Montpellier and Mataplana

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Peter Stewart

Montpellier and Mataplana

Legg inn av Peter Stewart » 26 sep 2004 10:04:37

A few threads over the past year or two have discussed the parentage of
Sibilla, wife of Guillem VI, seigneur of Montpellier.

Adequate proof has been set out here before that she was from Italy,
daughter of Bonifacio, margrave of Vasto & Agnes de Vermandois. However,
several modern genealogists & historians including Henri Vidal, Claudie
Duhamel-Amado, Szabolcs de Vajay and Patrick van Kerrebrouck have
wrongly stated that she was daughter of a Catalan viscount, Hugo de
Mataplana.

After checking _Liber instrumentorum memorialium: cartulaire des
Guillems de Montpellier_, edited by Alexandre Germain & Camille
Chabaneau (Montpellier, 1884-1886), it seems likely to me that these
authorities have copied each other's mistake in some sequence, because
this false relationship is virtually precluded by the available evidence.

In his testament dated 11 December 1146 (op cit p. 182, no. 95) Guillem
left the guardianship of his children and lands, under the superior
custody of his mother Ermesendis de Melgueil, to his cousin
("consobrinus meus") Ponce de Mataplana.

The context makes it logical to read "consobrinus" in its literal and
precise sense of maternal first cousin, as Ponce was enjoined to take
care of Guillem's family and property along with his mother, but even if
a looser translation (such as sister's son or father's sister's son)
were allowed the word would still denote a close blood relative and not
one by marriage - it cannot mean brother-in-law (usually "cognatus",
although that covers a wide range of kinship too) and Sibilla could not
have been a sibling to Ponce anyway.

Another error made by Henri Vidal [in 'Les mariages dans la famille des
Guillems, seigneurs de Montpellier', _Revue historique de droit français
et étranger_ 62 (1984)] is to make Raimond-Guillem, abbot of Aniane and
bishop of Lodève, a son of Guillem VI (the third of five attributed to him).

Guillem made elaborate provisions for the descent of Montpellier in the
event that any one of his children should die without issue. They were
all young at the time, and allowance was made for the third son,
Bernard, to become a cleric if he should wish to take holy orders or to
be set up honourably if he chose not to do so. He was the only one
nominated for the priesthood. There were explicitly just four sons,
Guillem the elder, Guillem the younger, Bernard and Gui in that order
("IIIIor filii mei, Guillelmus major, et Guillelmus minor, et Bernardus,
et Guido"), as well as three daughters whose rights followed theirs.
Guillem VI was already a widower and became a monk at Grandselve after
making his will, so that Raimond-Guillem of Lodève cannot have belonged
to his immediate family.

Peter Stewart

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