3090

August 28. Anagni. Pope Alexander IV writes to Archbishop [Hugo] of Nicosia (Nicosiensis) and Bishop [Stephanus] of Famagusta (Famagustanus), relating that in his presence, on behalf of Queen Placentia of Cyprus, widow of the late King Henry, he was told that she had de facto contracted a marriage, or rather damnable concubinage, with the noble man Balianus son of Johannes lord of Arsur, who was related to her husband the king in the third degree of consanguinity, not without loss to her own spiritual health and the scandal of many people. Afterwards, however, with the advantage of time, wracked by remorse, she ceased living with Balianus, for the salvation of her soul. Nevertheless B[alianus], on the pretext of this concubinage and a certain papal dispensation that came to the queen’s attention after she had ceased this cohabitation, greedily seized her goods and those of her son the noble Hugo, orphaned [of his father], much to her and the orphan's detriment. So she asked the pope to deal with the matter with apostolic care. Since it is the pope’s duty to protect widows and orphans especially, the pope orders the archbishop and bishop, themselves or one of them, by themselves of through others, if it is so, to condemn the marriage, or rather concubinage, judging it to be and to have been nothing at all, declaring invalid anything stemming from it, using ecclesiastical censure against those who go against his ruling, notwithstanding any dispensation obtained that is said to have come to the queen’s attention after she ceased her cohabitation with Balianus, or any papal exemption or constitution of the General Council. The archbishop and bishop are to carry out this order quickly and effectively, so they can be commended for their diligence rather than upbraided for their negligence.