The Diet of Argilly
~ les États Généraux du Royaume de Lotharingie ~
As the springtime set in, a city of tents appeared on the green pastures of Argilly, a mass of colourful pavilions covered the fields. In the middle, there was the Royal Pavilion, a twelve-mast giant of a tent, enormous and richly decorated, golden and blue in colour. That pavilion was a relic of better times: it had been used by the late Duke Philippe of Burgundy in his ill-fated crusade, and then one or two more times, then it had been lying unused and forgotten in a storeroom of the Castle of Argilly until the Queen Dowager Anne du Griffon found it, and now it stood proudly in the very centre of the camp, with the flag of the Queen of Lotharingia floating on its kingpole.
Next to it, to the left and to the right, there were the tents of the officers of the Queen, and those of some other digniatries: Amédée de Savoie, Phoebus de Châteaupers, Charles de Wittelsbach, to name a few. And around this centre there were the loosely separated smaller camps of the provinces, neatly arranged in a half-circle. Quite naturally, this order was impossible to keep, as friends with different homelands wanted to encamp next to each other, and thus the camps of the different provinces were overlapping each other in a most chaotic way.
But at least this chaos benevolently hid the fact that the half of the country was missing. Though the envoys of the towns and cities were all there, and the prelates also sent at least their deacons and deans to represent them, the nobility of Artois, Nivernais and Champagne was painfully absent. It could also be noted that the cities of Liguria sent nobody whatsoever -- save the merchants. For the merchants, smelling good business, flooded the area. As the chronicler Georges Chastellain wrote: “there were so many of them, one could think he came to a grand fair: Italians and Flemish and Piémontiens, they were selling their wares -- velvet, ivory, Bohemian glass, but also ordinary goods -- for very high prices. All the noble lords considered it a very distasteful thing, but many very happy with their deals.” Not only the market made it look like a fair: “and on the other side of the camp, there was a jousting range erected, since it was apparent many noble lords wanted to challange each other -- some for disputes, some for old feuds, but later also for the love of fighting,” says Chastellain. “The fight of Guy de Brimeu and Philippe Pot was especially beautiful and elegant; Philippe Pot was triumphant, but neither of the young lords got hurt.”
And while half of the people present were preoccupied with the fancies the Diet provided (not only the joust and the market, but also the feasts and gatherings of friends, and of course the ceremonial meeting of the Chapter of the
Order of the Golden Fleece), the first session of the Diet started in order, on Sunday, on March 2nd.
Antoine de Croÿ opened the meeting with “a very elegant speech which he made in our noble Burgundian French, but later also in Latin, to let others understand it as well”. In this speech, de Croÿ said that the purpose of the Diet was “to provide medicine for the severe ailments of our well-beloved country, (…) to have her reinstated in her former glory and prosperity.” Chastellain, this incorrigably medieval chronicler, does not forget to mention that “on hearing his [de Croÿ’s] speech, the noble lords of the Realm fell on their knees, and wept very bitterly, mourning over the calamities of their very dear homeland.” While it obviously did not happen that way at all, Chastellain probably felt it
should have happened so, at least in an ideal world.
In the first days, the initiative was clearly held by the supporters of the baby-Queen Marie. Though they were few, their coordinated, well-planned actions yielded numerous victories: at this stage, all went well. First of all, Anotine de Croÿ, well-respected by all for his famed chivalry and honour, and also for his age and experience, was elected the President of the Diet -- lacking a properly crowned and anointed King, it was his task to preside over the meetings, having the invaluable right to close the proceedings whenever he wished so. Then, on the request introduced by Thibaut VIII de Neufchâtel, friend of de Croÿ, it was quickly decided that the Diet would be organized in two Houses, so that the Lords of the Directoire and the clergy would hold meetings separately from the the lower nobility, except when a joint meeting is called for. The famous scholar Jean Germain, Count-Bishop of Châlons and Chancellor of the Order of the Golden Fleece, recited the “complaints of the people of the Realm, both noble and other”, asking the Diet to do everything to have the old rights and liberties reinstated. Chastellain also notes that “a saintly clergyman from the Lowlands begged the lords to end the strife and the bloodshed as soon as possible, so that all the Realm would be able to go on a crusade against the Berbers. His humble plea moved many of the noble lords to tears.”
