Amy Livingstone - Medieval lives c.1000-1285 : the world of the Beaugency family

Medieval Lives c. 10001292: The World of the Beaugency Family is a gateway into Europe during the Central Middle Ages. Through charting the lives of the Beaugency family, this book delves into the history of Western Europe and explores the impact of the changes and events of the period on those who experienced them.

The Central Middle Ages were years of profound transformation, and through the two centuries in which they lived the Beaugency family experienced many of the key developments that have characterized the period, such as the launch of the crusades and the emergence of a commercial economy. By following the lives of the family, this book instills a deeper understanding of the significance that human experience has on our ability to truly comprehend the crucial historical events of the age. It personalizes the history of the Middle Ages and provides students with a unique insight into the culture of the period.

Containing maps, genealogical tables, over thirty images, a large collection of previously unpublished archival sources used throughout the book, and accompanied by a companion website with interactive features, Medieval Lives c. 10001292: The World of the Beaugency Family is a portal into the lives of the Beaugency family and an ideal introduction to the Central Middle Ages.

Amy Livingstone is the H.O. Hirt Professor of History at Wittenberg University (Springfield, Ohio). She is author of Out of Love for My Kin: Aristocratic Family Life in the Lands of the Loire, 10001200 , and several articles on noblewomen and noble families. She is also co-editor of Writing Medieval Womens Lives and the journal Medieval Prosopography .

The World of the Beaugency Family

Amy Livingstone

First published 2018 by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2018 Amy Livingstone

The right of Amy Livingstone to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Livingstone, Amy, 1961 author.
Title: Medieval lives c. 10001292: the world of the Beaugency family /
Amy Livingstone.
Description: First edition. | Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York,
NY: Routledge, 2018 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017056515| ISBN 9781138677081 (hardback: alk.
paper) | ISBN 9781138677098 (pbk.: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781351041980
(ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: FranceSocial life and customsTo 1328. | Families
France--BeaugencyHistoryTo 1500. | Beaugency (France)History.
Classification: LCC DC33.2 .L585 2018 | DDC 944/.52dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017056515

ISBN: 978-1-138-67708-1 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-67709-8 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-351-04198-0 (ebk)

Typeset in Garamond by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK

Visit the companion website: www.routledge.com/cw/livingstone

This book has grown directly from my experiences in the classroom. Several years ago, I assigned A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock, 12951344 by Judith Bennett in my introductory medieval history course. I found telling the history of an era through the life of an ordinary individual, someone who might not otherwise be known, compelling. Perhaps more importantly, my students found this an engaging approach. So began Medieval Lives: The World of the Beaugencys c. 10001292 , my attempt to use one noble family to relate the history of the Central Middle Ages. My Wittenberg students have informed this book through the questions they have asked, their enthusiasm for history and their feedback on various excerpts from the book. They have been with me at every step and this book was written with them in mind.

Like all historians, I rely on the help and good will of archivists and librarians. The evidentiary foundation for this book is the Cartulary of Notre Dame de Beaugency. The medieval manuscript of this cartulary is housed at the Archives dpartmentales du Loiret and I would like to thank Amandine Contet and her staff for all of their assistance during my time there in 2013. Similar thanks to Ccile Figliuzzi at the Archives dpartmentales dEure-et-Loir and Anne-Ccile Tizon-Germe of the Archives dpartmentales du Loir-et-Cher and their staffs who provided valuable assistance and access to charters involving the Beaugency family. These archives permitted reproductions of these manuscripts for this book, for which I am grateful. Olivier Morand at the Mediathque dOrlans was very helpful in tracking down the early modern transcriptions of the charters of the convent of St. Avit of Chteaudun. I spent a delightful day at the Centre de sigillographie et dhraldique at the Archives nationales in Paris examining the seals of the Beaugency lords (one of them provides the cover of this book); my gratitude to Clement Blanc and Martine Lepany for their assistance in locating these seals. Closer to home, I would like to thank Suzanne Smailes of the Wittenberg Thomas Library for all of her help in tracking down obscure articles and other materials. Thanks to Eric Johnson, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at The Ohio State University, for his knowledge of medieval Bibles and to The Ohio State University for permission to use the image of a glossed twelfth-century French Bible from their collection in this book. The staff of the Waldo Rare Book Room at Western Michigan University kindly allowed me to photograph the plan of the monastery of St. Trinit of Vendme, which appears in these pages.