The Cartularies of Angoumois

Interwoven Texts: The Cartularies of Angoumois by Michael François Webb A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto c Copyright 2018 by Michael François Webb Abstract Interwoven Texts: The Cartularies of Angoumois Michael François Webb Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto 2018 Studies of medieval Angoumois have relied extensively on the local ecclesiastical cartularies produced in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Ignoring when the cartularies were compiled and their original function, scholars have largely taken their content at face value. This has led to numerous errors of fact and interpretation. This dissertation rectifies the gap in scholarship by analyzing the ecclesiastical cartularies of Angoumois as integral works, as well as particular documents within them. Their production is placed into context within a history of the ecclesiastical institutions of the diocese of Angoulême and its environs. Recent research on cartularies in other regions has demonstrated that they were not just created for preservation and organization, but this thesis provides new insight into their purpose. Four cartularies form the core of this study. The cartulary of the cathedral church of Angoulême was started soon after the bishop of Angoulême died in exile during the papal schism of the 1130s; charters signed as originals were later added, demonstrating its use as a symbol of stabilization. The monastery of Saint-Cybard’s cartulary, created after it regained its independence from Saint-Jean-d’Angély in 1161, was a memorial object that was manipulated to fit the monks’ conception of their history. The cartulary of the abbey of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe, produced just after the institution was placed under Saint-Géraud d’Aurillac in 1197, shows the vehemence with which the monks had fought against subservience and served as a reminder of their past independence. Bishop Robert’s cartulary may have been started in 1259 to help him address a conflict with the ii count of Angoulême and was then used as a personal and practical book. Crises, therefore, often provided the impetus for the creation of Angoumois’ cartularies. After their initial compilation, they continued to be useful by acting as symbolic objects and practical tools that could vary greatly depending on the community that produced them. Because the content of a cartulary was malleable, it is essential to un- derstand both the events that caused them to be written and their purpose in order to use the documents within them to study the region’s history. iii Acknowledgements It is difficult to adequately thank the people who have made this dissertation possible. I am humbled by the amount of support I received, especially from my supervisors, Professors Isabelle Cochelin and Joseph Goering. This dissertation began when Professor Cochelin encouraged me to investigate Angoulême’s archives, not knowing exactly what I would find. As the project progressed, I was always impressed with her insightful questions and copious comments on drafts, without which this project would be nowhere near as thorough and readable. Professor Goering always urged me to explore matters for myself, whether it was an aspect of the Middle Ages I knew nothing about, or physically grappling giant tomes filled with primary texts in the library. As a supervisor, his constant push for precision added much-needed nuance and rigor to this dissertation. I am also thankful to Professor Nicholas Everett, the third member of my committee. Throughout the writing process and during my coursework with him, he taught me how to tackle areas with few sources and how to best approach them. Numerous other professors at the University of Toronto have provided aid and guidance, such as Professor Michael Gervers, who helped me investigate Adémar of Chabannes’ notes taken from charters. And I doubt my ability to read Latin would ever have been sufficient to complete this project without Professor A. G. Rigg taking the time to make sure that I got my translations exactly right. I also wish to thank my external examiner, Professor Constance Brittain Bouchard, for her discerning criticism and feedback on my thesis, in addition to her advice on how to further my work. But even well before this, just as I was beginning to deal with cartularies as a problematic source, her work on them and the study of memory inspired me to look at the cartularies of Angoumois in dramatically different ways than past scholars had. I am grateful for the financial support from the University of Toronto, which provided me with a graduate fellowship, along with the C. P. Stacey-Connaught fellowship. But even more then that, the community at Toronto, especially the History Department and the Centre for Medieval Studies, helped foster an intellectual environment from which I greatly benefited. I am also grateful to all those anonymous scholars who left useful marginal notes in