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More Data on Gautier d'Arras

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

F. A. G. Cowper*
Affiliation:
Duke University

Extract

Gautier has been known to scholarship only as the author of two romances, the Eracle (of 6,593 verses) and the Ille et Galeron (of 6,592). In the prologues and epilogues to these works he mentions a number of illustrious patrons and sheds some light, though a rather dim one, on his own personality. From what he says there, it is possible to date the two romances approximately, so that we know the years of his adult life. The poet claims friendship with Count Baudouin of Hainaut, identified as Baudouin V, brother-in-law and successor of Philip of Flanders; Count Thibaut of Blois, grand seneschal of Louis VII of France; Marie de Champagne, daughter of Louis and Eleanor of Aquitaine and sister-in-law of Thibaut; and Beatrice of Burgundy, second wife of Frederick Barbarossa, emperor of Germany. Anyone familiar with the political friendships and enmities of the time will wonder at the wide acquaintance and patronage Gautier claims.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1949

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References

1 See my articles: “The New Manuscript of Ille el Galeron”, MP, xviii (March 1921), 601–608; “The Sources of Ille et Galeron”, MP, xx (August 1922), 35–44; “Gautier d'Arras and Provins”, RR, xxii (Oct.–Dec. 1931), 291–300.

2 Between 1176 and 1184 Gautier's name appears with Baudouin V on eight acts: nos. 52 and 99 are acts of Baudouin; in no. 67 both Baudouin and Gautier are witnesses; and acts 64, 65, 81, 86, and 88 are acts of Philip confirmed by Baudouin.

3 Jacob-Nicolas Moreau (1717–1804). When Avocat des Finances, he obtained authorization to establish a collection of “les titres et les monuments de l'histoire française.” With the collaboration of La Curne de Sainte-Palaye and a number of Benedictines of the Congregation of S.-Maur, the civil and ecclesiastical archives of the provinces, royal courts, towns, churches, abbeys, châteaux, and private collections were visited. Copies were made of about 40,000 pieces on the history of France from the 7th to the 18th centuries. They form the first 284 volumes of the collection which comprises 1,834 volumes. There is only a partial record of MSS located in Paris, and in Flanders and the Netherlands. The papers of Sainte-Palaye (1697–1781) are included in the collection: Some of the documents therein reproduced have since been lost by fire, theft, or war. The principal copyists of the documents concerned in this article were Dom Grenier and Dom Queinsert. See H. Omont, Inventaire de la Collection Moreau (Paris: A. Picard, 1891).

4 De Loisne, Le Cartulaire du Chapitre d'Arras publié ou analysé avec extraits textuels d'après le manuscrit de la Bibliothèque Nationale par Cte Auguste de Loisne (Arras, 1897). Académie d'Arras, No. 29, pp. 23–24: “… Prima igitur querela fuit, pro territorio Balduini Montis, in quo abbas Sancti Vedasti, in parte ilia, que fundus ejus erat, et in parte quam Walterus de Atrebato tenebat, hospites noviter habitare constituerat, etc.” This is the so-called Livre Blanc.

5 Eugène Taillar, Recherches pour sentir à l'Histoire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras. Jusqu'à la fin du XIIe siècle (Arras, 1859–60), Mémoires de l'Académie d'Arras, xxxi, 171–601. He gives the full text on p. 458 (No. 32), my No. 13.

6 H. Coppieters Stochove, “Regestes de Philippe d'Alsace”, Annales de la Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Gand, tome vii (Gand, 1906).

7 Nearly all are on vellum. There are five of 1166, six of 1167, seven of 1168, four of 1169, six of 1170, one of 1171, three of 1172, two of 1173, seven of 1174, six each of 1175 and 1176, thirteen of 1177, three of 1178, one of 1179, four of 1180, fifteen of 1181, two each of 1182, 1183 and 1184, four of 1185, two of 1188, one each probably of 1190 and 1191, though undated, two of 1197 (vidimus and confirmation), one of 1198 (probably referring to a son), and, lastly, one of 1224.

8 Original in the Bibliothèque de Saint-Omer, AB xiv, 4—A. Giry, Histoire de la ville de Saint-Omer et de ses institutions jusqu'au XIVe siècle (Paris, 1877), p. 392. The number is there incorrectly given as 1. The complete text is given on pp. 387–392. The first 20 paragraphs are identical with those of the privileges and franchises granted to this city in 1127 by Guillaume Cliton. The following is the paragraph referring to the office of secular prevost:

3. Si quis de jure christianitatis ab aliquo interpellate fuerit, de villa Sancti Audomari alias, pro justitia exequenda, non exeat: sed in eadem villa, coram episcopo vel ejus archidiacono, vel suo presbytero, quod justum est, clericorum scabinorumque judicio exequatur; nec respondeat alicui, nisi tribus de causis; videlicet de infractura ecclesiae vel atrii, de lesione clerici, de oppressione et violatione feminae. Quod si de aliis causis querimonia facta fuerit, coram judicious et praeposito meo hoc finiatur. Sic enim coram K[arolo] comite et episcopo Johanne statutum fuit.

