Download PDF | English Medieval Diplomatic Practice, part I, volume II, Public Record Office, 1982.
420 Pages
Diplomatic preliminaries to war
A. Declarations of war
i. Renunciation of homage
235 1294, June 20, Westminster. Great seal letters close of credence, in which Edward I (a) asks Philip IV, king of France, to believe what Brother Hugh of Manchester, a
friar preacher, Brother William of Gainsborough, a friar minor,* and two of their fellow-friars, the bearers, will say on his behalf.
P.R.O., Treaty Rolls (C. 76), no. 6, m. 1: Treaty Rolls, i, no. 222.
Regi Francie de credencia. Excellentissimo principi domino Philippo Dei gracia regi Francorum illustria? Edwardus etc., salutem. Mittimus ad vestram celsitudinem regiam religiosos viros fratrem? Hugonem de Mamecestr’ et fratrem Willelmum de Geynesburgh', de fratrum predicatorum et minorum ordinibus, ac Johannem de Geyntingby et Willelmum de Danecastre, socios et confratres ipsorum, exhibitores presencium, super certis que vobis oraculo vive vocis exponent, quibus, si placet, in hiis que ex parte nostra vobis dicent fidem adhibere velitis. Dat’ ut supra [i.e. Dat’ apud Westm" xx die junii, anno etc. xxij].4 Dupplicatur.®
! [n letters of credence dated 1 March 1295, both Manchester and Gainsborough were said to have been sworn of the king's council (C.C.R. 1288—1296, p. 440; see J.F. Baldwin, The King's Council in England during the Middle Ages (Oxford, 1913), p. 80). In September 1336, John de Thrandeston was similarly sworn before leaving for the Low Countries and Germany, where he was going on a royal mission with letters of credence and oral messages: ‘Et le dit Johan fust charge et juree devant le erchevesqe de Kanterbirs et devant le evesqe de Lyncolle et devant mestre William La Zouche, erchevesqe de Everwyk, et devant sire Geffrey Scrop et mestre Johan de Thoresby, qe escrit tout lez lettres de credence qe Johan de Thrandeston’ porta’ (P.R.O., Exch. K.R., Acc. Var. (E. 101), 311/33: Froissart, Œuvres, ed. Kervyn de Lettenhove, xviii, p. 154). In September 1344, an English ambassador to Clement VI wrote to Edward III from Avignon that a meeting which he and his colleagues had had with the pope had been attended by Master Thomas Fastolf, archdeacon of Norwich, ‘le quele jay feat jurer a vostre conseil, et vous purra apres ces heures lieu tenir’ (above, no. 155).
? Note that in this address the words domino et consanguineo suo carissimo are omitted after principi. Compare the address in nos. 230 (a) and 232 (b), above; Treaty Rolls, i, no. 195.
? MS. fratres.
^ By dating this letter 20 June 1294, the day of issue of the letters of credence and procuration of the envoys who were to negotiate and conclude an alliance with Adolf of Nassau against Philip IV (no. 249 (a-b), below), Edward I had to all appearances complied with the rule of feudal law which forbade a vassal to plot against his lord before renouncing his homage. It would have been unwise for Edward, however, to make his formal renunciation of homage long before the Anglo-German alliance had been sealed: the articles of agreement of the alliance were issued on 10 August at Dordrecht (no. 249 (c), below), and Adolf’s ratification on 21 August at Nuremberg (M.G.H., Leg. Sect. IV, Const. iii, no. 512).
(b) [1294, June 20]. Credence given by Edward I to Hugh of Manchester and William of Gainsborough, sent to France to renounce Edward’s homage to Philip IV for the duchy of Guyenne and the county of Ponthieu.
