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An obscure 12th century lord from an obscure lordship: Seigneurie de Vierzon
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<p>[QUOTE="seth77, post: 3541832, member: 56653"]One of my main interests is in obscure lords of the feudal West, especially those who can be tied to either crusading and/or taking the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Many times this interest leads to going through old compendia of often-times fragmented chancellery documents and/or <i>histoire</i> books that have the written story of certain areas, and often-times written long time ago, during the <i>Ancien Regime</i>. Finding and following lords who have also minted coins is a very welcome bonus.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941475[/ATTACH] <i><font size="4">Vierzon and Celles-sur-Cher in Berry.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Few areas have been so rich and diverse in feudal coinage and more decentralized during the medieval heydays than the old region of Berry, in Central France. The many local <i>seigneuries </i>here enjoyed such an extended autonomy in the 12th to early 14th centuries that minting their own coins, whether baronial or monastical, was the most normal of things.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941427[/ATTACH]</p><p><i><font size="4">Notes on the rule of Herve I de Vierzon (1144-1192 or 1184?) in Gaspard Thaumas de la Thaumassiere's Histoire de Berry, 1689/91</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Seigneurie de Vierzon became a feudal hereditary realm around the 970/80s, when Chateau Vierzon was awarded by Eudes I de Blois to Humbaud le Tortu, his friend and likely kinfolk. The ramparts and the adjacent villages had been attached to the realm of Blois since the early 900s, and possibly had belonged to an ancestor of Thibaut l'Ancien, the Viscount of Blois, as early as the reign of Charlemagne. After the 980s, the castle and the villages dependent on Vierzon, alongside the castles of Ferte-Imbault, Celles-sur-Cher and Mennetou-sur-Cher -- and later on Mehun-sur-Yevre, became the center of power for Humbaud's descendants, the House of Vierzon.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941446[/ATTACH]</p><p><i><font size="4">AR18mm 0.69g denier minted at Chateau Vierzon, cca. 1150-1190</font></i></p><p><i><font size="4">+ VIRSIONE; cross pattee</font></i></p><p><i><font size="4">large stylized fleur-de-lis, flanked by 2 smaller fleur-de-lis</font></i></p><p><i><font size="4">Boudeau 313 p. 38, Poey d'Avant 2028 p. 289.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The first coinage of Seigneurie de Vierzon was at first related to Herve III by M. Cartier (Revue Numismatique 1841, p. 282), as he considered the reverse design to be a trophy surmounted by an H monogram, flanked by two lys. Poey d'Avant considered that this presumed H-shaped design should stand for Humbaud, rather than Herve III in the middle of the 13th century. Neither Boudeau nor Poey d'Avant name an actual Sire, but the coinage is most likely to have appeared during the reign of Herve I, as the low weight and diameter make it an unlikely issue of the 10th century while the overall design and letter shapes seem outdated for the 13th century.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is possible though that the other types, with a similar reverse design but a more ornate obverse design (annuleted cross pattee or lys symbols in the quarters), were later issues, perhaps dating up to the reign of Herve III (1252-1270).</p><p><br /></p><p>Herve I's rule seems to have been rather peaceful and smooth, the Sire being mostly involved in administrative work and in supporting local abbeys and founding new chapters (like Saint Taurin de la Ferte-Imbault in 1164). In 1163/4 he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, of which we know little more than the fact that prior to it, he had made all the arrangements for his estate in case he might not have returned from his perilous journey. He did return safely the following year and married soon after. His death is somewhat uncertain, de la Thaumassiere notes it as 1192, but the <i>Chronique de Vierzon </i>and recent studies seem to be pushing his death earlier, around 1184.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]941456[/ATTACH] <i><font size="4">One of the very few parts of the Chateau Vierzon still standing: a belfry that had been the main gate for the medieval fortifications.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The chateau was extended around 1200, very likely by Herve II and by the time Herve III ruled in the later part of the 13th century, the old castle was probably a ville centre. The series of coins starting around 1150 and quite likely advancing to around 1320s could be an indication of steady development, as is the continuous expansion of the castle to become a fortified town and eventually to expand way beyond the medieval fortifications, thus rendering them obsolete.