Cistercian Financial Organisation, 1335–1392

H. Peter King

doi:10.1017/S0022046900050557

Cistercian Financial Organisation, 1335–1392

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2011

H. Peter King

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H. Peter King: Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, St. Salvator's College, University of St. Andrews

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Fourteenth-century records give a depressing picture of the finances of the Cistercian Order. In 1338, for instance, the Chapter General stated that the Order was heavily in debt at the papal curia and in the fairs of Champagne, and that its income was not sufficient to meet all its obligations. Its immunity from papal and royal taxation had been largely eroded in the thirteenth century. During the Avignon period the popes levied frequent property taxes from the Church in France, and by an arrangement with the French monarchy, the lion's share of the profits went to the king. In this way Philip VI obtained money from the Church during the Hundred Years’ War. The premier abbeys of the Cistercian Order, and its other houses within the kingdom, were not exempt from these exactions, and no doubt shared the distress of the French clergy. In 1362 Urban V refused to levy another property tax from the Church in France, on the grounds that it had paid more than enough.

Type: Articles
Information: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , April 1973 , pp. 127 - 143

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022046900050557 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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References

^{page 127 note 1} Canivez, J. M., Statuta Ordinis Cisterciensis ab anno 1116 ad annum 1786, Louvain 1933–1941Google Scholar, iii, s.a. 1338 No. 6. (Cited henceforth as Statuta.) For method of citation by year and number of statute, see Ibid., viii.

^{page 127 note 2} See Buczek, D. S., ‘Medieval Taxation, the French Crown, the papacy, and the Cistercian Order’, Analecta Cisterciensia, XXV (1969), 42–106.Google Scholar

^{page 127 note 3} On the taxation of the Church in France see Samaran, Ch. and Mollat, G., La fiscalité pontificale en France au xiv^e siècle, Bibliothèque des écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, Paris 1905, 14–22.Google Scholar

^{page 127 note 4} The most complete description so far is by Müller, G., ‘Studien über das General-kapitel 31–4’, Cistercienser-Chronik, 15 Jahrg. (1903), 354–8Google Scholar; 16 Jahrg. (1904), 51–6, 81–5, 335–40. See also MacNiocaill, G., Na Manaigh in Liatha Eirinn, Baile Atha Cliath 1959Google Scholar; O'Conbhuide, Colmcille, ‘Taxation of the Irish Cistercian houses c. 1329–1479’, Citeaux, XV (1964,) 144–60Google Scholar; Mahn, J. B., L'Ordre cistercien et son gouvernement des origines au milieu du xiii^e siècle, Paris 1951, 174–7.Google Scholar

^{page 127 note 5} Buczek, D. S., ‘The French Cistercians and their enemies’, Studies in Medieval Cistercian History presented to Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Shannon 1971, 104–5.Google Scholar

^{page 128 note 1} Statuta, 1246, 6.

^{page 128 note 2} Statuta, 1262, 1.

^{page 128 note 3} Archives départementales de la Côte d'Or, 11 H 1159. (Cited henceforth as 11 H 1159). An edition of this book is being prepared by Prof. A. O. Johnsen and myself.

^{page 128 note 4} Dated entries on fols. 29b–30a run from 1354 to 1355.

^{page 128 note 5} 11 H 1159 fol. 16b. On St. Angelus see Brown, E. A. R., “The Cistercians in the Latin Empire of Constantinople and Greece 1204–1276’, Traditio, XIV (1958), 87–8.Google Scholar

^{page 128 note 6} Ibid., 114.

^{page 128 note 7} Ibid., 117. See also Clair, R., ‘Les filles d'Hautecombe dans l'empire latin de Constantinople’, Analecta Sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis, XVII (1961), 275–6.Google Scholar

^{page 128 note 8} See Statuta, 1318, 8.

^{page 128 note 9} Statuta 1326, 4.

^{page 128 note 10} Statuta 1329, 7.

^{page 128 note 11} Statuta 1330, 10.

