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Introduction As a result of increasing interest in a fourteenth century letter that mentions William Wallace, The National Archives has made available on DocumentsOnline a full transcription and translation to promote greater understanding of the document, alongside the digital copy of the letter BackgroundSir William Wallace, having led resistance to the English king, Edward I, travelled to the court of Philip IV of France in 1299 to try to persuade him to support the Scots against Edward. On 7th November 1300, a year after Wallace’s arrival in France, Philip wrote a letter to his agents in Rome concerning Wallace. This document is often described as a safe–conduct, passport, or a grant of safe–passage for William Wallace, but is, in fact, a letter from King Philip to French agents in Rome, commanding them to ask Pope Boniface VIII to support Wallace in (unspecified) business. It is recorded that three safe conducts (from the Kings of France, Norway and Scotland) were taken from Wallace when he was arrested in 1305; however the last time they were known to be in the custody of the English Crown was in 1323 in an inventory of records contained in the Exchequer (document reference E 36/268, pp. 238–40). No trace of the safe–conducts has been found after that date. About the documentThe document suggests that Wallace intended to visit the papal court, but it is unknown whether he did reach Rome. It is more likely than not that it was given to him to carry to the papal court himself, though had he reached Rome he should have handed it over to the French agents to whom it was addressed. If he did not reach Rome, it is possible that he would have kept this document, and like the safe conducts it would have come into English possession after his arrest. However there is no firm evidence that the letter ever passed through Wallace’s hands. It could have been sent with other French correspondence via messengers, and it could have been intercepted at any time after its issue, by English spies or officials anxious to interrupt and to gain intelligence from correspondence passing between France and the papal court, without its having reached its intended destination. Such intelligence–gathering and interception of diplomatic correspondence was a regular feature of Anglo–French relations since at least the twelfth century. TranscriptionPh[ilippus] dei gra[tia] Franc[orum] Rex dil[ec]tis et fidelib[us] gentib[us] n[ost]ris ad Roman[am] Cur[iam] destinatis, s[a]l[u]t[em] et dil[ectionem]. Mandam[us] vob[is] quat[enus] Sum[m]um Pontificem requiratis ut dilectum n[ost]r[u]m Guill[el]m[um] le Walois de Scotia militem reco[m]mendatum habeat in hiis q[ue] ap[ud] eum habu[er]it expedire. Dat[um] ap[ud] Petrafontem die Lun[e] post festum Omn[ium] Sanctor[um]. [Endorsed]: Quarta l[itte]ra R[egis] Franc[ie]. TranslationPhilip by the grace of God, king of the French, to his beloved and loyal people appointed at the Roman Court, greetings and favour. We command you that you ask the Supreme Pontiff to consider with favour our beloved William le Wallace of Scotland, knight, with regard to those things which concern him that he has to expedite. Dated at Pierrefonds on the Monday after the feast of All Saints [7 November 1300]. [Endorsed]: Fourth letter of the King of France. William Wallace Working GroupAn academic research group of distinguished historians and archivists from Scotland, England and France was set up to study the document’s provenance, to find out where and why the document was created. The notes of the second and final meeting of the experts’ group, which took place on 7 March 2011 at the National Archives of Scotland, are available here Further researchYou may wish to find out more about what’s available from DocumentsOnline Online Tutorials
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