</p><p><br /></p><p>This unfortunately means that much of the old Vierzon is now lost.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="seth77, post: 3541832, member: 56653"]One of my main interests is in obscure lords of the feudal West, especially those who can be tied to either crusading and/or taking the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Many times this interest leads to going through old compendia of often-times fragmented chancellery documents and/or [I]histoire[/I] books that have the written story of certain areas, and often-times written long time ago, during the [I]Ancien Regime[/I]. Finding and following lords who have also minted coins is a very welcome bonus. [ATTACH=full]941475[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=4]Vierzon and Celles-sur-Cher in Berry.[/SIZE][/I] Few areas have been so rich and diverse in feudal coinage and more decentralized during the medieval heydays than the old region of Berry, in Central France. The many local [I]seigneuries [/I]here enjoyed such an extended autonomy in the 12th to early 14th centuries that minting their own coins, whether baronial or monastical, was the most normal of things. [ATTACH=full]941427[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=4]Notes on the rule of Herve I de Vierzon (1144-1192 or 1184?) in Gaspard Thaumas de la Thaumassiere's Histoire de Berry, 1689/91[/SIZE][/I] Seigneurie de Vierzon became a feudal hereditary realm around the 970/80s, when Chateau Vierzon was awarded by Eudes I de Blois to Humbaud le Tortu, his friend and likely kinfolk. The ramparts and the adjacent villages had been attached to the realm of Blois since the early 900s, and possibly had belonged to an ancestor of Thibaut l'Ancien, the Viscount of Blois, as early as the reign of Charlemagne. After the 980s, the castle and the villages dependent on Vierzon, alongside the castles of Ferte-Imbault, Celles-sur-Cher and Mennetou-sur-Cher -- and later on Mehun-sur-Yevre, became the center of power for Humbaud's descendants, the House of Vierzon. [ATTACH=full]941446[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=4]AR18mm 0.69g denier minted at Chateau Vierzon, cca. 1150-1190 + VIRSIONE; cross pattee large stylized fleur-de-lis, flanked by 2 smaller fleur-de-lis Boudeau 313 p. 38, Poey d'Avant 2028 p. 289.[/SIZE][/I] The first coinage of Seigneurie de Vierzon was at first related to Herve III by M. Cartier (Revue Numismatique 1841, p. 282), as he considered the reverse design to be a trophy surmounted by an H monogram, flanked by two lys. Poey d'Avant considered that this presumed H-shaped design should stand for Humbaud, rather than Herve III in the middle of the 13th century. Neither Boudeau nor Poey d'Avant name an actual Sire, but the coinage is most likely to have appeared during the reign of Herve I, as the low weight and diameter make it an unlikely issue of the 10th century while the overall design and letter shapes seem outdated for the 13th century. It is possible though that the other types, with a similar reverse design but a more ornate obverse design (annuleted cross pattee or lys symbols in the quarters), were later issues, perhaps dating up to the reign of Herve III (1252-1270). Herve I's rule seems to have been rather peaceful and smooth, the Sire being mostly involved in administrative work and in supporting local abbeys and founding new chapters (like Saint Taurin de la Ferte-Imbault in 1164). In 1163/4 he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, of which we know little more than the fact that prior to it, he had made all the arrangements for his estate in case he might not have returned from his perilous journey. He did return safely the following year and married soon after. His death is somewhat uncertain, de la Thaumassiere notes it as 1192, but the [I]Chronique de Vierzon [/I]and recent studies seem to be pushing his death earlier, around 1184. [ATTACH=full]941456[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=4]One of the very few parts of the Chateau Vierzon still standing: a belfry that had been the main gate for the medieval fortifications.[/SIZE][/I] The chateau was extended around 1200, very likely by Herve II and by the time Herve III ruled in the later part of the 13th century, the old castle was probably a ville centre. The series of coins starting around 1150 and quite likely advancing to around 1320s could be an indication of steady development, as is the continuous expansion of the castle to become a fortified town and eventually to expand way beyond the medieval fortifications, thus rendering them obsolete. This unfortunately means that much of the old Vierzon is now lost.[/QUOTE]
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An obscure 12th century lord from an obscure lordship: Seigneurie de Vierzon
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