On this Day in History ... 11th October

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. And when he entered Rome, fully armed in the arms of the King of France, he went straight to the palace and asked where that cleric was who called himself pope; and he entered his chamber. There he found the pope clothed in the arms of Our Lord. And Guillaume de Nogaret threw him to the ground and beat him so violently in the name of the King of France that he grievously injured and mutilated him, trampling upon his body and his face, beating and crushing him in such a manner that after this mutilation he was never again able to support himself, stand upright, help himself, nor walk upon his feet or limbs. And after this cruel beating and harsh affliction, he was put into a tower where he died¹ in a very pitiful condition, for which there was great sorrow, since he was widely held to be a good and holy man. And before he died, he cursed Guillaume de Nogaret, King Philip of France called the Fair, and all their lineage unto the seventh degree. And thereafter Christendom remained without a pope for a great space of time, until the King of France caused another to be made on this side of the mountains, who was called Pope John.

Et quant il entra en Rome tout armé des armes du roy de France, il s’en alla tout droit vers le pallais et demanda où ce clercq estoit, qui se disoit pappe; et entra en sa chambre. Sy trouva le pappe revestu des armes de Nostre-Seigneur. Et Guillame Loncgeret le jetta par terre et le baty tant au nom du roy de France qu’il le travilla et mutila moult, et passa sur son ventre et sur son visage, et foulla et pestela tant sur luy et en tele manière qu’il ne se peult depuis ce mutilage onques puis soustenir, dreschier, aidier, ne aller sur pieds, ne sur membres qu’il eust. Et puis après celle griefve bature et dure affollure, on le mist en une tour où il morut assez desguiséement, dont ce fut pité, car moult estoit tenut à bon et saint preudhomme. Et avant qu’il morust, il maudit Guillame de Loncgeret, le roy Philippe de France le Bel et toutte leur géniture jusques au VII degré. Et adont fut la crestienneté sans pappe une grande espasse de tamps jusques à ce que le roy de France en refist ung dechà les mons, qui eult nom pappe Jehan.

Note 1. Pope Boniface VIII died 11th October 1303. Villani’s Chronicle: "In this pain, shame and torment the great Pope Boniface abode prisoner among his enemies for three days; but, like as Christ rose on the third day, so it pleased Him that Pope Boniface should be set free; for without entreaty or other effort, save the Divine aid, the people of Anagna beholding their error, and issuing from their blind ingratitude, suddenly rose in arms, crying: "Long live the Pope and his household, and death to the traitors"; and running through the city they drove out Sciarra della Colonna and his followers, with loss to them of prisoners and slain, and freed the Pope and his household. Pope Boniface, seeing himself free, and his enemies driven away, did not therefore rejoice in any wise, forasmuch as the pain of his adversity had so entered into his heart and clotted there; wherefore he departed straightway from Anagna, with all his court, and came to Rome to S. Peter’s to hold a council, purposing to take the heaviest vengeance for his injury and that of Holy Church against the king of France, and whosoever had offended him; but, as it pleased God, the grief which had hardened in the heart of Pope Boniface, by reason of the injury which he had received, produced in him, after he was come to Rome, a strange malady so that he gnawed at himself as if he were mad, and in this state he passed from this life on the 12th day of October in the year of Christ 1303, and in the church of S. Peter, near the entrance of the doors, in a rich chapel which was built in his lifetime, he was honourably buried."

Adam Murimuth Continuation. In the year of our Lord 1304, while the ninth year of Boniface VIII was still running, and in the thirty-second year of the reign of the aforesaid King Edward, beginning from the feast of Saint Michael [29th September], on the fifth day before the Ides of October [11th October 1303] Boniface VIII died at Rome, and was buried there in the church of Saint Peter, in an elaborate and splendid tomb which, while still alive, he had caused to be made there in the ninth year of his pontificate. He was succeeded by Pope Benedict XI, a Lombard by nation, from the city of Treviso, who was elected at Rome on the eleventh day before the Kalends of November [22nd October 1303], and crowned on the following Sunday. Formerly he had belonged to the Order of Preachers, in which he held many ranks of honour, and afterwards he became cardinal bishop of Ostia, and finally father of fathers. This pope excommunicated and publicly declared excommunicate all those who had consented to the capture of Boniface, and certain men by name, namely William of Nogaret and Sciarra Colonna. He restored, however, Peter and James Colonna to the dignity of the cardinalate, though he assigned them no titles, from which Boniface had previously deprived them when he stripped them of rank of cardinal. He also restored the king of France to the privileges which he had previously held from the Apostolic See, and of which Pope Boniface had deprived him as an ungrateful son. And in the week of Pentecost he absolved that same king, though the king did not ask it, from the sentence of excommunication by which he was bound on account of the matters mentioned above or for other causes. And afterwards, on the Nones [7th] of July [1304], he died at Perugia, and was buried there before the altar of the Preachers.

