year: 1257
text: July 28. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the preceptors and all brothers of the hospital of St Mary of the Teutonics, relating that many of the brothers of their order have been cruelly killed at the hands of the infidels in the Holy Land and areas of Livonia and Prussia (Pruscia) in defense of the catholic faith, as he has learned, so the order is known to be in need of more men so that with new brothers it is restored and made stronger in the service of the Cross. For the obvious utility and necessity of this, and in answer to the prayers of Master Johannes de Capua, papal notary, the pope grants that they can receive free and absolved clerics and laymen and give them their habit without delay. He also establishes that those who join the order cannot return to the world or join another order against the will of or without consulting the brothers or the master. If anyone goes against and dares to abandon their habit, the order’s priests shall pronounce a sentence of excommunication against him that shall not be relaxed until he returns humbly to the order and their habit.
July 28. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the preceptors and all brothers of the hospital of St Mary of the Teutonics, relating that many of the brothers of their order have been cruelly killed at the hands of the infidels in the Holy Land and areas of Livonia and Prussia (Pruscia) in defense... more
sources: Strehlke, Tabulae, pp. 387-88, no. 560
year: 1257
text: *August 4. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the bishop, dean, and chapter Avranches (Abrinconses), ordering them to receive as canon Robertus de Paccio (Pacy), cleric Ebroicensis (Évreux), familiar of the noble man Johannes, son of the late King John (Johannes) [of Brienne] of Jerusalem, with a prebend if vacant or as soon as possible.
*August 4. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the bishop, dean, and chapter Avranches (Abrinconses), ordering them to receive as canon Robertus de Paccio (Pacy), cleric Ebroicensis (Évreux), familiar of the noble man Johannes, son of the late King John (Johannes) [of Brienne] of Jerusalem, with a... more
sources: ASV, Reg. Vat. 25, ff. 69v-70r, no. 557; calendar entry in Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:656, no. 2138
year: 1257
text: August 8. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the abbess and convent of St Anne of Jerusalem of the Order of St Benedict residing in Acre (Accon), relating that it was proposed before him on their behalf that because of the incursions of the Saracens they have long been exiled from their own monastery and stay in a rather restricted space in Acre (Accon), burdened by poverty. The pope grants that they are not obliged to accept any nuns or provide pensions or ecclesiastical benefices to anyone via papal letters without full and express mention of this indulgence.
August 8. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the abbess and convent of St Anne of Jerusalem of the Order of St Benedict residing in Acre (Accon), relating that it was proposed before him on their behalf that because of the incursions of the Saracens they have long been exiled from their own... more
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:671, no. 2187
year: 1257
text: August 9. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the prior of Saint-Hilaire of Orléans (St Hylarius Aurelianensius), relating that Dun-sur-Aurun (Sado de Duno Regis) canon of Saint-Ursin de Bourges (St Ursinus Bituricensis) informed him that in that church the statute strengthened by oath states that when a canon retires or dies, the prior and chapter collect the first year’s fructus from the prebend and with it buy redditus, called an annuale in the vernacular. When Sado obtained the prebend that brother Petrus de Sancto Johanne had in that church before becoming canon of St Mary of Mt Sion (Syon) in Jerusalem of the Order of St Augustine, however, the prior and chapter collected the income for three years and counting. The pope orders the addressee, if it is so, to have the prior and chapter be content with the one year’s income and assign the rest and the prebend to Sado without delay.
August 9. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the prior of Saint-Hilaire of Orléans (St Hylarius Aurelianensius), relating that Dun-sur-Aurun (Sado de Duno Regis) canon of Saint-Ursin de Bourges (St Ursinus Bituricensis) informed him that in that church the statute strengthened by oath states that... more
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:660-61, no. 2158
year: 1257
text: August 10. Acre. With the agreement of the homes liges de la seignorie, mesire Phelippe de Montfort seignor de Sur, mesire John (Johan) l’Aleman seignor de Cesaire, mesire Johan de Valencenes sire de Haifa (Cayphas), mesire Jaque de la Mandelée, mesire Tybaut de Bessan, mesire Symon de Malembec, mesire Balian Anteaume, mesire Johan de Flori, and many other homes de la seignorie, and mesire Estiene de Sauuegni syndiques et procureor des chevaliers homes de la seignorie dou reaume de Jerusalem, and with regard to the manifest profit for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, John Ibelin (Johan d’Ybelin), seignor d’Arsur, conestables et bail dou reaume de Jerusalem, reaches agreement with mesire Iohan de Guide and mesire Bienuenu de Vidal, syndiques, procureors et actors, et speciaus messages dou comun d’Ancone, representing the city and district of Ancona, over the privileges (franchise) that the Anconitans have demanded. Dues owed to the chaene. When the Anconitans bring into Acre by sea goods they have bought in Christian territories, the baillis de la chaene will exact not more than 1 per cent import dues (un besan d’entrée per centenal). When, the Anconitans export by sea goods that owe dues to