Archives from the Middle Ages “never before seen” brought together in an exhibition in Bordeaux

Lovers of history, old books and parchments, calligraphy and illumination will be amazed. THE departmental archives de la Gironde have been offering since Wednesday an exhibition dedicated to the towns of Gironde in the Middle Ages, which brings together a series of documents, each more exceptional than the last.

Unearthed in the municipal funds of towns like Blaye, Saint-Emilion, Saint-Macaire, La Réole, after meticulous research work on the part of the departmental archives service, these texts and parchments written in Latin, Gascon or Old French, “ had for the most part never been seen by the general public” underlines Agnès Vatican, director of the departmental archives. His team then carried out remarkable work restoring these documents, then transcribing and translating them for this exhibition.

These gems unearthed in the archives of small towns are exhibited alongside documents better known to medievalists, just as exceptional, such as the Large cartulary of the Sauve-Majeure Abbey (12th-14th century), the furry book from Libourne (15th century), L’Escapot of Monségur (15th century) or even the Book of Broths of Bordeaux (1401-1524). The oldest document preserved by the departmental archives, a confirmation made by William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, at the church of Bordeaux, and which dates from 1088, is also presented.

“The idea of ​​the exhibition is to wander around a city”

The gathering in a unique place of so many historical treasures is in itself worth the detour. But this exhibition is also intended to be a gateway to better understanding the construction of urban networks in the Middle Ages. “The idea of ​​the exhibition is wandering through a city” summarizes Agnès Vatican, who emphasizes that “the fact of having archives is already a marker of urbanity for a municipality, because it means that we has an urban structure which will be responsible for administering the city. » Which also means recording in writing “everything relating to the law and organization of the city” and keeping these documents.

That said, “not all towns and cities have preserved archives dating from the entire Middle Ages, which runs from the 5th to the 15th centuries,” explains Sylvie Faravel, historian and archaeologist specializing in the Middle Ages at the university. of Bordeaux-Montaigne, and curator of the exhibition. She specifies that “we mainly have traces from the 11th-12th centuries. »

“Cities are created around a pole, which can be an abbey, a castle, or a port”

This is good, since it was between the 11th and 14th centuries that the territory of Gironde, an area characterized until then by a sparse urban network largely inherited from Antiquity, experienced an urban boom and new agglomerations saw the day. “The notion of towns in Gironde may seem anachronistic,” Sylvie Faravel hastens to point out, “since the department of Gironde obviously did not exist in the Middle Ages. [il a été créé sous la Révolution en 1790]. At that time the territory was divided between the diocese of Bordeaux and that of Bazas. Bordeaux was then already a metropolis and from the 13th century became the capital of a duchy of Aquitaine, then of Guyenne, under the authority of the Plantagenets, both dukes of Aquitaine and kings of England.

It is in this context that the network of cities (the main ones of which were already Bordeaux, Blaye, Bourg, Libourne, Saint-Emilion, La Réole, Saint-Macaire, Bazas) was structured and developed until the end of the Middle Ages. -Age, and that a certain number of small towns like Blasimon, Branne, Gensac, Pellegrue, Lesparre-Médoc, saw the light of day. “Generally, they are created around a center, which can be an abbey, a castle, or a port on the banks of the Garonne or the Dordogne” notes the curator of the exhibition.

“Cities are very concerned about preserving their rights, which they are afraid of losing”

The documents presented throughout the exhibition shed light on “the city’s relationship to power” underlines Sylvie Faravel. “The parchment of William IX, which confirms a donation to the church of Bordeaux, shows us that the cities are then very careful to recall what they have obtained in the past, to thus preserve their rights, that they are afraid to lose. ” THE Large cartulary of the Sauve-Majeurethe great Benedictine abbey of Bordeaux at this time, also brings together a series of confirmations of donations made to the abbey between the 11th and 13th centuries, just like this parchment in Latin from King Henry IV which confirms the privileges of Libourne, repeating the letters from his predecessors.

Two registers were loaned by the Bordeaux Métropole archives, and in particular the Book of customs of Bordeaux (1388) with the list of mayors of Bordeaux from 1218 to 1297. The office of mayor was created, for certain cities, in the 12th century. “Some towns obtain the status of commune, which means a town with a municipal organization – called jurades in Bordeaux – which can be headed by a mayor,” says Sylvie Faravel. To avoid any risk of corruption, the terms of office of jurats and mayors are very short, from three to five years, and they are often renewed. » The longevity of the emblematic Jacques Chaban-Delmas, mayor of Bordeaux from 1947 to 1995, would thus have been “absolutely impossible in the Middle Ages” notes the historian. The method of election, however, had nothing to do with it, since the jurats were designated by a circle of notables, the industrial tribunals.

Some of these municipalities (Bordeaux, Bourg, Saint-Emilion, and Libourne) “receive in addition an authority which goes beyond the limits of their city, and which extends to the suburbs, literally the exercise of the right of ban [le pouvoir] on a clearly defined territory” continues Sylvie Faravel.

Cartularies, “treasures” sometimes chained in chests

The other document on the city of Bordeaux, the Book of Broths is so named because of the large copper nails, “the broths”, decorating its cover and serving to protect the leather. “It is a document which did not burn in the fire of the archives of the city of Bordeaux in 1865, because it was in a private home at that time,” points out Agnès Vatican. In the Middle Ages, this book was “the treasure of the city”, which was “hung with chains in chests to prevent theft. »

Another treasure, the Municipal Cartulary of Libourne, said furry book, dating from the 15th century. This is presented open on the swearing page, including a scene of the crucifixion of Christ, an image on which the jurats of the city placed their hands in order to take an oath when they were appointed. “This is why we see this image of Christ which has worn out from putting our hands on it” notes Sylvie Faravel.

Numerous disputes between municipalities

Many other texts also include settlements of disputes between municipalities, numerous in the Middle Ages, in particular to obtain the right to sell salt. “Salt is an essential element for preserving food,” recalls Sylvie Faravel, “and in the Middle Ages salt was unloaded only in certain towns which had the privilege of selling it. On the Dordogne there are Bourg, Libourne, and Bergerac, and on the Garonne Bordeaux, La Réole and Agen. And there was great animosity between the towns to obtain this right, because it attracted traders. »

The exhibition is also designed for children, with investigation games and medieval-inspired wooden games. To make the course more fun and interactive, extracts from the video game A Plague Tale, Innocence (which takes place in the Middle Ages and which partly recreated the medieval town of Saint-Emilion) created by the Bordeaux studio Asobo, are broadcast.

Cities in Gironde in the Middle Ages, until April 7, 2024 in the departmental archives, 72, cours Balguerie-Stuttenberg in Bordeaux. Free entry, Monday to Friday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.).