Anno Domini millesimo CCCIV, Bonifacii octavi anno IX, adbuc durante, regni vero dicti regis Edwardi XXXIJ, a festo sancti Michaelis inchoando, V idus Octobris obiit Romæ Bonifacius papa octavus, et sepultus fuit Romæ in ecclesia sancti Petri ibidem, in curioso sepulcro et nobili, quod superstes fieri fecit ibidem pontificatus sui anno nono. Cui successit Benedictus papa undecimus, natione Lumbardus, de civitate Trivisina, qui XJ kalendas Novembris Romæ fuit electus, et die Dominica sequenti coronatus; qui prius fuit de ordine Prædicatorum, in quo habuit multos gradus honoris, et postea cardinalis Ostiensis, et finaliter pater patrum. Hic papa excommunicavit et excommunicatos denunciavit omnes qui captioni Bonifacii consenserant, et quosdam nominatim, scilicet Willeemum de Negareto et Scharram de Columpna; Petrum tamen et Jacobum de ColumpnaS restituit ad cardinalatus honorem, sed nullos eis titulos assignavit, quos prius Bonifacius papa privavit cardinalatus honore. Item restituit regem Franciæ ad privilegia quæ habuit prius a sede apostolica, quibus papa Bonifacius ipsum sicut filium ingratum privavit; et ipsum regem, non petentem, a sententia, excommunicationum, ex præmissis vel aliis causis vinctum, absolvit in hebdomada Pentecostes. Et postea, nonis Julii, in Perusio obiit, et ante altare Prædicatoram est sepultus ibidem.

Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet. Philip, son of the Count of Flanders, having gathered many mercenaries from Germany, entered France and laid siege to the castle of Saint-Omer; but, since he achieved nothing, he withdrew and burned the town of the Morini. Philip, King of the French, advancing into Flanders with an army, having accepted truces, returned ingloriously. Pope Boniface, coming to Anagni, the city of his birth, placed himself under the protection of its citizens; where he was seized by supporters of the King of France, whose captain was William of Nogaret, and was compelled to come to Rome. Having stayed at the Castle of Saint Angelo, through the distress which in many ways troubled his mind, he fell into sickness; and this increasing, after a few days he died [on 11th October 1303]. He was immediately succeeded by Benedict the Eleventh, elected by the cardinals, a Lombard by nation, whom Pope Boniface, from the Order of Preachers, of which he had been master, had raised to the bishopric of Ostia. Guy, Count of Flanders, and his son Robert, having been released from custody by the King of France, were sent into Flanders to bring the Flemings back to the king’s peace; but, achieving nothing, and keeping the fealty due, they returned to their places of custody. The Colonna family, after the death of Pope Boniface, coming out from their hiding places, went to Pope Benedict, imploring mercy; whom he received kindly, absolved, and restored to them the possession of their goods, but did not decide to restore them so quickly to the rank of cardinal.

