Archives Nationales de France series JJ 181 folio 142 number 229 (Himanis p. 291)
Charles by the grace of God King of France We make known to all present and to come we have received the humble supplication of Poiron daughter of Pierre Guilloten living in Lire in our country of Berry currently detained as a prisoner in our prisons of Bourges containing that a year and a half ago or thereabouts one named Jehan Lavau requested and chased her very strongly to have sex with her the which thing the said supplicant refused to do and did not want to do nor consent to. Nevertheless for the great pursuit that the said Lavau did to her and through the friendship that he promised her to take her as a wedded wife she consented to it, after the which promise and means this the said Lavau had sex with her and such that she became pregnant. The which feeling herself pregnant and with child, in order to avoid her dishonor and slander of her father and mother and others of her family and friends and in order to cover her deed many times requested the said Lavau that he wished to marry her as he had promised her. He refused to do this and did not want to do it, so the said supplicant was slandered and the said case was seen because she appeared pregnant and gravid and because of this she was blamed by her family and others. She, seeing herself blamed by her family and others the which supplicant seeing herself also slandered and dishonored and that the said Lavau did not want to marry her was very upset and discouraged and she being thus discouraged thought and took herself to find a manner to do harm and displeasure to the said Lavau and in order to put into execution her will the day of Saint Jehan the Evangelist last past around nightfall left the hostel of her father and mother and went to the place of Marmaigues to the hostel where the said Lavau lived and thinking that the said hostel was his, which it was not at all and he did not have anything except a small part and portion of it, in order to bring damage to him and thinking to revenge herself of the dishonor that the said Lavau had done to her started a fire in the said hostel such that the said hostel burned and was inflamed and many goods being in it. The which damage one estimates at the sum of twelve to fifteen pounds tournois or thereabouts. Because of which act the said supplicant was taken by the prevôt of the said place of Marmaignes and imprisoned in which prisons she confessed the said case and there has stayed for a long time. The which Lavau since the imprisonment of the said supplicant has confessed that he had done wrong to her in covenanting with the said supplicant and has promised to her family and friends to marry her if it would please us to remit and pardon the offense and case abovesaid for which she is at present detained prisoner in our said prisons at Bourges in which she is very enormously detained in great poverty and misery and likely to finish her days miserably if our grace and mercy is not imparted upon her for this, humbly requesting that considering that which is said and that by the refusal to marry her that the said Lavau had done to her and that she saw that she was dishonored and was so very troubled that she wanted to be dead and that she did not know well what she was doing and did not commit the said case with the intention to damage anyone other than the said Lavau and that she thought that the hostel was his and that by anger and heat she committed the said act and that it is a thing if she that of woman and ease that the present methods are not in the power of man nor of women and that in other cases she has always been of good reputation and renown and of honest conversation never having been accused or convicted of any other evil act, blame, or reproach it would please us to impart to her our said grace. Because of which we, considering that which is said, wishing to prefer mercy to the rigor of justice, have in the said case remitted, acquitted, and pardoned and by the tenor of these present by our special grace, full power, and Royal authority, we remit, acquit, and pardon the deed and act abovesaid with all punishment, fine, and offence, corporal, criminal, and civil in which the said supplicant on the occasion abovesaid could have incurred against us and Justice. And we have restored and restore her to her good reputation and renown in the country and to her goods not confiscated. Satisfaction made to the party civilly only if it is not done. And on this we impose perpetual silence on our procurer. So given in commandment by these same present to the bailli of Berry of Saint Pere le Moustier Prevot of Bourg and to all our justices or to their lieutenants present and to come et to each of them as appertains to him that by our present grace, acquittal, remission, and pardon the said supplicant make and allow neither in goods in any manner but her said body so detained as is said and her said goods if they were seized, arrested, or impeded for this, be given or had given to her immediately and without delay to full deliverance. And so that this will be a firm and stable thing forever, we have had placed our seal on these present. Except always in other things our right and to the other in everything. Given at Mont Richart in the month of January the year of grace 1452 and of our reign the 31st. So signed by the King at the relation of the counsel. Visa contentor P Aude