the chaene, the baillis de la chaene will exact no more than 1 per cent export tax (un besan d’issue per centenal). When the Anconitans import by sea all taxable goods brought from or bought in pagan lands and sell or alienate them in Acre, the baillis de la chaene will tax at the normal rates. If the Anconitans do not sell these goods and export them from Acre they will pay regular rates, which is to say that they will only pay the import tax (si perforent enterinement la dreiture au bailli de la chaene à l’issue itel coment sont acostumé à paier gens remdables; et est a saver que seur zo que il auront paié d’entrée si compliront enterinement la dreiture del’issue). An Anconitan who exploits his freedom when dealing with people owing tax will lose his privilege for ever, together with his goods. JUSTICE AND QUARTER. All disputes brought against Anconitans will be decided by their consels, who should decide per l’usage de la terre if the plaintiff wishes it. And all Anconitan households (mainières) which up to today have enjoyed the freedoms granted to the Genoese, Pisans and Venetians, will revert henceforward to being subject to the kingdom (seignorie). All Anconitans are subject judicially in body and goods to their consels, placier and baston. And the seignorie will grant them authority (leur baillera) and will give them in place of (adès ou) the garden of the Genoese, a piece de terre by the city walls near the sea, on which they can build a church, a palais for their comun and a place where they can lodge. They cannot build houses by (desus) the sea, but they can build warehouses (mais metre et trenir là les leur choses). If the seignorie cannot give them this land, the Anconitans may buy the houses (hosteaus) of sire Johan Grip, sire Jop and sire Jorge, and the seignorie will give the place and the land between the houses and the sea, to provide lodgings, together with all the rights it has with respect to the houses. The Anconitans can load and unload their goods near the houses, using the nearest port dou seignor. They can buy other houses as lodgings, and the seignorie will give them rights over them, together with the right to load and unload nearby, if the houses are in another situation. AID TO THE KINGDOM. The Anconitans will provide 50 armed men (homes armés de fer au meins) to the defence of the seignorie and port in Acre, but will be victualled by the seignorie only when they are at sea. The armed men will be in place by the next Feast of All Saints. If they are not, the seignorie may hire and maintain 50 armed men at the Anconitans’ expense. All the Anconitans residing in Acre are held to help the seignorie as best they can. On the other hand, the seignorie must protect the Anconitans against other men (in the kingdom) and will pay the costs of any damage, should it occur in its defence. It is bound to include the Anconitans in the terms of any peace or truce negotiated with its enemies. The fine for breaking the terms of this agreement will be 10,000 besants. CONFIRMATION. The agreement will be presented in Ancona by its procureurs, so that the podestà (poesté) and counsellors of the commune of Ancona will swear to abide by it under seal, and their charter will be presented to the bail of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by the Feast of All Saints in 2 years’ time. It will also be sworn by the consels and conselliers representing the commune of Ancona in Acre at that time. The syndiques of the bail and the knights (chevaliers) of the seignorie will also swear each time a new bail is appointed. Witnesses: of the Genoese, Ansaldus Zeba; Johannes Castanea; Guillelmus Guercius; Guillelmus Lanfranci Spinole; Lamfrancus de Carmadino; Antonius de Grimaldi; of the knights (milites), domnus Egidius knight of Haifa (miles de Cayphas); domnus Filippus de Coxi miles; of the Anconitans, Johannes Boiamontis; Dego Dauid; Nicola Antonis Mauri; Petrus Salvatici; Nicola Comitis. The bail dou reaume de Jerusalem, the seignor de Sur, the seignor de Cesaire, Johan de Valencenes, Jaque de la Mandelea, Tyebaut de Bessan, Symon de Malembec, Balian Antiaume and Estienne de Sauuegni attach their seals. The charter was written by aliottus Uguiccionis imperiali auctoritate iudex et notarius publicus.
August 10. Acre. With the agreement of the homes liges de la seignorie, mesire Phelippe de Montfort seignor de Sur, mesire John (Johan) l’Aleman seignor de Cesaire, mesire Johan de Valencenes sire de Haifa (Cayphas), mesire Jaque de la Mandelée, mesire Tybaut de Bessan, mesire Symon de Malembec,... more
sources: Mayer, UKJ 3:1404-9, no. 806; RRH 1259
year: 1257
text: August 20. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the master and brothers of the house of the knighthood of the Temple in Acre, relating that the count of Jaffa (Joppensis) is led by such passion for the business of the Holy Land that, as the pope has understood, for the upkeep of the castle of Jaffa (Joppense) he has not only spent all his movable goods and a good portion of his inheritance, but he is heavily burdened by debts. Thus he cannot maintain it alone without help from elsewhere. Since, therefore, as the pope has understood, while alive the late Patriarch G[erold of Lausanne] of Jerusalem deposited in the house of the addressees a certain sum of money for the aid to the Holy Land that is believed to amount to 16,000 Saracen besants and more, and since the loss of the castle would be very detrimental to the Holy Land and the faithful of those parts, the pope orders the addressees to provide the count, without trouble or delay, up to 1,000 silver marks of that money to be spent in support of the castle as the count sees fit. Otherwise the pope is sending a letter to Patriarch [Jacques Pantaléon] of Jerusalem to compel them to do so with ecclesiastical censure, after a warning, appeal removed.
