ABSTRACT
In the late summer of 1025, Bishop Isembert I of Poitiers composed a letter to his colleague Hubert of Angers, in which he expressed his regret that he would be unable to be present at the consecration of Hubert’s new cathedral church. Isembert explained that other duties prevented him from enjoying the “great privilege” of attending the occasion, writing: “Our lord, Count William, having met with the Italians, has instructed my fellow bishops Islo [of Saintes] and Roho [of Angoulême] and myself to take care of some serious matters that we cannot postpone.”1 The man whose business kept Isembert away from Angers was William the Great, Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine (995-1030), who had entered into negotiations to acquire the kingdom of Italy for one of his sons, and who apparently had called on several bishops from his realm to aid in the enterprise.2 Isembert’s short letter of apology suggests that the duke and bishops were allies, with the bishops entrusted
A version of this essay was presented at the Medieval Academy of America meeting in Miami Beach on 1 April 2005. I would like to thank the panelists and audience of that session for their comments, as well as John S. Ott, Leah DeVun, Mary Doyno, Anna Harrison, and Lawrence Jones for their helpful suggestions. Any errors that remain are my own.