Philippus filius comitis Flandriæ, coadunatis multis Teutoniæ stipendiariis, Franciam ingressus, castrum S. Audomari obsedit; sed, cum nihil proficeret, discedens urbem Morinorum incendit. Philippus Francorum rex, versus Flandriam cum exercitu progressus, acceptis treugis, inglorius est reversus. Bonifacius papa, Anagniam originis suæ urbem veniens, sub tutela civium se recepit; ubi a fautoribus regis Francorum, quorum capitaneus erat Willelmus de Ungareto, captus est, et Romam venire coactus. Commoratus autem apud castrum S. Angeli ex anxietate, quæ multipliciter mentem ejus occupaverat, decidit in languorem; quo invalescente, post dies aliquot exspiravit. Successit ei statim a cardinalibus electus Benedictus undecimus, Lumbardus natione, quem papa Bonifacius de ordine fratrum Prædicatorum, cujus magister erat, assumptum fecerat episcopum Ostiensem. Guido comes Flandriæ et filius ejus Robertus, a custodia per regem Franciæ soluti, ut Flandrenses ad pacem regis reducerent, in Flandriam transmittantur; sed nihil proficientes, fidelitate debita servata, ad loca custodiæ revertuntur. Columnenses, mortuo papa Bonifacio, de suis egressi latibulis, ad papam Benedictum venerunt, misericordiam implorantes: quos ille benigne suscipiens absolvit, ac bonorum suorum tribuit eis facultatem; sed eos ad gradum cardinalatus tam subito restituere non decrevit.

Chronicle of Jean le Bel Volume 1. In the year of grace 1345, Emperor Louis of Bavaria passed away¹, and immediately after him the most noble king who was the King of Bohemia laboured so that Sir Charles, his eldest son, was elected² by the greater part of the electors of the King of Germany, with the consent of Pope Clement VI and of the whole court of Rome. But afterward he had much to do and met with adverse fortune, after the death of his said father, the King of Bohemia, who died at the battle that was fought at Blanche Tache, near Crécy in Ponthieu, where the noble King Edward defeated, with few men, King Philip of France with all his great power. And there were slain the noble king, the Count of Alençon, brother german to the King of France, the Count of Blois, son of his sister, the Count of Flanders, the Duke of Lorraine, and many other great lords and barons, of whom you shall hear spoken in this history, if there be one who completes it.

L'an de grace mil CCCXLV trespassa l'empereur Loys de Baviere, et tantost pourchassa aprez luy le plus noble roy qui fut le roy de Boheme, par son sens que messire Charles, son aisné filx, fut eslut par la plus grande partie des esliseurs du roy d'Alemaigne, et par le consentement du pape Clement VI et par toute la court de Romme; mais il eust depuis assez à faire et de contraire fortune, aprez la mort de sondit pere, le roy de Boheme, qui moru à la bataille qui fut à la Blanche Tache, assez prez de Crecy en Pontieu, là où le noble roy Edowart desconfit, à petit de gens, le roy Philippe de France, à tout son grand pouoir; et là fut tué le gentil roy, le conte d'Alenchon, frere au roy de France germain, le conte de Bloys, filz de sa seur, le conte de Flandres, le duc de Lorraine et pluseurs aultres grands seigneurs et barons desquelz vous orrez parler en ceste hystoire, s'il est qui le parface.

Note 1. Louis of Bavaria died on 11th October 1347.

1. Louis de Bavière mourut le II octobre 1347. (Voy. C. Muller, Der Kampf Ludwigs des Baiïern mit der rômischen Curie, t. II, p. 225.)

Note 2. Charles was elected King of the Romans on 19th July 1346, during the lifetime of Louis of Bavaria, whom Clement VI had deposed by a bull dated 13th April 1346.

2. Charles fut élu roi des Romains le 19 juillet 1346, du vivant de Louis de Bavière que Clément VI avait déposé par une bulle du 13 avril 1346.