Even this early on, it was clear even to the contemporary observers that the lines were not merely between the supporters of the various pretenders, but also between the lower nobility and the magnates. For as the Lords of the Directoire were gaining power, so was the gentry losing it, and this obviously was not to the liking of many; the members of the former grand houses of Burgundy, like the Houses de Croÿ, de Vienne, Pot, de Brimeu, de Lannoy, de Bauffremont, suddenly found themselves neglected and even opressed after the creation of Lotharingia. The slow decentralization during the Regency had led to that the Lords of the Directoire held all the power, not leaving much space for the smaller landholders. The sheriffs brought countless complaints from lesser nobles who claimed that their rights were abused by a Lord of the Directoire. The clergy, as always, sided with the magnates.
Another factor was the peasantry, and in general the commoners: the serfs, the burghers, the merchants, the tradesmen, the lawyers, the artisians -- thus all the people who actually worked. During King Louis’ efforts to create something of an early absolutism, the burdens of the peasantry grew as the nobles, unable to pay the high taxes themselves, passed their encumberances on the peasantry. The pains of the middle-class came from abuses: since the times of Duke Philippe III, it was a widespread habit amongst the aristocracts to have their soldiers married to daughters of rich commoners. The case of the widow whom King Louis forced to marry an archer on the day of her husband’s funeral was by no means unique. And even though neither the peasants, neither the burghers were represented in the Estates-General per se, they were there, as soldiers in Queen Dowager Anne’s army. They were there, and they were awaiting the results of the Diet very eagerly. An elderly gentleman from the County of Bern was so scared of the sight of the mass of armed serfs camping not far away that de Croÿ had to prohibit everybody from bringing tar in the camp -- the burning barrel of tar being the traditional sign of the peasant revolts.
Chastellain is very naïve when it comes to the politics. Though he was Flemish by birth, and he could witness the power and wealth of the burgeoisie in his youth, just like the Queen Dowager Anne, he was unable to notice the significance of the middle-class. He was unable to accept that the order of the commoners had changed during the course of centuries. He calls every commoner a “peasant”, and if he, very rarely, shows some compassion towards their harsh lot, his compassion is always stereotypical and never heartfelt. In general, the only one to speak on behalf of the commoners at Argilly was the bishop Jean Germain who did so in an allegorical speech: “the lord bishop praised the Laudable Labour with very excellent words, and he also spoke for the honour of the Commendable Diligence,” says Chastellain; “and harshly condemned the Foolish Negligence and the Malicious Envy for attacking the abovementioned lords. The lord bishop begged the Estates to protect the lords Laudable Labour and Commendable Diligence, for if they left the country, Miserable Fortune and Terrible Poverty would visit the Realm.” Germain’s speech caused great sensation.
The confidants of Queen Dowager Anne were chiefly of the lower nobility, one notable exception being Phoebus de Châteaupers whom Anne liked and held in great esteem, even though she knew all too well that her emotions were not returned. Two more men attended the meetings of the Directoire who were firm supporters of Anne: the eleven years old Count of St-Claude, Joachim de Savoie, Anne’s firstborn from his first marriage, “often attended the meetings, escorted by his uncle, the Count Henri du Griffon of Louhans, and was so serious and balanced like an adult,” writes Chastellain. “He was considered so mature by the Lords that when it was his turn to preside over the meeting [the president of the sessions of the Directoire changed daily, on a rotary basis], they let him take the heavy burden, and the young Count did so well that he was elected the King of Honour during the feast in the evening.”
The first days of the Diet were spent mainly with creating the regulations and laws of the Diet itself. Being the first of its kind in Lotharingia ever, this was not an insignificant task at all. The question of the throne was peacefully neglected for a long time; nobody was very enthusiastic to start speaking about it, at least not in the public. Of course, in private discussions that was the main topic. The medieval idealism produced a lot of weird suggestions: all described idyllic scenes of peace and familial love, at the end of which the participants would go on a crusade to kill infidels. Every day, masses were celebrated in the chapel of the Argilly castle at Prime, Sexts and Vespers, praying the God for peace and guidance, but aside this, not a lot was done.