Charles par la grace de dieu Roy de France Savoir faisons atous presens et avenir Nous avon Receu lumble supplicacion de poiron fille de pierre guilloten demourant alire en notre pais de berry a present detenue prisonniere en noz prisons de bourges contenant Que il a ung an et demy ou environ que ung nomme Jehan lavau la Requist et chassa tresfort davoir sa compaignie charnelle laquelle chose ladite suppliant despive faire ne voult faire ne consenter Toutesuoies pour la grant poursuite que ledit lavau lui faisoit et par myes que il lui promist la prendre a femme espouse elle se y consent depuis laquelle promesse et moyennant icelle ledit lavau eut sa compaignie charnelle et telement quil la engroesset laquelle soy sentant grosse et ensainte denfant pour eviter son deshonneur et esclande de se spere et mere et autres ses parens et amis et pour couvrir son fait aplusieurs foiz requis ledit lavau quil la voulsist espouser ainsi quil promis lui avoit lequel de ce faire aeste Reffusant et ne la voulu fiare don’t ladite suppliant aeste esclandee et ledit cas apparceu pour ce quelle sest montree grosse et ensainte et acause de ce blasmee par ses parens et autres laquelle soy voiant blasmee par ses parens et autres laqulle suppliant soy voiant ainsi esclandee et deshonnoree et que ledit lavau ne la vouloit espouser fut moult taste et desconfortee et elle estant ainsi desconfortee pensa et fut mene de trouver manière de faire dommage et desplaisir audit lavan et pour mectre aexecution sa voulente le jour de saint jehan evvangeliste derrenier passe environ jour couche se party de lostel de se spere et mere et ala au lieu de marmaigues en lostel ou demouroit ledit lavan et cuidant que ledit hostel fust sien lequel ne lestoit point du tout et ny avoit que certaine partie et portion pour lui porter dommage et soy cuider venger du deshonneur que ledit lavan lui avoit fait mis le feu oudit hostel telement que ledit hostel vrula et ardj et aucuns biens estant en icellui lequel dommaige on extime ala somme de douze a quinze livres tournois ou environ A cause duquel cas ladite suppliant aeste prinse par le prevost dudit lieu de marmaignes et emprisonnes esquelles prisons elle a confesse ledit cas et Ilec a demoure longuement lequel lavan depuis lemprisonnement de ladite suppliant confessant quil lui tenoit tort a encovenant ladite suppliant et promis ases parens et amis lespouser sil nous plaisoit lui remectre et pardoner loffense et cas dessusdit desquelles elle est apresent detaine prisonnier en nosdis prisons abourges esquelles elle est tresenormement detenue agrant povrete et misere et en adventure de finir miserablement ses jours Se noz grace et misericorde ne lui estoient sur ce imparties humblement Requerant que actendu ce que di test et que par le Reffuz de lespouser quil lui avoit fait ledit lavan et quelle veoit quelle estoit deshonnoree elle fut si trouble quelle eust boulu ester morte et quelle ne savoit bonnement quelle faisoit et ne commist pas ledit case n entencion de dommagier autre fors ledit lavan et quelle pensoit que lostel fust sien et que par courrouz et chaleur elle commist ledit cas et que sest chose si elle que de femme et aisse que les presents moiens ne sont pas en la puissance de homme ne de femme et que en autre cas elle atousiours este bien fame et renommee et de honneste conversacion non actant ou convaincue dautre villain cas blasme ou reprouche il nous plaise luy imparter notredit grace Pourquoy nous actendu ce que di test voulans misericorde preferer a Rigueur de justice avons oudit cas remis quicte et pardonne et par la teneur de ces presents de notre grace especial plaine puissance et auctorite Roial Remectons quictons et pardonnons le fait et cas dessusdit avec toute peine amende et offense corporelle criminelle et civile en quoy ladite suppliant aloccasion dessusdit puet estre encourue envers nous et Justice Et lavons restitue et Restituons a ses bon fame et Renommee au pais et asses biens non confisquez Satisffacion faicte a partis civilement tant seulement se faicte nest Et sur ce imposons silence perpetual a notre procureur. Si donnons en mandement par ces mesmes presents Aux baillez de berry de saint pere le moustier prevost debourg et atous noz autres justiciers ou a leurs lieuxtenans presens et avenir et achacun deulx si comme alui appartendra que de notre presente grace quictans remission et pardon ladit suppliant facent et seuffrent ne en biens en aucune manière Mais sondit corps ainsi detenu comme dit est et sesdis biens si pour ce sont saisiz arrestez ou empeschez lui mectent ou faient mettre tantost et sans delay aplaine deliverance Et afin que ce soit chose ferme et estable atousiours nous avons fait mectre notre scel aces presents. Sauf toutesuoies en autres choses notre droit et lautruy en toutes. Donne a MontRichart ou mois de Janvier lan de grace mil cccc ljj Et de notre Regne le xxxjme Ainsi signe Par le Roy ala Relacion du conseil Visa contentor P Aude
Summary
Poiron Guilloten, daughter of Pierre Guilloten, was sent to prison in Bourges, France for burning down the house of Jehan Lavau in Marmaigues. A year and a half earlier, Lavau had been aggressively pursuing Guilloten for sex, moves that were refused, but after promising to marry her, Guilloten became pregnant. Lavau then refused to marry her. Worried about dishonor from her family and community, Guilloten set the hostel Lavau lived in on fire as an act of revenge. She thought that Lavau owned the hostel, but he only rented a small section. The fire caused significant damage, worth twelve to fifteen pounds tournois. Lavau later admitted that he did not follow his word and promised he would marry Guilloten if the king pardoned her. The King said that “she did not know well what she was doing” when she committed the crime, explaining that she only meant to harm Lavau and not the other renters or the owner of the hostel. This pardon helped restore Guilloten’s reputation by helping her reinstate herself in the community.