^{page 128 note 12} Statuta iii, 420–2 (‘Fulgens’, 17, 18).

^{page 129 note 1} Dijon, Archives départmentales de la Côte d'Or, 11 H 1160. (Cited henceforth as 11 H 1160).

^{page 129 note 2} A few fragments of earlier accounts survive in Sens MS. 129. See Marilier, J., Chartes et documents concernant l'abbaye de Cîteaux 1098–1182, Rome 1961, 1 n. 4.Google Scholar

^{page 129 note 3} See above, 128.

^{page 129 note 4} See below, 138.

^{page 129 note 5} 11 H 1159 fols. 22b–23a. For the sake of clarity Arabic numerals are used for all transcriptions throughout this article.

^{page 129 note 6} Kamp, or Altenkamp, Rhine-Westphalia, German Federal Republic.

^{page 129 note 7} Ebrach, Bavaria, German Federal Republic.

^{page 129 note 8} Tulley, dép. Haute-Saône, France.

^{page 130 note 1} Statuta, 1339, 9.

^{page 130 note 2} 11 H 1160 fol. 14b.

^{page 130 note 3} Ibid., fol. 15a.

^{page 130 note 4} 11 H 1159 fols. 29b–30a.

^{page 130 note 5} 11 H 1159 fol. 29b.

^{page 130 note 6} H 1160 fols. 2a, 10b, 17b, 20b, 23a, 25a, 27a.

^{page 130 note 7} 11 H 1159 fol. 29b.

^{page 130 note 8} Statuta, 1336, 6.

^{page 130 note 9} 11 H 1160, fol. 9b.

^{page 130 note 10} Ibid., fol. 2b.

^{page 130 note 11} Ibid., fol. 12a.

^{page 131 note 1} Ibid., fol. 13a.

^{page 131 note 2} Ibid., fol. 13b.

^{page 131 note 3} Ibid., fol. 14b.

^{page 131 note 4} ‘Summa per abbatem Joyac’: Ibid., fob. 14a, 14b.

^{page 131 note 5} Statuta, 1330, 10.

^{page 131 note 6} See, e.g., Statuta, 1235, 20.

^{page 131 note 7} 11 H 1160, fols. 3b, 4b.

^{page 131 note 8} Ibid., fols. 1a, 9b.

^{page 131 note 9} Ibid., fols. 13a, 14a.

^{page 131 note 10} ‘Summa recepte per abbatem Clarifontis de contribucionibus anni 39 … summa totalis per abbatem Clarifont’ …: Ibid., fol. 15b.

^{page 131 note 11} Ibid., fol. 4b.

^{page 131 note 12} Benoît XII—Lettres communes, ed. Vidal, J. M., Bibliothèque des écoles françaises d'Anthènes et de Rome, Paris 1903, ii no. 9536.Google Scholar

^{page 131 note 13} See below, 142.

^{page 131 note 14} 11 H 1159, fols. 1b–4b. This is the figure for some time in the second half of the fourteenth century when ‘Secundum Registrum’ was compiled. The figure 109 is that for the end of the Middle Ages. See Hervay, F., ‘Notes critiques sur l'atlas de l'ordre cistercien’, Analecta Sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis, XXIII (1967), 137.Google Scholar

^{page 131 note 15} Statuta, 1335, 6.

^{page 132 note 1} 11 H 1160, fols. 2b–3a.

^{page 132 note 2} Ibid., fols. 21a–22b.

^{page 132 note 3} See Desmond, L. A., ‘The Statute of Carlisle and the Cistercians’, Studies in Medieval Cistercian History presented to Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Shannon 1971, 138–62.Google Scholar

^{page 132 note 4} 11 H 1160, fol. 24b.

^{page 132 note 5} Rievaulx, Yorks.

^{page 132 note 6} Revesby, Lincs.

^{page 132 note 7} Kirkstall, Yorks.

^{page 132 note 8} Woburn, Beds.

^{page 132 note 9} Stanley, Wilts.