Anne du Griffon herself did not appear before the public until the second Sunday of March, also the start of the second session of the Diet, right after her faction began to lose its initial impact. But until then, she was often seen discussing with the envoys unofficially. She listened, encouraged, promised, consoled; listened, encouraged, promised, consoled; listened, encouraged, promised, consoled -- endlessly. To counter that she effectively robbed many nobles of their possessions when liberating the serfs fighting for her, she bought each of the serfs with money -- with Pommeranian and Piedmontese money. To counter that she was supported chiefly by foreigners, she made ardent speeches, detailing how she will personally kick out each foreign soldier from her lands. To counter the persisting rumours claiming that she sought the power for herself, she cited Philippe’s offer of Genoa, conveyed to her by Antoine de Croÿ and Éléanore de Berry, and told how she refused it. Even Chastellain, who was in a rather odd position as he supported Marie but mistrusted Anne, even Chastellain admits and acknowledges her effort. Truly, she worked day and night.
The Queen Dowager of Lotharingia wasn’t discouraged by the many defeats her faction suffered during the sessions of the Estates-General. She didn’t get discouraged when it turned out that great many nobles refused to come. She didn’t get discouraged when the faction of magnates favouring Éléanore started to take control over the proceedings. “When you expect a blow to come, it is not so painful,” she said to Phoebus de Châteaupers according to her secretary the friar Jean-Pierre. “It hurts, of course it does, but it is not nearly as painful as an unexpected hit.”
On March 9th, Sunday, Anne du Griffon emerged from the Royal Pavilion, bringing the baby-Queen Marie along with herself. Chastellain dedicates an entire chapter of his chronicle to depict the solemn scene, the royal pomp. He describes in-depthly and very vividly how the child, frightened by the crowd of people before them, hid behind her mother’s leg, peeping out at the people like a “fearful little fawn”. She had brown, wavy hair --Chastellain was malicious enough to note that it would have been better for her if her hair had been red.
“My Lords…” Anna began. Her voice faltered: never before she had spoken before such a large crowd. Thinking of it, she realized she had never even seen
such a large crowd. She felt the frightenment of her daughter, she felt as the child’s little hands were grasping her skirt, and she felt the same frightenment. Now she regretted not letting de Croÿ do this.
“My Lords…” she tried again, her voice trembling. She was sweating, he heart was beating very hard; it was not only the crowd that made her so frightened: it was also the responsibility. For the first time ever since she had gotten the idea of the Estates-General, for the first time ever since she had sketched that thrice-cursed Charter, she realized that this was a decisive moment, that everything, but everything, depended on her success or failure.
“My Lords, I--- ” She took a deep, shaky breath, closing her eyes. Then she drew herself up, cleared her throat, and started it all over again; this time her voice, though shaky, held some determination.
“My Lords, we have gathered together here, in the sight of the God Almighty, to witness the resurrection of the Realm of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We have gathered together to end the strife and bloodshed, and also to affirm the rule of the Queen Marie of the House de Valois, of this name second, whom herewith I, her warden and guardian, solemnly and humbly present to the Estates as the heiress of the late King Louis of Lotharingia. She is of the Royal blood.” Anna guided the three-year-old little girl before herself with gentle force. Marie was staring at the gathered nobility with her mouth open. “If it so pleases Our Lord Almighty, Our Creator and Our Savior, she shall be, with the permission of the Estates, anointed on the Lady Day,” she announced. “And until her majority, until her proper coronation at the age fourteen, a Regency Council shall rule the Realm, since the examples of the previous Regencies showed that having one single Regent is not beneficial for the Realm. And that Regency Council shall be presided by the Duke-Archbishop of Rheims who is indeed the first of the prelates of the Realm; and the members of that Council shall be the Queen’s closest relatives, namely the Queen’s only living uncles, Duke Amédée and Count Henri; and also the Queen’s aunt, the Empress Éléanore; and also the Queen’s mother…”
Her throat got parched, she had to pause.
“But…” Her voice was still weak; her speech was uninspired, to say the least, and she knew it. Feeling more and more dizzy, losing her grip on the reality, she realized that she was no orator, not in the least. Her stubborn persistance to have this every-so-important speech recited by herself was a fatal error, by now she knew, and she wished she had let de Croÿ speak, or Jean Germain, or anybody else…
“But the Queen has summoned the Estates here not only to affirm her reign,” she continued; she found it easier to speak in her daughter’s name. “For it is even important to have the injustices that caused the strife eridicated. That is, to have the law and order restored in the Realm, along with the ancient rights and liberties. And therefore I, in the name and on behalf of the Queen, to the honour of God, and to the amendment of the Realm, shall present the Estates with a charter, a Grand Charter that would, should the Estates accept it, restore the tranquillity and prosperity of the Realm.”