Essays
Sexual autonomy of Women in Medieval France
In this era, a woman’s social standing was linked to her marital status and often sexual purity demonstrated through Guilloten’s letter. Sarah McDougall’s work shows that medievalists have long assumed that patriarchal structures result in overwhelming dishonor on the woman rather than the man. In contrast, she demonstrates that medieval French courts practiced “a paternalistic rather than fiercely repressive misogyny.” They only rarely punished women for sex alone, and Guilloten’s public act of arson was the reason for her threatened punishment in this case.
The pardoning of Guilloten was conditional on the promise of marriage, however, suggesting that the rehabilitation of her honor was tied to her accordance with marriage structures. In her study of medieval sexual legal practice, Karras argues that falling out of line with traditional sexual conduct, in this case nonmarital pregnancy, could be punished at a higher degree because they pose a threat to social order.
Further Reading:
- McDougall, Sara. “Judging Sexy Women in Late Medieval France.” postmedieval, vol. 13, 2022, pp. 81-104. Published 8 September 2022.
- Karras, Ruth Mazo. Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing and Doing Without. Routledge, 2005, pp. 81-104.
Royal Pardons as Social Redemption
Guilloten serves as an example of how pardon letters were not always about finding ways to legally judge guilty or innocent but could be about restoring the social standard, as argued by Arnade and Prevenier. King Charles VII was not saying Guilloten was innocent by pardoning her. She clearly burned down a building. Instead, he was attempting to restore the social structure that had been broken by Guilloten as well as Lavau. By removing the focus from the arson to a dispute of marriage, it becomes a social problem. These documents were a political method for kings to show a form of mercy and demonstrate their power by circumventing legal procedures. Pardon letters give the conflict a resolution while keeping the power of the king above all.
Further Reading:
- Arnade, Peter, and Walter Prevenier. 2015. Honor, Vengeance, and Social Trouble : Pardon Letters in the Burgundian Low Countries. New York: Cornell University Press.
- Lacey, Hellen. The Royal Pardon: Access to Mercy in Fourtheenth-Century England. York Medieval Press, 2009.
Arson
Guilloten’s act of burning down the hostel was a public act of revenge as an attempt to restore her honor. Müller shows that fires were a simple way to draw public attention to a cause. In the example of Guilloten, this arson could be seen as demonstrations of dramatic protest toward Lavau and the dishonor she had been placed in. When Poiron committed her crime, she created disorder. Arnade and Prevenier’s work helps us see the power of Guilloten’s crime by understanding pardon letters as a way to calm the public and resolve tensions. The pardon letter shows that her revenge was granted as it caused so much public trouble that it made Lavau admit guilt and marry her. So, without her demonstration, she would have likely forever lived with the dishonor.
Further Reading:
- Musson, Anthony. “Arson, Communities and Social Conflict in Later Medieval England.” Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies 43, no. 2 (2012) 193-208.
- Arnade, Peter, and Walter Prevenier. 2015. Honor, Vengeance, and Social Trouble: Pardon Letters in the Burgundian Low Countries. New York: Cornell University Press.