Keith Tyler

Medieval Europe

Final

To Charles, Lord of the Manor at Perigueux, from Cecilia, Lady of the Manor of Rodez, wife of your cousin Count Frederick:

Frederick, bless his soul, is not present at the manor now for reasons I will explain. Were that Frederick himself were here, he would earnestly take the time to write to you and your family, but instead he asked me to arrange and dispatch this letter to you in his absence.

You undoubtedly know of the threat our country faces at the hands of the English. Frederick, in his duty to the king, has taken off from the manor, along with an assembly of his own men, to add to the king's forces. He insists on serving the king with his own life, even though it would be wiser to pay the scutage, as many lords have done.

Harold, our oldest, accompanies his father to the king's battlefield. I know that Frederick had much hope that his son would someday serve the king with honor. I fear that perhaps that day has come too soon. Or, perhaps I am only feeling lonely, with only myself to look after the house and the operation of the manor. Still, I pray for their safe return from the king's army.

Life on the manor has become more difficult than in the past. Many of our former serfs have bought their freedom, and many have also run off to the cities. Of those that were left, many fell to disease. There are fewer here to work in the fields, and much of the crop land has gone into disuse. With the colder weather, that land produced less goods this year at harvest time. It gave us enough to have food for the manor, but there was little else to sell to the markets, as we have recently become accustomed to doing.

Hubert, our younger son, has since run off to Paris to study at the university. His tutelage at the hands of the able Bishop Louis was remarkable. He was a precocious child, and asked many questions, some of which Louis could not answer. Hubert took a great interest in his schooling, and he was attracted to the famed scholars in the city. He writes to us often, and tells us many of the new things he is learning. They are peculiar things to me, but I am sure he is quite content with his studies there.

Our daughter Eleanor, the youngest of our children, has also run off to the city. She married a merchant of Paris nearly twice her age. Frederick was eager to see her wed this man, who is apparently particularly wealthy. He is a fine maker of shoes in the marketplace of the city. She does not carry out any of the duties of the manor, but aids him in his work. Frederick hopes that her marriage to this man will support her well and that through him we may gain help with our finances. But somehow I feel she is already no longer a part of our family at Rodez.

There is not much more to tell. I am busy with the day to day business of maintaining the manor, and I eagerly await Frederick and Harold's return. We rarely have visitors to the manor, which is fine with me, as I have not the time to prepare the house for any sort of guests. However, if you could excuse a bit of unseemliness, I would welcome a visit from your family if you happened to be in the area. Frederick has instructed me to ask that if you do make a trip to Rodez, that he would like you to return the old Gospel so that we may again enjoy it.

With my best wishes, I must leave this letter to attend to other duties. Please write in response of how things are at Perigueux. I cannot say if Frederick will be here then, but I will save any letter you send us for him when he returns.

With love,

Cecilia of Rodez