Saintes

Who holds it

Name

Eleanor, duchess, with Bishop Henry

Title

Lord of the town

Since

see lord_1200

Confidence

high

Dated charter of 1199 with witness list.

Lord in 1200

Eleanor as duchess, and Henry, bishop of Saintes; the rights of Godfrey Martell are reserved in the town's charter.

Overlord

Eleanor as duchess of Aquitaine, with John as her heir

How things stand that morning

Loyal; newly chartered.

Charter

Eleanor's charter dated at Saintes, 1199: she confirms for ever the commune sworn at Saintes, to follow the form and manner of the commune of La Rochelle; the citizens may defend their free customs with the commune's force against all men, saving fealty to her and her heirs; they may marry their daughters, widows and young men freely, hold wardships and make wills; the rights of the duchess, the church, the bishop and Godfrey Martell are reserved. Witnesses: Peter Bertin, seneschal of Poitou; Henry, bishop; Ramnulf Barbotin, archdeacon; Godfrey Martell, Chalon of Rochefort, William of Mauze.

Council

Mayor and jurors on the La Rochelle (Rouen) model.

Communities

Cathedral chapter; the Abbaye aux Dames; the priory of Saint-Eutrope; schools under master Isembert (1199).

Fairs and markets

Markets; pilgrims to Saint-Eutrope.

Militia

The commune may take up arms in defence of its customs (1199); no figures.

Walls and castle

Roman wall on the left bank; the Roman arch on the Charente bridge.

Trade and crafts

Charente river port; wine and salt; its bridge credited to Isembert, master of the schools of Saintes, whom John will recommend in 1202 for London Bridge.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Dated charter of 1199 with witness list.

Primary sources for Angevin lands

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 Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. 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
• Chronicles of the Churches of Anjou (Saint-Aubin, Saint-Serge, Saint-Florent and others), Various (monks of Angers and the Loire) (11th to 13th centuries; the Saint-Aubin annals run to the 1220s). The Angevin houses' own annals of the succession crisis in their city: Arthur received at Angers in 1199 with Constance and the Breton and Angevin barons, John's counter-moves, the defection of William des Roches and the Angevin lords to John, and the peace of 1200 that left Arthur John's vassal. 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
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
• English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online

14 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.