^{page 133 note 1} Cal. Close R. 1343–6, 74–5.

^{page 133 note 2} 11 H 1160, fol. 1b.

^{page 133 note 3} Ibid., fol. 1b.

^{page 133 note 4} Ibid., fol. 21b, 22a (bis).

^{page 133 note 5} Ibid., fol. 24a.

^{page 133 note 6} Ibid., fol. 10a.

^{page 133 note 7} Ibid., fol. 24a.

^{page 133 note 8} Ibid., fol. 29a.

^{page 133 note 9} Ibid., fol. 10a.

^{page 133 note 10} Ibid., fol. 23b.

^{page 133 note 11} Ibid., fol. 28a.

^{page 133 note 12} Ibid., fol. 10a.

^{page 133 note 13} Ibid., fol. 28a.

^{page 133 note 14} 11 H 1159, fol. 9b.

^{page 133 note 15} 11 H 1160, fol. 1b.

¹⁶ Statuta, 1337, 9.

^{page 134 note 1} Statuta, 1339, 12.

^{page 134 note 2} 11 H 1159, fols. 29b–30a.

^{page 134 note 3} 11 H 1160, fol. 10a and see below, 138.

^{page 134 note 4} See above, 129.

^{page 134 note 5} Benoît XII—Lettres communes, ed. Vidal, J. M., Bibliothéque des écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, Paris 1903, ii no. 7406.Google Scholar

^{page 134 note 6} Ibid., no. 9536.

^{page 134 note 7} See above, 133, and Desmond, L. A., ‘The Statute of Carlisle and the Cistercians’, Studies in Cistercian Medieval History presented to Jeremiah 0'Sullivan, Shannon 1971, 144, 145.Google Scholar

^{page 134 note 8} 11 H 1160, fol. 45b.

^{page 134 note 9} See above, 128–129. See also Statuta, 1318, 8.

^{page 135 note 1} See below, 141.

^{page 135 note 2} Statuta, 1338, 6; 1342, 6.

^{page 135 note 3} See below, 137.

^{page 135 note 4} See below, 137–8.

^{page 135 note 5} 11 H 1160, fol. 11a.

^{page 135 note 6} Ibid., fol. 9a.

^{page 135 note 7} below, 138–9. Money for the Chapter General is claimed in 11 H 1160, fols. 17b, 21a, 23a, 25a, 27b, 29b.

^{page 135 note 8} 11 H 1160, fols. 11a, 17b, 20b, 21a, 23a, 25b, 27a.

^{page 135 note 9} See. e.g., Statuta, 1335, 6, 7, 9.

^{page 135 note 10} 11 H 1160, fol. 9a.

^{page 135 note 11} Ibid., fol. 21a.

^{page 135 note 12} Ibid., fol. 23a.

^{page 135 note 13} Ibid., fol. 25a.

^{page 135 note 14} Ibid., fol. 17b.

^{page 135 note 15} Ibid., fol. 25a.

^{page 136 note 1} Ibid., fol. 23a.

^{page 136 note 2} Ibid., fol. 27b.

^{page 136 note 3} Ibid., fol. 8b.

^{page 136 note 4} Ibid., fol. 11b.

^{page 136 note 5} Ibid., fol. 20b.

^{page 136 note 6} Ibid., fol. 8b.

^{page 136 note 7} Ibid., fols. 8b, 11b, 17b, 20b, 21a, 23a.

^{page 136 note 8} Benoît XII—Lettres communes, ed. Vidal, J. M., Paris 1903, ii no. 7489Google Scholar; 11 H 1160, fol. 11b.

^{page 136 note 9} 11 H 1160, fols. 17b, 20b, 21a, 23a, 27a, 27b, 29b.

^{page 136 note 10} Statuta, 1340, 14.

^{page 136 note 11} 11 H 1160, fol. 11b.

^{page 136 note 12} Ibid., fol. 25a.