Giry, op. cit., p. 372. The text is printed also in Mém. Soc. des antiq. de la Morinie, t. iv, pièces just., p. xiii. Wauters, Table Chronologique des chartes et diplômes imprimés concernant l'histoire de Belgique (Bruxelles, 1866–96), ii, 491, notes it as follows: “Philippe, comte des Flamands, voulant reconnaître la fidélité que les habitants de S.-Omer avaient constamment montrée à son père Thierri et à lui, confirme leurs libertés et leurs privilèges, leur en accorde de nouveaux, et détermine les peines dont seront frappés les coupables de différents crimes.”

9 Original in Arch. Nord, Lille (27 H 16, pièce 213 Loos).

10 According to Gustave Dupont-Ferrier, La Formation del'Etat français et l'unité française (Paris 1929), p. 102, until the creation of the baillis and the seneschals the royal prévôt was the permanent representative of the king, his “intendant domanial, son juge local”, his political agent charged with watching over the feudal lords and the towns and with extending the royal power at their expense. The count's prévôt must have performed similar functions on a smaller scale. Augustin Thierry in his Recueil des monuments inédits de l'histoire du tier-état, le série, tome 1er, p. 97, has this to say about the prévôt (he is discussing my No. 69, see below): “Faut-il voir dans ces quatre prévôts les magistrats qui exerçaient exclusivement les fonctions de juges? C'est là un fait que, faute de preuve positive, nous ne saurions établir; mais, ce que nous devons constater, c'est qu'on appelait à Amiens, certains membres de la magistrature urbaine longtemps avant la prise à ferme, par la commune, de la prévôté royale.”

11 Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras, rédigé au XIIe siècle par Guimann et publié pour la première fois, au nom de l'Académie d'Arras par M. le Chanoine Van Drivai (Arras, 1875).

12 The text is also found in Augustin Thierry's Tiers Etat, i, 96–99. The original, with the seals of the bishop and the chapter and the seal of the commune, was still in existence in the archives of the Hôtel de ville of Amiens in 1488, but has since disappeared.

13 1163. It was presided over by Pope Alexander III. It excommunicated Anti-Pope Victor and Frederick Barbarossa. Thomas-à-Becket was said to have been present.

14 “Hoc factum est in presentia domini Cononis et Waltheri de Atrebato et Rorigonis de Faiel et Johannis de Athies qui omnes huius rei plegii sunt et testes.”

15 “ … cuius rei testes sunt, Walterus Attrebatensis, Adam de Vuaulleincurt. … Burgenses Perone et alii multi.”

16 Le Câteau took its name from a château of the Prince-Bishop of Cambrai.

17 Philip, a firm friend of Thomas-à-Becket, negotiated the reconciliation with Henry II and accompanied Thomas back to England. It is possible that Gautier accompanied Philip to England on this mission. Philip was outraged over the assassination and urged the Pope to excommunicate the English king. Thomas was canonized in 1172. Philip accompanied King Louis on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Thomas in 1179. He became regent of France on the death of Louis in 1180 and promptly married his ward Philip Augustus to his niece Isabelle, daughter of Baudouin of Hainaut. The foundation at Crépy was the first monastery in memory of the new saint.

18 Is there any connection between his wife's name and the miniature of the Lamb at the beginning of the Wollaton MS. of Ille et Galeron?

19 The complete text follows:

“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti. Amen.

“Ego Johannes Dei gratia ecclesii Beati Vedasti humilis minister omnibus tam futuris quam presentibus notum facimus quod Gualterus de Arras et Agnes uxor ejus in presentia nostra et famulorum coquine nostre sed et scabinorum Nove ville filios suos concordantes, communi assensu et pari voluntate, reservatis tamen sibi toto vite sue tempore fructibus, domino Rogero filio suo salvo, Ecclesie beati Vedasti jure legitime dederat medietatem corum que habebant in molendinis de Blangy et medietatem terre de Ga-y (one letter indecipherable) et terram undecim mencaldarum ultra viam de Dominicacurte versus Squiri et sartum de Bellu et allodia que appendent Maliens et Ymercurt et Bailleul et nemus de Jettefol et terras censuales.

