Summary Of The Letter To Duke William Of Aquitaine

Primary sources help uncover the past and provide a gateway to understanding historical ideas. This source is a letter written in 1020 to Duke William of Aquitaine. It is from Fulbert, the bishop of Chartres, for the purpose of counseling William on the roles of both lords and vassals within the vows of fealty. The first line establishes that William had “asked [Fulbert] to write something concerning the from of fealty,” presumably due to disagreements with his own vassals (191). Fulbert, in return, gave six requirements to the vassals. In summary, a vassal should not harm his lord physically, nor hurt his lord’s reputation and honor. He should not betray his lord by spilling secrets or plans, nor should he take or destroy the lord’s possessions.
Firstly, it is easy to conclude that feudalism was practiced between lords and vassals during this time. Two particular phrases from the letter show the important role of feudalism in society and the seriousness of the oaths they swore to each other. Fulbert reminds the vassal to obey the six rules “if he wishes to be looked upon as worthy,” and the lord to keep his pledge or else “he will be justly considered guilty of bad faith” (191). Both phrases concern a man’s honor, which was a highly valued quality at the time. Secondly, this source gives insight into the position of clergy within feudalism. It is significant that William asked a bishop for advice rather than another lord or a king. A bishop was considered to be a man of learning, but more importantly, he had respect and prestige. As a bishop, Fulbert had a position of influence, which gave his set rules authority over both lords and vassals, and immediately suppressed arguments from either side. In this case, William was using the power of the Church to bring his vassals back