^{page 136 note 13} Ibid., fol. 8b: ‘Portarius domini pape’. On this functionary see Guillemain, B., La cour pontificale d'Avignon 1309–76, Paris 1966, 418–19.Google Scholar

^{page 136 note 14} 11 H 1160, fol. 8b. On John of Viterbo see Die Ausgaben der apostolischen Kammer unter Benedikt XII, Klemens VI, und Innozenz VI, (Vatikanische Quellen zur Geschichte der päpstlichen Hof- und Finanzverwaltung 1316–78), ed. Schäfer, K. H., iii, Paderborn 1914, 419, 923.Google Scholar

^{page 137 note 1} 11 H 1160, fol. 23a.

^{page 137 note 2} Ibid., fol. 8b.

^{page 137 note 3} Ibid., fol. 8b.

^{page 137 note 4} See above, 127.

^{page 137 note 5} See below, 141.

^{page 137 note 6} Samaran, C. and Mollat, G., La fiscalié pontificale en France au xiv^e siècle, Bibliothèque des écoles françaises d'Anthènes et de Rome, Paris 1905, 16.Google Scholar

^{page 137 note 7} 11 H 1160, fol. 8b. It has not been possible to identify Lapo. Many Italian merchants of that name were active at Avignon during this period. See Renouard, Y., Les relations des papes a'Avignon et des compagnies commerciales et bancaires de 1316 à 1378, Paris 1941, index.Google Scholar

^{page 137 note 8} 11 H 1160, fol. 8b.

^{page 137 note 9} 11 H 1160, fol. 11b.

^{page 137 note 10} Ibid., fol. 17b.

^{page 137 note 11} Ibid., fol. 20b.

^{page 137 note 12} See below, 141.

^{page 138 note 1} See, e.g., Statuta, 1339, 9.

^{page 138 note 2} 11 H 1160, fol. 8a. The Chapter General was using the official French rate for the écu, see table in Fournial, E., Histoire monétaire de l'occident médiévale, Paris 1970, 102.Google Scholar (Cited henceforth as Fournial, Histoire monétaire).

^{page 138 note 3} 11 H 1160, fol. 10a.

^{page 138 note 4} Sorø, Sjælland, Denmark.

^{page 138 note 5} Esrom, Sjælland.

^{page 138 note 6} Ryd, now in Schleswig-Holstein, German Federal Republic.

^{page 138 note 7} Tvis, Jylland, Denmark.

^{page 138 note 8} On imitations of the Florentine florin current in the North, see Suhle, A., Deutsche Münz- ttnd Geldgeschichte von den Anfängen bis zum 15 Jahrh., München 1970, 166–7Google Scholar; Spufford, P., ‘Coinage and Currency’, The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, iii, Cambridge 1963, 601.Google Scholar

^{page 138 note 9} See table in Fournial, Histoire monétaire, 100.

^{page 139 note 1} Compare the rates obtained by the abbey of St. Martin at Tournai during the same period: Comptes et documents de I'abbaye de Saint-Martin de Tournai sous l'administration des gardiens royaux (1312–55), ed. A. d'Haenens, Bruxelles 1962, 515, 520, 524, 526, 527, 537, 567. See also Die Ausgaben der apostolischen Kammer unter Johann XXII nebst der Jahresbilanzen von 1316–1378 (Vatikanische Quellen zur Geschichte der päpstlichen Hof- und Finanzverwaltung 1316–78), ed. Schäfer, K. H., ii, Paderborn 1911, 121, 902.Google Scholar

^{page 139 note 2} 11 H 1160, fol. 17b. On pavillons and lions d'or, see Fournial Histoire monétaire, 102. I am most grateful to my colleague Dr. M. Prestwich for his advice on exchange transactions in the fourteenth century.

^{page 139 note 3} Statuta, 1340, 14.

^{page 139 note 4} See above, 130.

^{page 139 note 5} 11 H 1159, fol. 30a.

^{page 139 note 6} 11 H 1160, fols. 21a–22b.

