Season 1, Episode 62

Violant informs Brother Guillem de Urges that she and Joan have written to the Pope.

Episode 62

Today’s Document

Sourcing: in the month of February, Violant has sent over 30 letters to Avignon Pope Clement VII; it is possible, based on earlier documents in this register, that Guillem de Urges is a member of the Hospitallers; Violant’s invocation of Joan’s authority at the start of the letter reflects the development of their coordination as monarchs
Contextualization: the papal court at Avignon was a diplomatic nerve center; the relationship between the Hospitallers and the Avignon Papacy - a relationship that requires more research to understand its background
Corroboration: considering the way that Violant wrote to the Pope as a reflection of the dynamic between her and Joan, other letters to the Pope offer the chance for corroboration; it might be possible to detect some nuances in tone or make inferences based on the topics of her letters when looking at her letters to the Pope comparatively, for instance with a focus on the documents examined in Episode 2, Episode 18, Episode 20, Episode 31, Episode 52, and Episode 54
Close-Reading: Violant starts this letter by referring to what Joan has already written, which could very well reflect a certain level of communication between Violant and Joan that is characteristic of their cooperation; in line 6, Violant uses the phrase ‘buena conclusion’ and this could mean that Violant expects a good conclusion from the Pope

This document forms a closed loop of documentation between the Queen, the King, the Pope, and the Knight.
The document attempts to inspire reassurance that the exercise of power will bring about a desired result.

Who was Guillem de Urges? Was he a commander of a unit of the Hospitallers?
What was the ‘good conclusion’ that Violant expected?
In this document why didn’t Violant mention her own letter to the Pope, recorded on the previous folio?
What explains the five day difference between two letters on the same topic?
What does this document illustrate about the institutional relationship between the Hospitallers, the Crown of Aragon, and the Avignon Papacy?

Gemini did a good job transcribing the document but it hallucinated sources when pressed about the document’s content.

Luttrell, Anthony. The Hospitallers of Rhodes and Their Mediterranean World. Variorum Ashgate, 1992.