina nostra praedicta superstes, esset forsan impedita, ita quod non posset dictae ordinationi commode personaliter interesse (super quo credi volumus suo simplici dicto vel scripturae, quam fieri fecerit super eo) dominus noster Rex praedictus in ordinatione omninum, & singulorum praemissorum plenam habeat potestatem. Protestamur etiam specialiter quod, per compositionem nostrae supremae voluntatis, jam factam vel etiam faciendam, sub quacunque forma verborum conceptam, seu etiam concipiendam, nolumus ordinationem praedictorem domini nostril Regis, & Reginae, vel alterius eorum, super praemissis, vel ipsorum aliquo, infirmari, minui, aut etiam in aliquo mutilari; salvo nobis quod possimus, in testamento nostro, de rebus nostris dare, relinquere, vel assignare ecclesiis & piis locis, servientibus, & gentibus nostris pauperibus & egenis, ac etiam amicis nostris, debita etiam persolvere & clamores emendare, prout viderimus expedire: Quae, si alias non fecerimus, haec ommnia & singula fieri & ordniari per eosdem dominum nostram Regem, & dominam nostram Reginam, vel eorum alterum volumus & fideliter adimpleri; ita quod si nos circa servitia reddenda, ac debita per solvenda, legata reliquenda, seu clamores pauperum & miserorum emendandos, aliud non duxerimus inposterum ordinandum, nostram extremam voluntatem totaliter committimus in ipsorum domini Regis Angliae & Reginae matris suae, vel alterius eorum dispositionem in omnibus & singulis antedictis: & ipsos vel ipsorum alterum in quantum possumus oneramus, volentes ut ea omnia, & singular, per se, vel eorum alterum, seu per alios, aut alium, quem ipsi ambo, vel eorum alter ad hoc deputaverit, exequi valeant, prout viderint expedire; ratum habentes & gratum pro nobis, & haeredibus nostris, & successoribus nostris quibuscunque, quicquid per ipsos dominum nostrum Regem, & Reginam, vel eorum alterum in forma praenominata factum fuerit, ordinatum, seu praeceptum in praemissis, vel in aliquo praemisssorum. Mandamus in super omnibus archiepiscopis, episcopus, abbatibus, prioribus, & aliis religiosis; comitibus, baronibus, castellanus, militibus, praepositis & ballivis comitatus Sabaudiae, & aliis subditis nostris; ipsis, in virtute sacramenti fidelitatis nobias praestiti, firmiter injungentes, quatinus ordinationem, praeceptum, seu mandatum praedictorum domini nostri Regis & Reginae, vel alterius eorun, super omnibus & singulis praemissis cum affectu admittant, & post decessum nostrum ea faciant totis viribus inviolabiliter observari. In quorum testimonium sigillum nostrum praesentibus est appensum. Dat' apud Russilyon, die Lunae proxima post festem Sancti Lucae Ewangelistae, anno Domini MCCLXXXIV.

Historical context:

To avoid dissension among his heirs after his death, count Philip leaves the decision about the succession in Savoy to king Edward, his grand-nephew, and Edward's mother, Philip's niece, queen Eleanor, either empowered to act alone if the other is unable, or to appoint someone in their stead. Philip, who had been a bishop before he became Count of Savoy in 1268, had no sons. He died in 1285 and was succeeded by his nephew Amadeus V, son of Thomas of Savoy and Beatrice dei Fieschi.

Printed source:

Rymer, Foedera, 2.649-50

Date:

1284