“Hanc igitur donationem coram nobis et hominibus nostris legitime factam scribi et sigilli auctoritate communiri fecimus et testes qui présentes approbaverunt nomine subjecimus.

“Testes: dominus abbas Johannes; Lambertus prior; Mainbodo prepositus; Balduinus edituus; Fulcho thesaurarius; Guimannus celerarius; Christianus hospitarius; Hugo elemosinarius.

“Balduinus castellanus de Attrebato; Robertus de Salcei; Alelmus de Ymercurt; Wibertus, major; Bernardus de Gaverella; Balduinus de Becherech; Septianus, major de Vi, Guaiterus filius ejus; Sawalo de Hadis; Andreas major; Harduinus de Dianavilla.

“Actum anno ab Incarnatione Domini millesimo centesimo octagesimo quinto.”

From fol. 95v de Cartulaire R(de St.-Vaast)—Le Fez, p. 286, de son reg. CL Bibl. Arras 316(204). These are in MS. It may be of some value to identify Le Pez. Etienne Le Pez, according to Van Drivai in his Nécrologue de l'abbaye Saint-Vaast (Arras, 1878), was born at Lille, Dec. 25, 1646. Entering the order of Benedictines, he was at first detached for service in the prévôté of La Beuvrière in 1672, then librarian and sacristan of the abbey of St. Vaast in 1667, rentier from 1681 till his death Jan. 28, 1707. He was buried in the church of St. Vaast. He devoted his life to research on the noble families, copying and collecting thousands of documents too many of which came from the well-known forger Launay. About fifty collections copied by him or by his brother-in-law Perry are still preserved in the Library of Arras. Many others passed into private libraries, notably that of the marquis d'Havrincourt, and appear to have been destroyed in 1917.

20 “1198, mars. J., châtelain de Lille, notifie que le chevalier W., d'Arras, a donné au chapitre son four de Baudimont. Ego, J. castellanus Insulensis, omnibus quibus presentes literas videre contigerit, imperpetuum. Notum facio tam presentibus quam futuris, quod W., miles dictus de Atrebato, concessit ecclesie Atrebatensi furnum suum de Balduinimonte, quem de me tenere dinoscitur, tali interposita pactione, quod mater sua Agnes proventus ejusdem furni, quamdiu vixerit, et post decessum suum per dimidium annum recipiet; quo elapso, idem W. tenebitur eidem ecclesie, sicuti nunc tenetur, reddere XL marcas (cart: marca) communis solutionis. Si vero circa hune terminum ipsas marcas non reddiderit, ipsa ecclesia predictum furnum ad instaurationem capellanie, pro anima patris sui quiete et libere imperpetuum possidebit. Fidem etiam interposuit quod filium suum infra terminum, hanc conventionem faciet groentare. Hoc autem concessit; ne tanquam domino suo assensum prebente et laudante coram paribus (cart: patribus) suis, videlicet Ro[gero] de Wavrin, judicantibus quod predicta ecclesia sub tali pacto in eundem furnum legitime poterat intrare, et, ut firmius teneatur, sigilli nostri appensione roboramus” (87, f. 43v).

21 Cartulaire de Notre-Dame-des-Ardents à Arras par Louis Cavrois (Arras, 1876), p. 110.

22 A. Guesnon, professor at the University of Lille and author of numerous works on the history of Flanders and Artois, left his library and papers to the Municipal Library of Arras. He left a number of notes on the Chàtelains of Arras, among whom he was evidently trying to place Gautier. M. Besnier, the archivist and librarian, gave me access to Guesnon's notes. I found no notes identifying the knight and the poet as one and the same person, though the fiches were all together. Guesnon had noted approximately one-third of the acts on which my study is based. There are a few of his that I could not check. Some originals were, and others may have been, destroyed in the two world wars.

23 The archives at Mons are reported to have been destroyed during the second world war.

24 While I was preparing this study for printing, I received from the archivist at Arras the proofs of part of a book entitled Les Châtelains d'Arras by Dr. Pierre Feuchère of Wattignies near Lille. Feuchère devotes five or six pages of his book to Gautier d'Arras, who he says was the son of a Werenfridus (Wirenfroy), member of a younger branch of the house of the châtelains of Arras. He says also that Agnes, wife of Gautier, was a sister of Hellin de Wavrin the seneschal and that while Gautier did not hold the title of châtelain he was regent during the minority of two châtelains. He cites documents giving the names of three sons of Gautier: Roger, the eldest, Gautier, and Willaume. Feuchère's study is based largely on the notes of Guesnon in the Municipal Library of Arras and documents in Lille. He cites 60 acts mentioning Gautier. He credits me with having discovered “more than 55”, though I had actually listed 100 at the time. The book was published in Arras in the spring of 1948.