Memoires Jacques du Clercq. In the said year 1458, on the 11th day of October, a squire named Collart du Bois Huon, lord of Vys in Artois, who had married the bastard daughter of Philip, lord of Saneuses, because of which the said lord of Saneuses, seeing that the said Collart was frivolous and of foolish behaviour, had placed him under guardianship by order of the king, and kept him in his castle of Bailleulmont, in a tower, to correct him, this same Collart du Bois Huon, in despair, hanged and strangled himself with a basket in which fruit had been brought to him. In the said year, on the 12th day of October, as three bourgeois women of Arras, very notable and of good reputation, one the wife of Jehan Sacquespée, another the wife of Jacques Hatoy, and the third the wife of Pierre Lame, together with Remy Caullier, brother of the said woman, Jacques Hatoy, and other men and women, their servants, were returning from Saint-Bertelle, which is at Mareuil near Arras, from a pilgrimage; near the gate of Baudimont, as they were returning in the evening, a cart passed before them, upon which was a young man, son of Jacques Gaillard, a farmer of Caucourt, aged about nineteen or twenty, to whom the cart belonged. This young man dropped one of his pattens. The bourgeois women called after the driver to pick up his patten, and the carter got down to retrieve it. A young boy, not of their company but passing by chance, son of one called Gillot the butcher, had picked it up and would not return it unless the carter gave him a coin, which the carter refused, but instead took it back by force. Seeing this, the boy went to tell the women that the carter had spoken many insulting words about them. Because of this, the said Remy Caullier, at the request of some of them, especially the wife of Pierre Lame, went back to beat the carter, caught up with him, and as he was beating him, the young man who had been on the cart came down to tell them that it was enough and ill done. But as soon as he approached them, he received from the servant and from the wife of Pierre Lame a blow with a staff, which is a stick used for support but containing a sharp iron blade inside, and with this blow they pierced the young man through the flank and the entrails, so that on the seventh day following he died. And all the said bourgeois women and those of their company were in great danger, and were required to obtain pardon from the king at their own expense.

Oudit an lviij, le xj^e d'octobre, ung escuyer nommé Collart du Bois Huon, sieur de Vys en Artois, lequel avoit espousé la fille bastarde de Philippe, Sr de Saneuses, et a ceste cause, ledit Sr de Saneuses, pour tant que ledit Collart estoit folatre et de folle maniere, il avoit mis ledit Collart en tutelle par un mandement du roy, et le faisoit tenir le Sr de Saneuses en son chastel de Bailleulmont, en une tour, pour le corriger, icelluy Collart du Bois Huon, par desespoir, se pendit et estrangla avecq une besaighe en quoi on lui avoit apporté du fruit. Oudit an, le xij^e d'octobre, comme trois bourgeoises d'Arras, très notables et bien famées et renommées; l'une femme de Jehan Sacquespée, l'autre femme de Jacques Hatoy, l'aultre femme de Pierre Lame, avecq elles Remy Caullier, frère de ladite femme, Jacques Hatoy et aultres hommes et femmes leurs serviteurs s'en revenoient de St Bertelle, qui est a Mareuil assés près d'Arras, de pelerinage; assés près de la porte de Baudimont, ainsy qu'elles ' revenoient sur le soir, un char passoit par devant elles, sur lequel avoit ung josne compagnon, fils de Jacques Gaillard, censier de Caucourt, de l'age de xix a xx ans, a qui le char estoit, lequel josne compagnon laissa cheir un de ses patins; lesquelles bourgeoises crierent après lui qui menoit le chariot, qu'il recueillat son patin, lequel charton descendit et alla pour requerir ledit patin; lequel patin, un josne garchon, non pas de la compagnie desdites bourgeoises, mais qui d'adventure passoit, fils d'ung appellé Gillot le Bouchier, l'avoit recueilli et ne lui voulloit rendre sans que ledit charton ne lui donnat un denier, ce que ledit charton ne voullut faire, ains reprint par forche le patin; ce voyant le garchon il alla dire aulx bourgeoises que ledit char ton avoit dit plusieurs villaines parolles d'elles; pour laquelle cause le dessusdit Genin Caullier, a la requette d'aulcunes d'elles, par especial de la femme de Pierre Lame, retourna pour battre ledit charton, et le ratteint, et ainsy qu'il le battoit, le josne fils qui estoit sur le char, descendit de son char pour aller dire a ceulx qui le battoient, que c'estoit assés et que cestoit mal a propos, lequel sitost qu'il approcha d'eulx, receupt du varlet et de la femme de Pierre Lame, un coup d'une fuste, qui est ung baston comme pour s'appuyer, mais il y a dedans une espée de fer agut, duquel coup il percha audit josne fils l'oing et les boyaulx, tellement que au viij^e jour ensuivant il mourut, et feurent en grand dangier toutes lesdites bourgeoises et touts ceulx de leur com pagnie, et debvoient obtenir pardon du roy a leurs despens.

