Langres

Who holds it

Name

Not pinned: Hilduin of Vendeuvre, newly elected, or the suspended Garnier of Rochefort

Title

Bishop and count of Langres, peer of France

Since

1199 or 1200

Confidence

low

As in the Church map record Langres.

Lord in 1200

The bishop of Langres as count of the city and county, held of the king since 1179; the see is passing from Garnier of Rochefort to Hilduin of Vendeuvre.

How things stand that morning

The bishop's city, with the see in transition.

Threats

• A disputed episcopal succession
• Burgundian claims

Charter

The townsmen's franchises go back to 1168 (Church map record); no commune.

Council

Not detailed.

Communities

The cathedral chapter; the great Cistercian houses of the diocese (Clairvaux, Morimond, Auberive) close by.

Fairs and markets

Markets; not one of the six fairs.

Militia

Not established.

Walls and castle

Roman and medieval walls on the ridge.

Trade and crafts

Road tolls of the plateau.

Where the sources disagree

• Realm set to crown: the county of Langres is held of the king by its bishop.

Evidence: Follows the Church map record.

On the map: The city and near villages; the bishop's county is on the Church map.

Primary sources for Held of the king

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. Read online
• Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
• Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
• The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
• Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
• Deeds of Philip Augustus, Rigord (about 1186 to 1206, in stages). The French court's own chronicle for the year, from the monk of Saint-Denis who called himself the king's chronographer. Read online
• Deeds of Philip Augustus; The Philippide, William the Breton (Guillaume le Breton) (Gesta about 1214 to 1220; Philippide 1214 to 1224). William abridged Rigord for the years before 1207 and then continued him, so for 1200 the Gesta is a shortened Rigord with a few added touches: the Le Goulet settlement, Blanche's marriage, and the interdict. Read online
• History of the Counts of Guines, Lambert of Ardres (about 1196 to 1203, unfinished). A house history of the counts of Guines and lords of Ardres, written while Count Baldwin II and his son Arnold were alive and finishing in 1203. Read online

4 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.