Anna paused, and closed her eyes. She then took a deep breath, and threw up her head. “Since the times of the Holy Queen, the bishops, the nobles and other parts of the Realm have suffered injustice during the reign of the reign of our predecessors…
” she began reciting the charter. She did not need the parchment she held in her hand, she knew the entire text by heart; and now her voice held strength, and a strange feeling of calmness and joy filled her as she went on with the text, because that text was her chef d’oeuvre, and that text was her swansong. And regardless of what they would think of it, she knew it was good.
In the name of the Holy Trinity, the Indivisible Unity & Saint Mary the Virgin.
Anne, Queen Dowager of Lotharingia, on behalf of her très-chère & très-aimée daughter, Marie, of this name second, by the favour of divine mercy hereditary Queen of Lotharingia & Duchess of Burgundy, second Sovereign of the Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece.
Since the times of the Holy Queen, the bishops, nobles and other parts of the Realm have suffered much injustice during the reign of Our predecessors who used their God-given power in a wrong way, either because the Ruler listened to evil advisors’ bad advices, either because the Ruler wanted to take revenge, either because the Ruler sought only his own benefit, and therefore those attached to the Crown of Lothar have been wronged of their ancient rights and liberties. Recognizing this, We have cordially opened our heart to, and We shall herewith fulfill all the plea and requests of Our nobles who have oftentimes expressed disapproval and anger, and We shall do so especially because the desperation of some has grown so strong that they took up arms against their properly crowned and anointed King when the rebels unfurled their colours. And hereat We shall re-invest the bishops, the nobles, and other parts of the Realm with their ancient rights, and We shall also benevolently decree some other things that would serve the betterment and amelioration of the Realm.
We decree that, unless prevented by severe illness or unexpectedly hard matter, We shall be bound to celebrate the Lady Day in Dijon. But in the case We would find ourselves unable to go, the Lord High Chancellor shall be undoubtedly there to act as Our substitute, he shall listen to the matters in Our name. And all the bishops and nobles of the Realm, either parts of the Directoire or not, shall be allowed to go there to express their views freely, and hereafter this meeting shall be called the yearly Diet of Lotharingia.
We also decree that the Directoire hereafter shall hold meetings at least four times a year. Wishing to distinguish some of the Lords of the Directoire from the others, We shall hereafter call them Our well-beloved cousins, and they shall be known as the Peers of the Realm, for they are the closest to Our heart of all the vassals of Ours. Along with granting them the dignity of being the Pairs de Lotharingie, We also charge them with doing certain tasks for Us: to mint Our money, to collect the tax for Us, to enforce Our law, to represent Us where We cannot be present. And these peers shall be: the Duke-Archbishop of Reims, the Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Alsace, the Duke of Lorraine, the Duke of Brabant, the Duke of Auvergne, the Count-Bishop of Châlons, the Bishop of Strasbourg, the Bishop of Metz, the Count of Champagne, the Count of Flandres, the Count of Artois, the Count of Nevers, the Count of Bern, and the Count-Palatine of the Lowlands.
But We also declare that even though We love some of them more than the others, all the vassals of Ours, each and every of Our well-beloved subjects of noble birth shall be regarded as equals in Our eyes when We or Our Chancellor or Our justiciaries sit in judegement.
Furthermore, We decree that no freeman shall be ever imprisoned, killed, dispossessed, or in any other way destroyed, neither by Us, neither by Our daughter, neither by her successors, neither by the peers, neither by anybody else, unless that freeman is properly charged and sentenced by Our courts of justice.
Also, We promise not to levy taxes on the nobles, unless the Diet authorizes Us to levy the contributio extraordinario; neither we shall gather the ‘free denars’ after the nobles’ rightful inheritance. We also do promise not to levy taxes on the clergy.
And We shall also ask for the counsel of the Lords of the Directoire before levying the other taxes or imposing any scutage.
If a noble dies without a male heir, his daughter shall inherit. If he has not even daughters, his closest male relative shall inherit. And if he has no House whatsoever, his fief shall revert onto the King. But if the noble has somebody very dear to his heart, and he wishes that one to inherit, he is allowed to kindly propose Us to consider his wish.
But a noble shall be always allowed to devise one quarter of his possessions to whomever he wishes.
And if one’s heir is underage, that heir’s closest relative of age shall be his tutor and warden, be it his mother, or his faher’s brother, or his father’s cousin, or his father’s second grade cousin, but not any further than that. And if that heir has no such relatives, We Ourselves shall act as his warden, preserving his lands from harm, sustaining him in Our own court, and We promise not to collect the ‘warden’s share’ for this service of Ours.