Memoires Jacques du Clercq. On the 11th day of October 1460, there returned to the city of Arras, from the Duke of Burgundy, Sir Guillaume de Berry, lieutenant of the bailiff of Amiens, and Master Mathieu du Hamel, secretary of the bishop of Arras, who had carried the proceedings of four prisoners concerning the matter of Waldensianism. With them also returned, sent by the duke, Master Adrien Collin, president of the duke's chamber, which sat at Ypres. After their return, the said prisoners were once again interrogated on the matter of Waldensianism in the presence of the said president. This done, the vicars again assembled all the clerics of the town and city of Arras. Present there were the said president, the bishops of Salubrie and Barut, the dean of Arras and his brother Master Jean du Bois, bachelor of theology and canon of Arras, Dom Jean Barré, monk of Saint-Vaast and doctor of theology, Master Gilles Flameng, Master Mathieu Paille, Master Jean Mauville, advocate in the bishop's court, Master Simon of Saint-Vaast, licentiate in law and canon of Arras, Master Jean Boullengier, doctor of theology, and many other clerics, both in theology and in law, canon law, and the arts. To these clerics were shown the four sets of proceedings, which I shall mention below, and after they had examined them and given their opinions, on the 22nd day of the said month of October, the bishop's vicars delivered the sentences in these four cases, namely those of the Lord of Beaufort, Jean Tacquet, Pierrotin du Carieulx, and the said Huguet Aubry. For although the clerics were assembled and gave their opinions, it was the said vicars who pronounced the sentences, and the clerics themselves did not judge.

LE xije jour d'octobre mil iiij lx, revindrent en la cité d'Arras, de devers le duc de Bourgogne, messire Guillaume de Berry, lieutenantdu bailly d'Amiens, et maitre Mathieu du Hamel, secretaire de l'evesque d'Arras, lesquels avoient porté le procés de quatre prisonniers pour le fait de vaulderie, et revint avecq eulx, que le duc y envoya, maitre Andrien Collin, president de la chambre du duc, laquelle chambre se tenoit a Ypre, et eulx revenus furent derechief interroguiés lesdits prisonniers sur le fait de vaulderie en la presence dudit president; ce fait, les vicaires rassemblerent encoires touts les clercqs de la ville et de lacité d'Arras, ou estoient lesdits president, l'evesque de Salubrie et de Barut; le doyen d'Arras et son frere maitre Jehan du Bois, bachelier en theologie et canoine d'Arras, damp Jehan Barré, moisne de St Vaast et docteur en theologie; maitre Gilles Flameng; maitre Mathieu Paille; maitre Jehan Mauville, advocat en la cour de l'evesque; maitre Simon de St Vaast, licentié es loix, canoine d'Arras; maitre Jehan Boulengier, docteur en theologie, et plusieurs aultres clercqs, tant en theologie comme en loix, decrets et es arts, aulxquels les quatre procés furent monstrés, dont chy après feray mention, et après ce qu'ils olrent veus lesdits procés et leurs opinions dites, les vicaires de l'evesque le xxije jour dudit mois d'octobre, rendirent la sentence desdits quatre procés, c'est assçavoir, du St de Beauffort, Jehan Tacquet, Pierrotin du Carieulx et dudit Huguet Aubry, car combien qu'on assemblat les clercqs, et dissent leurs opinions, sy rendoient la sentence lesdits vicaires, et ne les jugoient point les clercqs.

Archives of Venice. Oct. 11. [1529] Sanuto Diaries, v. lii. p. 153.

515. Lodovico Falier to the Signory.

Narrates conversations held with Cardinal Wolsey, and Cardinal Campeggio, late Legate in England, who has departed on his way to Rome.

King Henry has sent two ambassadors to the Emperor¹, and two ambassadors to the King of France², with congratulations on the peace made; and he has also sent an ambassador to the Pope.

London, 11th October. Registered, by Sanuto 9th November.

[Italian.]

Note 1. Qu., Sir Nicholas Carew [aged 33] and Dr. Richard Sampson,

Note 2. Qu., George Boleyn [aged 26] and Dr. John Stokesley [aged 54].

