Adela of England, Countess of Blois's letter to her son, Count Thibaud, year between 1132 and 1137

Source:

https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/26002.html

Above: Adela.

Above: Her son, Count Thibaud (Theobald) II of Champagne.

Adela of Normandy, of Blois, or of England (born circa 1067, died March 8, 1137), also known within Roman Catholicism as Saint Adela, was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders who later became the Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux by marriage to Stephen II, Count of Blois. Her husband greatly benefited from the increased social status and prestige that came from such a marriage. Adela brought with her not only her bloodline, but also a wedding gift of money and other movable goods from the prodigious store of Anglo-Norman wealth. She was regent of Blois during her husband's absence from 1096 to 1100 and again from 1101 to 1102, and during the minority of her son from 1102 until 1120.

Adela was the mother of Stephen, King of England and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. She and her husband had five children, although it is unknown if they were all hers biologically. It is only certain that she might have had five sons and three or more daughters.

The letter:

Karissimo filio suo T[etbaldo] blesensi comiti A. marciniacensis monacha materne dilectionis affectum. Memor sum quidem, fili karissime, quod cum adhuc in seculari habitu degerem canonicos sancti Karilelfi, de decima super dono elemosine de Franca uilla, quam socius noster comes Stephanus pater tuus et ego maioris monasterii monachis dedimus, conquestos fuisse. Super quo nouerit dilectio tua quod idem canonici hanc querelam in presentia nostra jam dictis monachis ita prius annuerant, [al. dimiserunt], ut eadem querimonia deinceps sine reclamatione perpetuo sopiretur. Quapropter [al. eapropter] te, dilectissime fili, exoro ut elemosinam nostram quam libere monachis dedimus, sic illis libere custodias, ne ulterius aliqua controuersia super hoc ecclesia maioris monasterii fatigetur. Vale.

English translation:

To her dearest son, T[hibaut] count of Blois, A. nun of Marcigny, affection of maternal love.

I am indeed mindful, dearest son, that when I was in the world (secular habit) removed the canons of St. Calais from the tithe on the gift of alms of Francheville, which our partner/associate count Stephen your father and I gave to the monks of the greater monastery, who now claim it. Over which your love should know that those canons agreed in this complaint in our presence with said monks as before, so that that complaint would be put to sleep without objection perpetually from then on. Wherefore I beg you, most beloved son, that you free our alms which we gave freely to the monks to them, and let the church of the greater monastery be troubled no further by any controversy about this. Hail.