And We also prohibit everybody else from collecting the ‘warden’s share’.
Concerning the royal successions, the law shall be like it was in the times of the Holy Queen. We also want the county of Charolais to be always in the possession of the Heir of Lotharingia, as it was in the old times.
We also promise that if the line of a Pair de Lotharingie dies out, and his fiefs revert back to Us, We shall grant those fiefs and the dignity to the most worthy within a year, so that the office shall never be unfilled. We also promise not to grant such fiefs to anybody without asking for the opinion and counsel of the Diet.
No bailiffs and sheriffs of Ours shall ever judge men of noble birth, unless the matter is of tax or tithe. Our castellans shall sit in judgement over no men, save over the people of their castles. And the nobles shall sit in judgemement over nobody whatsoever, save over the members of their households and over their vassals, but only if the matter is a dispute.
Our justiciaries and the Lord High Chancellor may sit in judgement over anybody, leastways when they are in Our courts. But if the matter is of the High Justice, thus if a man of noble birth might be deprived of his life or fief, the justiciaries and the Lord High Chancellor shall make no verdict without consulting Us. We also decree that when residing not in Our courts, but in their own lands, then they shall be forbidden to pass verdicts and to command bailiffs. And We also want the justiciaries and the Lord High Chancellor not to appoint deputies, neither they shall be allowed to sit in judgement through proxies.
And We also decree that no investigation shall be done concerning witches, neither any person shall be ever charged with being one, for such creatures do not exist.
Furthermore, We decree that if anybody, either a peer, either a noble, either a bishop, or any other kind of person, driven either by just or unjust intentions, would lay violent hands on the properly anointed King or Queen of the Realm, that person shall be stripped of his fiefs, that person shall be hung, and then his body shall be cut in four, and the parts shall be nailed over the gates of Ghent, Reims, Strasbourg and Dijon. The same shall be the punishment of those who ally themselves with an enemy of Ours, if that enemy is a foreign prince.
Similarly, no noble, bishop, or any other part of the Realm shall ever give sanctuary to a criminal properly trialed and sentenced to any punishment by Us or Our officers. And if he does, his punishment shall be the same as that of the one he gave sanctuary to.
But We also decree that even the worst of the criminals shall be allowed to recieve the extreme unction before his execution.
And We also want that the appeal of a woman of noble birth shall be considered just as heavily as that of a man, but only if that woman holds land in the Realm, either in her own right, either for her son; and also if she does not, but the matter is of the High Justice, and her appeal is for rape, or for the death of her husband or other close kins.
And if We would wish to wage war in foreign lands, no noble shall ever be forced to go with Us, unless properly paid by Us; and when the army marches home, We shall not levy a tax on any spoils of war they might bring home. But when enemies attack the Realm, all the nobles shall be bound to go, as this service of theirs allows them to hold their rights and privileges. Accordingly, if a nobleman refuses to obey the Royal call when the country is endangered, that noble shall be stripped of his titles and fiefs. We also decree that Our dignitaries, officers and everybody drawing pay from Us shall be always bound to go to war with Us, regardless of the circumstances.
But if a noble is unable to obey Our call, he shall be allowed to send a properly armed, able man in his stead.
If a noble man would die when on campaign with Us in foreign lands, We shall by all means present his heir with an appropriate gift.
And generally, when a nobleman dies, either in war, either in illness, either in duel, and even if he is sentenced to death by Us, his heirs must sustain his widow properly for the rest of her life, or leastways until she marries again. If the noble has no heirs, We shall sustain her in Our court.
And no widow shall be ever forced to marry, if she is willing to live without a husband.
We also want the nobles to rule justly and mercifully over their peasants, they shall never torment their peasants, they shall never rob their peasants. And to defend the peasants from bad treatment, We herewith affirm their ancient right to move, and thus if a noble treats them wrong, they shall, under Our protection, be allowed move to another village within the province. And if a noble is deserted by all, he shall blame only himself.
And We also want that if a peasant is unable to pay the properly levied tax because of poor harvest, his lord shall complete the tax from his own wealth.
We also retain the right to set any serf, or group of serfs, free, if We deem them worthy enough. But in such case We shall by all means compensate the former lord for the loss, either with money, either with a similar serf.