^{page 139 note 7} Ibid., fol. 23a.

^{page 139 note 8} Statuta, 1342, 6.

^{page 140 note 1} Statuta, 1350, 6.

^{page 140 note 2} 11 H 1160, fol. 9a.

^{page 140 note 3} Statuta, 1338, 6.

^{page 140 note 4} 11 H 1160, fol. 11b.

^{page 140 note 5} Statuta, 1339, 4.

^{page 140 note 6} Statuta, 1339, 4.

^{page 140 note 7} Statuta, 1339, 9.

^{page 140 note 8} 11 H 1160, fol. 17b.

^{page 140 note 9} Ibid., fol. 21a.

^{page 140 note 10} Ibid., fol. 23a.

^{page 140 note 11} Ibid., fol. 25b.

^{page 140 note 12} Ibid., fol. 27a.

^{page 140 note 13} Ibid., fol. 27b.

^{page 141 note 1} Ibid., fol. 28a.

^{page 141 note 2} Ibid., fol. 29b.

^{page 141 note 3} Guillaume Curti.

^{page 141 note 4} 11 H 1160, fob. 32a ff.

^{page 141 note 5} On the effects of the Black Death in the Order see Statuta, 1349, 1, 2.

^{page 141 note 6} Statuta, 1350, 6. See above, 140.

^{page 141 note 7} Statuta, 1352, 4.

^{page 141 note 8} Statuta, 1356, 2.

^{page 141 note 9} Note, however, that no statutes are preserved for the period 1377–87; see Statuta, iii. 554–5.

^{page 141 note 10} 11 H 1160, fol. 34b.

^{page 142 note 1} Ibid., fols. 45b–46a; 50a–50b.

^{page 142 note 2} Ibid., fol. 50a.

^{page 142 note 3} Ibid., fol. 50b.

^{page 142 note 4} Ibid., fol. 45b.

^{page 142 note 5} Ibid.

^{page 142 note 6} See Cocheril, M., ‘L'Ordre de Citeaux au Portugal’, Studia Monastica, I (1959), 85.Google Scholar

^{page 142 note 7} 11 H 1160, fol. 78b.

^{page 142 note 8} Statuta, 1389, 48

^{page 142 note 9} Statuta, 1390, 6, 7.

^{page 142 note 10} Statuta, 1391, 2.

^{page 142 note 11} Statuta, 1395, 27.

^{page 143 note 1} Statuta, 1392, 23.

^{page 143 note 2} ‘Monetae ipsius Capituli Generalis’: Ibid.

^{page 143 note 3} See payments in MS. 11 H 1161 in Archives départementales de la Côte d'Or.

^{page 143 note 4} Statuta, 1397, 13.

^{page 143 note 5} Statuta, 1402, 10.

^{page 143 note 6} For some examples from the late fourteenth century see Statuta, 1395, 27; 1398, 12; 1399, 12.

^{page 143 note 7} Luke xvi. 1–12.

^{page 143 note 8} Archives départementales de la Côte d'Or: 11 H 1161 (1404–27); 11 H 1162 (1499–1516); 11 H 1163 (1508–9).

^{page 143 note 9} Letters from the English abbots to the Chapter at Cîteaux 1442–1521, ed. Talbot, C. H., Camden Soc. 4th series, London 1967.Google Scholar See also Knowles, M. D., The Religious Orders in England, iii, Cambridge 1959, 30–2.Google Scholar

^{page 143 note 10} See Valois, Noël, ‘Un Plaidoyer du XIV^e siècle en faveur des cisterciens’, Bibliothèque de l'école des chartes, 58 (1908), 352–68.CrossRef Google Scholar

^{page 143 note 11} I should like to express my gratitude to archivist M. Jean Rigaud and the staff of the Archives Départmentales de la Côte d'Or for their kindness and courtesy, and here to acknowledge my debt to Prof. A. O. Johnsen, who first introduced me to the financial records of Cîteaux, and to whose encouragement and advice I owe more than I can say.

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