books at the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies’ library. Time and time again, I was astonished at the numerous individuals who, despite no direct affiliation with my project, took the time to help me. This project would have been impossible without the archivists at the Archives départementales de la Charente in Angoulême; I especially appreciate them allowing me to get my hands on cartularies and other documents that were normally reserved to be viewed only via microfilm. Sébastien Barrett, at the Institut de Recherche et d’Histoire des Textes, provided an extremely helpful analysis of the signa I found in the cathedral church of Angoulême’s cartulary; Professor Andrew Lewis answered my obscure requests about Bernard Itier’s chronicle and Baigne; Georges Pon helped me manage issues of local history and historiography; Brian Cook aided me in understanding the chemical processes that mar some of these cartularies; Mathieu Lescuyer, at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, examined the iv physical construction of Bishop Robert’s cartulary; and Christian Knudsen provided background involving visitation records and answered my questions about the intricacies of typesetting. I never would have arrived at the University of Toronto if not for many other amazing teachers. Professor Elizabeth Sears at the University of Michigan not only caused me to fall in love with the Middle Ages and its manuscripts, but also was the first to push me to dig deeply into primary documents. I never would have pursued the study of history if not for Frank Blondale in high school, who showed me the depth and importance of history as a discipline. I am fortunate to always have had assistance from my family and friends. My aunt and uncle, Isabelle and Jean-Claude Caubel, in particular, who not only allowed me to stay with them in Charente (and hijack their vehicles), were always there for anything I needed. My Uncle Xavier Bouton first introduced me to the history of Charente, and my grandparents, Pierre and Marguerite Bouton (in whose library I came across everything from a copy of André Debord’s edition of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe’s cartulary, to dusty volumes of the Patrologia latina), gave me a deep appreciation of the region and my heritage. Despite all my doubts and difficulties, my friends never seemed to lose faith that I would complete this project. I wish to especially thank Sandy Carpenter, with whom I completed this journey; her feedback on my work was invaluable. Thanks also to Dennis Coalhart, who took the time to copyedit a draft of this dissertation, and Ken Wolcott, who helped me overcome the obscurities of LATEX. Of course, I would not have had the chance to even thank this multitude without the constant and vigilant encouragement of my parents, Christopher and Genevieve Webb. My father was always there for me, from answering my thousands of childhood “why?” questions, to ensuring that I had the best educational opportunities possible. My mother not only made sure that I grew up with strong connections to her home, but ceaselessly helped me with the French language and, of course, kept my physical and mental well- being in mind (feeding me all along the way), even when I most stubbornly tried to refuse any aid. Without them both, there is absolutely no way that I could have completed this project. And finally, I wish to thank the person that, seemingly against all reason, stayed with me through all of this: my wife Sara Hattie Swanson. I will never cease to be stunned that she endured my efforts for so long, never wavering once in her support. I cannot imagine my life without her. v Contents Acknowledgements iv Contents vi List of Figures ix Abbreviationsx Introduction1 1 The Monks, Bishops, and Counts of Angoumois from the Mid-Ninth to the Early Fourteenth Century 13 1.1 Chronological Boundaries.......................... 14 1.2 The Major Sources.............................. 15 1.3 The End and a New Beginning (The Mid-Ninth to the Early Tenth Century) 18 1.4 Revival and Foundation (The Early Tenth to the Mid-Eleventh Century) 23 1.5 Reform and Submission (The Mid-Eleventh to the Mid-Twelfth Century) 37 1.6 Reintegration (The Mid-Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Century).... 54 1.7 The Search for Identity............................ 65 2 The Historiography of Cartularies 68 2.1 Development of Modern Scholarship..................... 68 2.2 Definition and Types............................. 72 2.3 Historical Development............................ 79 2.4 Uses and Motives of Creation in the Central Middle Ages......... 84 2.5 The Application of New Analytical Frameworks to Angoumois...... 93 3 Stabilization and Prestige: The Cartulary of the Cathedral Church 94 3.1 The Book and Its Dating........................... 95 3.2 Signa and Original Charters......................... 97 3.3 Redating and Schism............................

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