Illustrated London News, October 11th 1879. Sepulchral Remains In Cornwall. Mr. W. C. Borlase [aged 31], F.S.A., has recently been making some interesting discoveries in the parish of St. Just-in-Penwith, in Cornwall, one of the most fertile districts for pre-historic antiquities in England. Some of the tumuli have been found to contain very remarkable structural characteristics, such as one dome of dry masonry encasing another, as in the topes of Afghanistan. In one instance, two fine sepulchral chambers were discovered in a mound which had been surmounted by an ancient Christian oratory. The plan and section which our Engraving presents are those of a tumulus at Tregascal [Map], in which the large sepulchral urn shown in the accompanying Illustration was found. The mound was oval, 36 ft. long and 32 ft. broad, with an extreme height of 9 ft. in the centre. It contained a massively constructed chamber, with walls and roof formed of unhewn blocks of granite, 11 ft. 9 in. long, 4 ft. wide, and 3 ft. 2 in. high. It lay in the direction of north-west to south-east ; at the north-west end was a raised platform of stone. The floor of this chamber was strewn with a layer of calcined human bone, among which were ashes, flints, fragments of pottery, and a perforated sandstone implement, perhaps a charm (see fig. 1). At G was taken up the bottom of a small urn of reddish pottery. On the top of the central roofing-stone, at H, was a curious natural excrescence on the face of the granite, a peculiarity which had probably caused the stone to be selected. Outside the north-west wall of the chamber, and resting, mouth downwards, on the surface of a large flat rock, was the urn (see fig. 2), the largest perfect one yet found in Cornwall. It measures 21 in. in height, by 16 in. in diameter at the mouth. The whole of the upper rim is ornamented with a pattern arranged in zigzag form, made by the impression of some instrument, or by that of twisted grass, while the clay was wet. A band of ornamentation, in diamond form, runs round the vessel, on a level with the handles, which are likewise ornamented, and are no less than 5 in. wide. Owing to the roofing stone of the little cist, which had been built up round it, having fallen in, the bottom of the vessel was broken down into it; but this, on being taken out for restoration, was found to be adorned with a cross, champered and raised in bold relief, on the inside. The arms are of equal length, and do not extend to the edge of the vessel, which measures here only 6 in. in diameter. A few other instances of raised crosses on the inside of the bottoms of urns have occurred in Wilts and Dorset. A careful drawing has been made of this one, which is subjoined. The cist which contained the vessel was of very rade construction, and small stones had been set around to wedge it in. The pottery is half an inch thick, and coarsely made. The interior was filled with ashes and minute portions of calcined bone. The mound was surrounded by a ring of upright stones, forming a basement; and there were also traces of an inner wall on the west side. For the plan, section, and drawings we are indebted to Mr. J. W. Trounson, C.E., of Penzance. PHOTOS/PREHISTORY/ViIjmZsp.jpg

Source University of Bristol

Understanding Avebury

11 October 2007

A survey conducted for the Arts and Humanities Research Council by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown the real economic impact of archaeological research undertaken by a Bristol academic.

The AHRC-funded Longstones Project has shed important new light upon the remarkable group of structures at Avebury. It revealed wholly new prehistoric monuments, such as the Longstones enclosure, and confirmed the existence of others long thought lost such as the Beckhampton Avenue, a curving 1.5 kilometre strip of paired standing stones which runs broadly south west from Avebury towards the Longstones [Map] at Beckhampton. Although the stones are now gone, excavations in 2000 revealed the parallel rows of holes that held them. A 120 metre section of the avenue was uncovered, indicating that it consisted of a double row of stones placed at 15 metre intervals.

These discoveries alone served to effectively double the area known to be covered by the monument complex. The research also enhanced understanding of the chronology of monument building from the erection of the individual stones that make up the Avebury circles (the largest stone circle in Europe) to the group of monuments that collectively make this landscape so extraordinary.

The results of the project have already informed a significant new published history of the site: Avebury by Mark Gillings and Joshua Pollard, published by Duckworth, 2004.

Detailed results of the AHRC-funded work are to be published as a monograph entitled Landscape of the Megaliths (Oxbow Books) in Spring 2008.

The project was awarded £149,362 under the AHRC Research Grants Scheme (2000-2004). This funding supported the majority of the research activity and facilitated substantial excavation, survey and the provision of equipment and other research costs for the project.

The Longstones Project has not only added to our academic understanding of the monument complex. A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that research projects conducted at Avebury collectively could have generated an additional £13 million of visitor expenditure in the period 1986-2006. Details are available on the AHRC website

New sign at the Longstones: