English Gascony

Published in "Fourteenth Century England", vol. VII, ed. M. Ormrod (2012).
This is about the lawyer from Toulouse Ramon Durand who served the king of England-duke of Aquitaine Edward II as lawyer, then as seneschal of Périgord and lieutenant of the seneschal of Gascony. He is more famous as seneschal of the Landes and has been one of the most important support of the king of England in Gascony. In this position he became knight and attempted to buy a lordship in the Basque Country. Sadly, he lost it to a cadet of the Albret family and was killed in the assault of a small town of the Landes in 1333.

Published in the "Revue Historique de Bordeaux et du département de la Gironde", no. 20, 2014.
Several unpublished documents permit to know the paid truces (the "patis") made between places of Aquitaine-Gascony, particularly Saint-Emilion, and some neighbouring "French" garrisons.

Published in "Les Cahiers du Bazadais", no. 152 (2006).
This article is about the political song written by the late troubadour Pey de Ladils of the town of Bazas (now in département Gironde, France) about the conflict in Gascony between the king of England and the king of France. Ladils criticizes there the inaction of the king of England (probably Edward II) against the attacks of the king of France. He underlines the fidelity of the Gascons towards the king of England.

Published in "Nottingham Medieval Studies", L, 2006, pp. 59-114.
Contrary to assumed ideas, the support of inhabitants of the principality of Aquitaine to its prince Edward of Woodstock (nicknamed "the Black Prince" from the 16th century onwards) was more important than usually assumed, particularly in Poitou, Saintonge and Angoumois until the military defeat of the "Poitevins" in 1372, but also in other regions (ex. of the towns of Millau and Montauban). Similarly while the "City" of Limoges submitted to the French and was later sacked by the Black Prince's army on 19 September 1370, the "Castle" of Limoges, the main part of Limoges, remained faithful to the Prince until 1371. Several other examples demonstrate that the assumed ideas on a tyrannical rule of the English and the Black Prince in Aquitaine are to be seriously qualified or even refused.

Published in "Les Cahiers du Bazadais", no. 187, December 2014.
This paper is about the family of Preissac whose elder members where nicknamed Soudan of la Trau. They were issued from a nephew of Pope Clement V and its most famous member has been Arnaut-Bernat IV de Preissac who became knight of the Garter c. 1380-1381. He was also present at the battles of Poitiers (1356), Cocherel (1364) and Najera (1367), and has participated at the expedition against the Tunisian town of Madhia (1390) led by the duke of Bourbon. There are some details about the siege of Mortagne-sur-Gironde (1377-8) and the murder of Owain of Wales, the last Welsh pretender of the principality of Wales.

From the Babylonian exile of the Jews to contemporary research into mass immigration, exile has proven a question of perennial interest and importance. The historical study of exiles, of people who were forced to emigrate from their original community, allows us to rethink not only how integration was understood in the past, but also how people from different geographical spaces perceived one another and interacted. This thesis is concerned with the exile of a group of Gascon nobles who left Aquitaine for England following political and economic disturbances in the mid-fifteenth century.

A special thank you to Professor Nora Berend (St. Catherine's College) and Dr. Paul Cavill (Pembroke College) from Cambridge Univesity who supervised my Masters Thesis and helped me through my research.

Published in "Le Moyen Âge", vol. CXII (2006).
This article is about the war cries "Guyenne! Guyenne!", then "Guyenne! Saint George!" which were used by Gascons of the English party to show their fidelity towards their lords, the kings of England - dukes of Aquitaine (or of Guyenne its popular synonym). The cry "Guyenne!" is first mentioned c. 1130 in a troubadour song and last mentioned in a Bordeaux revolt agains a salt tax in 1548.

Published in the "Nottingham Medieval Studies", LII, 2008.
From 1364 until the end of Anglo-Gascon Aquitaine (1453), an assembly of the Three Estates has existed, often divided into two assemblies (the Three Estates of Bordelais and Landes). It is an attempt to trace the story of this assembly according to the surviving sources.

Au Moyen Âge tous les témoignages indiquent que le Béarn fit partie de la Gascogne politique et ethno-linguistique. Ce n'est qu'à partir du XVIe siècle que le statut souverain du Béarn inventé par Gaston Fébus en 1347 entra dans les mentalités et que les Béarnais se distinguèrent des autres Gascons en dépit d'une langue et d'une culture commune.
During the Middle Ages all the testimonies show that the Béarn was a part of the political and ethno-linguistic Gascony. This is only from the 16th century that the sovereign status of Béarn invented by Gaston Fébus from 1347 onwards was acknowledged and the Béarnais were distinguished from the other Gascons despite their common language and culture.

Published in "Le Moyen Âge", vol. CXVII (2011).
The collegiate church Saint-Seurin of Bordeaux have written several texts trying to prove Gascony sovereign status (united with England) towards the kingdom of France. In this context, a ceremony has been organized there in 1355 around the Black Prince before his expedition to Languedoc.

Published in the "Journal of Medieval Military History", vol. 9 (2011). It has obtained the John Gillingham Price from the  American society "De Re Militari".
It is about the three major offensives led by the French armies against "English" Aquitaine-Gascony between 1404 and 1407 who had been inspired by the duke of Orléans, brother of King Charles VI of France. Despite a lack of support from England, the Gascons of the English party succeeded to resist and maintain their autonomy. This study is based on a large range of sources kept both in France and England.

Published in "Aquitaine Historique", 117 (2012).
This is paper about an administrative medieval entity named in Gascon "Comtau d'Ornon" and was situated at the south of Bordeaux. Originally a possession of the counts of Bordeaux, it has been thereafer owned by the lords of Blaye, then it has been bought by the king of England-duke of Aquitaine Edward I. This latter created there two new towns (bastides)  and one of them called Baa (name coming from the English place Bath) did not develop even if we have kept detailed accounts of its creation and surveying.

Contrairement aux idées reçues actuelles, l'identité dominante à Bayonne jusqu'au début du XXe siècle fut l'identité gasconne et non basque. Plusieurs témoignages historiques à ce sujet sont réunis à partir du XIIIe siècle. Le second lien montre des portulans (cartes maritimes) du XIVe et XVIe siècle où l'on trouve écrit le nom de "Bayonne de Gascogne". Contrary to assumed ideas, the main identity of the city of Bayonne until the beginning of the 20 th century was the Gascon identity and not the Basque one. Several historical testimonies from the 13th century onward are shown there. The second link is showing portolans (navigational maps) of the 14th and 16th centuries where we find written the name "Bayonne of Gascony".

"Contact and Exchange in Later Medieval Europe. Essays in Honour of Malcolm Vale", ed. H. Skoda et alii, 2012.
It is often assumed that people sharing a common language follow the same political allegiance. In comparing the medieval history of Gascony and Brittany, it is possible to conclude that it was not the case despite strong ethno-linguistic feelings.

Published in "Medieval Petitions: Grace and Grievance", ed. M. Ormrod, G. Dodd and A. Musson (2009).
The Gascons subjects to the kings of England regularly sent petitions to them and the English Parliament in order to have their wages paid, to obtain a sentence, to have a confirmation of privileges, etc. The positives decisions issued from these petitions are copied in the Gascon Rolls.

L’hospice rural du Castanh et l’assistance hospitalière à Lectoure (XIIIe-XVe siècle)

Nous identifions, et situons, les 7 hospices médiévaux extérieurs de la ville de Lectoure (Gers, France). Cité épiscopale, résidence des vicomtes de Lomagne et comtes d’Armagnac, cette citadelle est située sur le chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle (voie du Puy). Le patrimoine de la plupart de ces établissements, d’importance variée, se trouve progressivement réuni au bénéfice de l’hospice du Saint-Esprit, localisé intra muros. Lors des affrontements entre Jean V, comte d’Armagnac, et Louis XI, roi de France, Lectoure subit une terrible destruction, en 1473.
Aucun vestige médiéval de ces édifices n’est conservé, excepté celui du Castanh, dont les fonctions hospitalières sont corroborées par les archives municipales de Lectoure. Celui-ci est identifié, ici, pour la première fois. Il offre un très rare exemple d’hospice rural édifié à la fin du XIIIe siècle ou au tout début du XIVe siècle. Quadrilatère de 8 m sur 16 m., transformé en sala (salle), ou maison forte, au XVe siècle, son architecture hospitalière est encore bien visible dans la construction actuelle, malgré les transformations postérieures : vaste resserre de plus de 500 m3 au rez-de-chaussée, éclairée par 6 archères-jours, et ouverte par une portail en tiers-point, accueil au premier étage, dans une salle de 92 m2, par une porte en tiers-point, vaste fenêtrage de trois larges baies, orientées plein sud, une quatrième, identique, au nord, et une cinquième, à l’est, deux éviers, de probables latrines en surplomb et un foyer, toujours sur la face nord, de nombreux placards muraux dans des murs de 4,70 m de haut, une absence de plafond mais un étage ouvert sous une toiture à chevrons-portant-fermes, qui dégageait ainsi un très vaste espace sous faîtière. L’hospice rural du Castanh retrouve, ainsi, les formes habituelles d’autres hospices de la même époque, dégageant lumière et aération, à Fontenilles (Tonnerre), Givry ou Beaune. Il n’en demeure pas moins un très rare témoignage, relativement bien conservé, d’une structure d’accueil périurbaine de la Gascogne anglaise, aux portes d’une cité épiscopale et princière.

Guerra e patz en Bordelais d'après les Registres de la jurade de Bordeaux (1406-1422) 1. Au début du XVe siècle, la ville de Bordeaux est le cœur de ce qui reste des possessions continentales du roi d'Angleterre et duc de Guyenne. Elle est dirigée par une oligarchie, la jurade, très attachée à l'obédience du roi-duc qui fait face à une pression des forces pro-françaises accrue à partir de 1405. Dès lors, quel impact a le temps de guerre sur l’activité délibérative des jurats ? Quelles réalités recouvrent l’acception ? Et qu’en est-il de la paix ?

En 1975 quelques habitants de la commune de Castillon-la-Bataille, renommée ainsi depuis 1953, décidèrent de célébrer la victoire française contre les Anglais qui avait mis fin à la guerre de Cent Ans.  C’était alors une petite kermesse ; c’est aujourd’hui un spectacle à gros budget. Présent dans les manuels d’histoire, notamment en classe de cinquième, c’est un épisode qui reste pourtant moins marquant dans la mémoire collective que les défaites françaises de Crécy (1346) ou d’Azincourt (1415) ou que  l’épopée de Jeanne d’Arc (1428-1431). Il en est de même dans l’historiographie surtout si l’on compare avec ces dernières.

Communication lors de la journée d'étude des Master 2 Histoire, Civilisation, Patrimoine, Parcours "Études Médiévales", Université Bordeaux Montaigne / UMR 5607 Ausonius ("S’allier, s’associer, s’unir : la coopération en Occident médiéval (IXe-XVIe siècles)").

Les Registres médiévaux de la jurade de Bordeaux sont de précieux témoignages de la conception qu’avaient les élites bordelaises de leur pouvoir et de leurs rapports au territoire que constituait l’arrière-pays bordelais au début du XVe siècle.

... battle of Eymet, Bergerac surrendered to the duke of Anjou, then, following the course of the river Dordogne, he took Ste-Foy-la-Grande without any opposition, Castillon after a siege of twelve days, and moved to enter the Bazadais.33 There, his army took Monségur, Caudrot, St ...

The Gascon Rolls are the main source on "English" Gascony kept at the National Archives (TNA) of Kew. Since 2008, three editorial projects are publishing on the web the calendars of this source for the period 1317 to 1467.
Guilhem Pépin has finished to complete the period 1399-1453 which is now available online.