And, mutatio mutandis, the same shall be the conduct when We would wish to make a city or a village a Free Royal City or a Free Royal Village.
And We also decree that if a bailiff, castellan, sheriff, or any other officer of Ours proved to have gone astray, if it is proven that he held his office in an honourless way, or that he ravaged the countryside, that officer shall be stripped of his office in the sight of the entire Diet, and he shall give back everything he looted together.
We also decree that our officers shall sustain themselves and their office only from the revenues of their office. The other revenues, those that are the Ruler’s, shall go to the Ruler.
The tithe shall be always provided as a share of what the land yields, be it grain or wine or any other thing. And if the bishops would claim otherwise, We will not help them.
But We also declare that the bishops shall not be forced to offer Us or Our officers a part of the tithe, they shall be allowed to use it as they wish.
And if a noble or a bishop does not want Our cattle to graze on his fields or forests, We shall respect his wish.
Neither Our lieutenants, marshals, sheriffs or bailiffs or any other dignitaries of Ours shall ever take any goods from anyone without instantly paying money for the goods. And no officers of Ours shall ever take the horses or carts of any freeman, for the purpose of carriage, without the consent of the said freeman.
We also do promise not to invest anybody with more than one office, and that We shall not appoint officers who do not know the laws and customs of the land.
And We also decree that Jews shall not hold offices, especially not in the Chamber.
We promise that We shall write Our edicts and decrees in Latin, and We also order others to use this tongue when passing any kind of resolutions. And if a resolution involves commoners, that resolution shall be always proclaimed in a language the locals understand well.
And since Our well-beloved subjects speak great many languages throughout the Realm, We also wish to abolish the ungodly custom that regards an oath invalid if it is not pronounced properly.
We also wish that all merchants shall be allowed to come to the Realm, they shall have safety and security when coming to the Realm, when staying in the Realm and when leaving the Realm, and just as well they shall be allowed to buy and sell, as long as they keep themselves to the laws and customs of the land, and as long as they properly pay the tolls and tariffs.
And if they fail to obey the laws and customs of the land, they shall be apprehended by Our officers without injury to their bodies and goods. And the same shall be the conduct when a merchant is from a country that is at war against Us.
And We decree that the tolls and tariffs paid by the merchants shall never be higher than as We set them.
We decree that salt shall not be stored anywhere in the Realm, only in the Lowlands.
And We also decree that Our silver denars shall be in use for one year, from Easter to Easter. And the shape and weight of the denars shall be like as they were during the reign of the Holy Queen.
And since We wish to have the aboveset liberties, rights and laws kept for all times coming, kept during Our rule, during Our daughter’s reign, and during the reign of all of her descendants and successors, We had Our rulings written in nine letters, and had all of them affirmed with Our golden bulle and with Our signature; and We shall send the first of the letters to Monseigneur le Pape, so that he shall preserve it in his registry; the second We shall send to Monseigneur l’Empereur, the third to Our cousin the King of France; the fourth shall be preserved by the Knights Hospitallers of Saint John; the fifth shall be preserved by the friars of the Abbey of Morrimond; the sixth shall be kept in the Abbey of Cluny; the seventh shall be kept in registry of the Duke-Archbishop of Reims; the eighth shall remain the Ruler’s; and the ninth shall be the Lord High Chancellor’s: so that he will be able to keep it by himself all the times, he shall never forget any of the above rulings, and he will not go astray, neither he will let the Ruler or the nobles go astray in these things. And in this way all the nobles and bishops and other parts of the Realm shall rejoice in their rights and liberties, and hence they shall be faithful to the Realm of Saint Mary and to the Crown of Lothar for all times coming, their due services toward the Ruler they shall never neglect.
And if We, or Our daughter, or anyone of her successors would ever speak or act to the contrary of Our rulings, this letter shall authorize the bishops, the peers, the nobles and other parts of the Realm to contradict Us, Our daughter, and all of her successors, and this letter shall authorize the bishops, the peers, the nobles and the other parts of the Realm to resist any unrightful command of Ours, of Our daughter’s, and of her successors, forever and ever, for all times coming.
Written by the hand of Jean-Pierre, who is a friar of the Benedictine Order & is Our secretary; on the ninth day of March, in the year of Our Lord MCDLV, when Nicolas was the Pope, Louis was the King of France & Ladislas was the Emperor, in the third year of Our daughter’s reign.
Anna R.
