Pilgrimage hill where the Second Crusade was preached (1146) and Richard and Philip met to set out on the Third (1190).
William of Brienne besieged it in 1196.
Who holds it
- Name
- the abbot of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine of Vezelay
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Since
- long-standing
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
The abbot, exempt and under the pope's protection, against the counts of Nevers who claim lodging and justice there.
How things stand that morning
Abbey town.
Charter
The townsmen's commune of the 1150s was crushed (1155); none in 1200.
Communities
Benedictine abbey.
Fairs and markets
Pilgrim fairs at the feast of the Magdalene (July).
Walls and castle
Abbey enclosure on the hill.
Trade and crafts
Pilgrimage to the relics of Mary Magdalene; a starting point of the road to Compostela.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 1196 siege is from fr.wikipedia's Pierre II de Courtenay.
Primary sources for Nevers
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 Robert of Auxerre, Robert of Auxerre (Robert of Saint-Marien) (about 1190 to 1211; continued at Saint-Marien to 1227). A universal chronicle whose last twenty years are contemporary and well informed from Burgundy and the Auxerrois. Read online
- The Acts of Philip Augustus, with Delisle's Calendar, Various (the French royal chancery) (1179 to 1223). The king's own charters and treaties for the year: the peace of Peronne with Baldwin IX in January 1200, the treaty of Le Goulet with John on 22 May 1200, the marriage settlement for Louis and Blanche, the privilege for the scholars of Paris, grants to towns, abbeys and Norman lords, and the first acts of the king's new acquisitions in the Vexin, Evreux and Berry. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.