P.R.O., Chanc. Dipl. Doc. (C. 47), 30/6/10, extract (parchment; copy of the late 13305, headed: ‘Forma qua avus domini nostri regis reddidit homagium Francie regi ante aliquam resistenciam per ipsum vel suos de ipsi[us] mandato factam gentibus Francie regis terram Vasconie hostiliter invadentibus et priusquam per ipsos regem Anglie et comitem Flandrie procuratoria facta fuissent ad hujusmodi confederacionem faciendam seu guerram inchoandam contra Francie regem predictum).
Nos messages dirrount au roy de Fraunce: *Nostre seignur le roy Dengleterre, seignur Dirlaunde et ducs Daquitaigne, vous fist homage sur condicion, cest assavoir solonc la fourme de la pees faite entre voz auncestres et les soens, la quele vous ne lui avez tenuz. Et dautre part pur les conte[n]ks® et riotes qount este entre voz genz et les soens apeser, secretz traitiz? ount este entre vous et lui par mons’ Edmound, soun frere, sicome bien vous doit sovenir, en les queux traitiz estoient certeins covenantz, les queux ne lui sount gardez en nul point, tout soit [il]? qil vous a fait obeisaunce outre la fourme de ce trait[i|z.? Et puis, sire, si vous ad fait deux foiz requere par lavantdit soun frere et la tierce foiz par ascun des paers de Fraunce et par autres grantz seignurs de vostre roialme qe sa terre de la duchee Daquitaigne lui fust rendue et sa gent qe sount en vostre arrest deliveree, des queux riens ne lui avez fait. Par ount il10 lui semble qe vous ne lui tenez pas pur vostre homme ne il nentent estre"! ! We know that in fact Hugh of Manchester and William of Gainsborough returned to Dover from their mission to Philip IV shortly before 24 August, since on that day the master and five sailors of the ship which had brought the two envoys back from Wissant obtained a safe-conduct from Edward I for their voyage back home (C.P.R. 1292-1301, p. 85; the safe-conduct was valid for three days after leaving Dover). It seems likely therefore that Edward I’s envoys met Philip IV towards the middle of August. Even if we allow for the four and half days during which they were detained in France on their way to Philip (The Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough, ed. H. Rothwell (Royal Hist. Soc., Camdem 3rd Series, Ixxxix, 1957), p. 243), they would not have had to leave England before the beginning of the month; perhaps they set out on their mission to France on 3 August, the approximate date of departure for Dordrecht of William de Beling and Walter Box, sent by Edward I with privy seal letters addressed to the bishop of Durham, one of the English negotiators at the Anglo-German taks (see below, no. 249 (c), note). It must be stressed, however, that this is only a conjecture.
5 This word is underlined (? for cancellation). On the issue of letters in duplicate, see note appended to no. 19, above.
© MS. conteks. 7 Followed by qe.
8 il omitted in MS. ? MS. traitz.
10 MS. y; corrected from Chanc. Dipl. Doc. 28/5/49, a copy of the same period.
11 See The Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough, ed. Rothwell, p. 243: °... Rex autem... confestim missis duobus fratribus de ordine predicatorum cum literis credulitatis ad regem Francie homagium suum ei reddidit; F. Nicholai Triveti . . . annales . . ., ed. T. Hog (English Hist. Soc., 1845), p. 331: ‘... rex Anglie ad regem Francorum misit fratres Hugonem de Mancestria de ordine predicatorum, ac Willelmum de Gaynesburg ordinis minorum, doctores theologie, viros providos ac discretos; mandans ei per eosdem, quod cum pacta inter progenitores eorum habita et ipsos, nec non et secretos tractatus, quos mediante germano suo cum co habuit, violasset, non videbatur sibi quod ipsum regem Anglie ducemque Aquitanie hominem suum reputabat, nec ipse homagio suo adstringi ulterius intendebat'; C. 47/27/4, fo. 5: '. .. certos nuncios religiosos cum litteris credencie ad regem Francie destinavit, qui eidem regi Francie dixerunt quod pax facta fuerat inter Lodovicum Francie et Henricum
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