Season 1, Episode 143

Return to episodes list

Violant provides cover letters for her Avignon Ambassadors for when they tell the Pope and the Master of Rhodes about the involvement of evil magic in Joan’s recent illness.

Today’s Document

• Subject: authorization for the Ambassadors to speak for the Queen when they visit the Pope and the Master of Rhodes
• Date: May 16, 1387
• Day of the Week: Thursday
• Language: Latin & Catalan
• Archival Reference Number: ACA CR R2056 f97v
• Link to PARES
• Place: Barcelona
• Sender: Violant
• Recipients: Avignon Pope Clement VII and Juan Fernández de Heredia, Master of Rhodes, head of the Hospitallers

Historical Thinking Notes

• Sourcing: Violant, as queen of a large realm, had a lot of power, but her status did not place her squarely above that of the Master of the Knights Hospitallers or the Pope; in this document, Violant had to indicate to these two powerful figures that she wanted them to take action based on what her ambassadors would say to them; this stretches Violant’s authority and she must find a way to diplomatically spur these powerful people to act; as a member of the French royal family, Violant might have expected the Pope to more assiduously act on her behalf

• Contextualization: the Great Western Schism largely influenced the way that Violant communicates with the Pope and also, to some extent, with the Master of Rhodes

• Corroboration: this document’s meaning can only be understood when combined with the letter to the ambassadors examined in yesterday’s document, Episode 142; a larger corroboration of Violant’s communication to the Avignon Pope can be carried out by viewing the episodes tagged with Avignon Pope Clement VII and Avignon Papacy

• Close-Reading: both letters contain a phrase to the effect of ‘please carry this out as best you can,’ clearly indicating that Violant has made a request for them to act

What is this document doing?

• This document relies on a vague polite language for a request, presumably so that the amabassadors can craft the message for utmost effectiveness.
• The document enlists the recipients in a task of some kind, positioning them as actors who will do something for the queen.

Questions

• Was Violant, as it appears from the previous document in this register, asking the Pope and the Master of Rhodes to find resources to ward off evil magic?
• Did Violant face any risks in approaching the Pope or the Master of Rhodes with this information or in this manner?
• Would either of the recipients have found the message from the ambassadors shocking or unusual? Why or why not?
• Was there a unit within the papacy that handled counter-magic?

AI Usage

The transcription and translation of this document was carried out by my OpenClaw pipeline.

Bibliography

• Ponsich, Claire. ‘De la parole d’apaisement au reproche: un glissement rhétorique du conseil ou l’engagement politique d’une reine d’Aragon?,’ Cahiers d’études Hispaniques Medievales 31 (2008): 81–117.
• Rollo-Koster, Joëlle, and Thomas M. Izbicki, eds. A Companion to the Great Western Schism (1378-1417). Brill, 2009.

← return to episode list