August 20. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to the master and brothers of the house of the knighthood of the Temple in Acre, relating that the count of Jaffa (Joppensis) is led by such passion for the business of the Holy Land that, as the pope has understood, for the upkeep of the castle of Jaffa... more
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:666, no. 2174
year: 1257
text: August 20. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Patriarch [Jacques Pantaléon] of Jerusalem concerning the above (RRR 3215), verbis competenter mutandis.
August 20. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Patriarch [Jacques Pantaléon] of Jerusalem concerning the above (RRR 3215), verbis competenter mutandis.
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:666-67, no. 2175
year: 1257
text: September 6. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Patriarch [Opizo Fieschi] of Antioch, who, it is said, has been assigned by the Apostolic See the care of spiritual and temporal affairs of the church of Limassol (Nimociensis), responding to his requests by granting full exemption from the spiritual jurisdiction of Archbishop [Hugo] of Nicosia, the metropolitan of the church, so that the archbishop cannot on his metropolitan authority exercise ecclesiastical censure or spiritual jurisdiction of any kind over the patriarch, his household, vicars, or baillis in the church Limassol or on the churches or lands or any members of the clergy or people of the city or diocese for four years. The pope annuls any sentences and anything else attempted against this indulgence. Otherwise the archbishop is to exercise whatever rights he has, since the pope does not wish to cause any prejudice to him by this.
September 6. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Patriarch [Opizo Fieschi] of Antioch, who, it is said, has been assigned by the Apostolic See the care of spiritual and temporal affairs of the church of Limassol (Nimociensis), responding to his requests by granting full exemption from the... more
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:672, no. 2191; Haluscynskyj and Wojnar, Acta Alexandri IV, pp. 72-73, no. 37; Schabel et al. [eds.], Bullarium, 1:492-93, no. f-30
year: 1257
text: September 13. Nicosia. Regulation against usurers of Archbishop Hugo (Ugo da Fagiano) of Cyprus, which he read to the populace in the church of Sancta Sophia after the sermon. Despite general efforts against usury, usurious contracts are made in public under the guise of simulated sales, when the person needing to borrow buys cloths, wax, silk, or other things for a price much greater than the value and then is forced to sell them to the original seller or someone else for a price much less than the value, thus being doubly deceived, receiving barely half of what is pretended to be sold or bought, the rest amounting to interest above the limit, fictitiously called a “penalty”. This deception has grown to the point where nothing is bought or sold, but a mere verbal contract is made with the names of goods unseen, untraded, or not even possessed. Sometimes a person borrowing 80 is forced to profess that he received 100, to be paid on a certain date on pain of a penalty. Generally the entire sum [of 100] is handed over before a public official, but the debtor repays part of the money [immediately] as part of the agreement. As a result, only time is sold. The archbishop sees this as a spreading cancer in Cyprus and especially in Nicosia. He has long forbidden public contracts of this sort on pain of excommunication, along with the participation of notaries and scribes in drawing them up, the serving as guarantors or debtors of knights and others, and he has forbidden the mediators, called sensales in the vernacular, from handling or promoting such contracts, called barrattas in the vulgar tongue. His efforts have had no effect, so he will deal with this with a heavier hand, not only forbidding all above participants on pain of excommunication these or similar contracts in the city and diocese of Nicosia, but also declaring them null and void, such that no one can have recourse to an ecclesiastical or even secular judge for complaints or exceptions involving these contracts, even if those making the contracts are under ecclesiastical jurisdiction or swear an oath.
September 13. Nicosia. Regulation against usurers of Archbishop Hugo (Ugo da Fagiano) of Cyprus, which he read to the populace in the church of Sancta Sophia after the sermon. Despite general efforts against usury, usurious contracts are made in public under the guise of simulated sales, when the... more
sources: Schabel, Synodicum Nicosiense, pp. 108-11, no. A.XXIX
year: 1257
text: September 22. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Bishop [Opizo] of Tripoli (Tripolitanus), relating that in the pope’s presence the bishop proposed that he had gone to great expense in coming to the Apostolic See for his and his church’s business, and that lest this business be left unaccomplished for lack of money, he asked to be able to borrow. The pope allows the bishop to take out a loan of up to 10,000 gold Saracen besants of Acre (Accon) at the weight Acconense and to oblige himself, his successors, and his church, such that the bishop and his successors are obliged to repay the loan with damages, expenses, and interest if he does not repay within the deadline.
September 22. Viterbo. Pope Alexander IV writes to Bishop [Opizo] of Tripoli (Tripolitanus), relating that in the pope’s presence the bishop proposed that he had gone to great expense in coming to the Apostolic See for his and his church’s business, and that lest this business be left... more
sources: Bourel de La Roncière, Les registres, 2:779, no. 2500