1. Rennes, , Archives Départementales d'Ille-et-Vilaine, 23 H 172, 1434, Election of Perrine du Feu.Google Scholar

2. Chartularium abbaliae sancti Georgii Redonensis, ed. Paul de La Bigne, Villeneuve, Bulletin de la Société Archéologique d' Illle-et-Vilaine [SAIV] 9 (1875): 219–220, no. 1;Google Scholar234–238, nos. 10–12;Google Scholar239–241, nos. 14–15;Google Scholar246–47, no. 18;Google Scholar249–250, no. 20;Google Scholar255–257, nos. 26–27;Google ScholarIbid., Appendix, SAIV 10 (1876): 184–199.

3. Election of Perrine du Feu, lines 4–11.Google Scholar

4. A study of the relationship between Saint-Georges and its principal priory, Tinténiac, is included in a monograph on the abbey under completion by the current author. The abbess and mother community made such decisions for Tinténiac as authorizing a ducal hearth tax on the priory's dependents and, acting with the bishop, settling a jurisdictional dispute between Tinteniac's parish priest and the priest of a neighboring parish.Google Scholar

5. The officialis was a judicial functionary with expertise in canon law, who served the episcopal curia.Google Scholar

6. Berliere, Ursmer, “Les élections abbatiales au moyen âge,” Mémoires de l' Académie Royale de Belgique, Classe des Lettres et des Sciences Morales et Politiques 20, fasc. 3 (1927): 5–7.Google Scholar

7. Election of Perrine du Feu, lines 15–16.Google Scholar

8. “Dominam Robinam de la Champaigne, religiosam expresse professam dicti monasterii, subpriorissam claustralem, per Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum, et in anime sue periculum, adiuraverunt ut secundum Deum et secundum conscienciam suam, iuste in illam dirigeret votum suum quam pro futtura abbatissa dicti monasterii magis utilem et magis ydoneam repararet, ipsa autem taliter adiurata consenciit in dominam Perrinam du Feu, religiosam expresse professam eiusdem monasterii, ac priorissam prioratus de Pleugano, a dicto monasterio dependentis, in hunc modum: ‘Ego, Robina de la Champaigne, subpriorissa daustralis huius monasterii, consencio in Perrinam du Feu, priorissam prioratus de Pleugano, ipsam que nomino et eligo in abbatissam huius monasterii Sancti Georgii.’” Ibid., lines 21–24.

9. Ibid., lines 21–62.

10. “In abbatis ordinatione ilia semper consideretur ratio, ut hie constituatur quern sive omnis concors congregatio secundum timorem Dei, sive etiam pars quamvis parva congregationis saniore consilio elegerit.” [“In the appointment of the abbot let this rule always be observed, that he be made abbot who is chosen unanimously in the fear of God by the whole community, or even by a minority, however small, if its counsel be more wholesome.”] McCann, Justin, ed. and trans., The Rule of Saint Benedict (Westminster, Md., 1952), ch. 64, p. 144. Varying interpretations of the second alternative provided the basis for frequent challenges to abbatial elections.Google Scholar

Boniface VIII ruled that an election for the superior of a women's community should be unanimous if possible, to prevent disputed elections. See Hourlier, Jacques, L'âge classique, 1140–1378: Les religieux, Histoire du Droit et des Institutions de l' Eglise en Occident 10, ed. Bras, Gabriel Le (Saint-Amand-Montrond, Cher, 1973), p. 318.Google Scholar

On unanimous election, see Election of du Feu, Perrine, line 5: “…pro futture abbatisse eiusdem monasterii electione celebranda unanimiter et concorditer, nulla [ ] contradicione seu discrepancie.…” […so that the election of the next abbess of the monastery would be celebrated unanimously and harmoniously, with no [ ] argument or discord.…]Google Scholar

11. “In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti amen. Cum vacando monasterio Sancti Georgii prope Redonas, ordinis sancti Benedicti, vocatis debite que fuerunt monasterii dicti eisque personaliter presentibus, exceptis legitime impeditis, qui per procuratoribus legitimis comparaverunt die prefixa. Placuit omnibus per formam scrutim vacanti monasterio de futtura abbatissa providere. Factoque scrutinio iuxta formam Consilii Generalis, ac eo publicato, et collocatione super eo habita diligenter, compertum est primo maiorem partem totius dicti conventus, et deinde omnes et singulas ipsius conventus sanctimoniales, vota sua uniformiter et concorditer direxisse in dominam Perrinam du Feu, priorissam prioratus de Pleugano, personam utique providam et de sacra religionis zelo, nobilitate [ ], vita, moribus, et scientia virtuosam, actibus, merito commendandam, ordinem ipsum expresse professam, in etate legitima constitutam, ac de legitimo matrimonio procreatam, in spiritualibus et temporalibus plurimum circumspectam.” Ibid., lines 74–77.

12. “Qua electione…celebrata, omnes et singule sanctimoniales supradicti conventus, nulla earum discrepante earn electione.…" [“The election…having been celebrated, each and every nun of the aforesaid community, with none of them disputing the election…”"]. Ibid., line 79.

13. On canonical requirements see Hourlier, , L' âge classique, p. 30;Google ScholarBowe, Thomas J., Religious Superioresses: A Historical Synopsis and Commentary, The Catholic University of America Canon Law Studies 228 (Washington, D.C., 1946), pp. 70–75.Google ScholarCompare with the proclamation of de la Flagge, Alice's election to the abbacy of Whiston in A. A. Locke, Victoria County Histories: Worcestershire (London, 1906), 2:156.Google ScholarThis episode is cited both in Power, Eileen, Medieval English Nunneries, c. 1275 to 1535 (Cambridge, 1922), p. 45;Google Scholarand in Nichols, John A., “The Internal Organization of English Cistercian Nunneries,” Citeaux: Commentarii cistercienses 30 (1979): 26:Google Scholar“On that day, mass being over, [and]being instructed in the form of election by two sisters of the priory, Alice de Seculer and Isabel de Aston, all who were present, unanimously, ‘as if inspired by the Holy Ghost,’ chose Alice de la Flagge, ‘a woman of discreet life and morals, of lawful age, professed in the nunnery, born of lawful matrimony, [and] prudent in spiritual and temporal matters.’”Google Scholar

14. Election of du Feu, Perrine, lines 79–80: “Cantando alta voce ‘Te Deum Laudamus,’ in presencia multitudinis clerici et populi, dictam dominam Perrinam electam, ad ecclesiam deportarunt, intronizantes prout intronizarunt, ipsam electam ad maius altare dicti monasterii, et deinde in abbatiali cathedra dicte ecclesie, ut est moris.”Google Scholar

15. Rennes, , ADIV, 23 H 172, 1405, Bishop Anselm, Confirmation of Philipotte de Saint-Pern's election. The letter notes that Bishop Anselm reviewed evidence for Philipotte's election and found it to have been conducted “rite, juste, et canonice” [“properly, justly, and canonically”"]. He dismisses Isabeau's rival claim to the abbacy as improper. See discussion of Isabeau's disputed election below.Google Scholar

16. In 1485, when Duke Francois II learned that a new abbess had been elected at Saint-Georges without his consent, he protested angrily the unprecedented infringement of his “sovereign rights” and commanded those responsible to explain their actions. See Rennes, ADIV, 23 H 172, 1485, Duke François II, Mandate on the resignation of Olive de Quélen. This parchment, which has been used in a book binding, is in poor condition; the text contains many lacunae.Google ScholarPope Innocent VIII had accepted Olive de Quélen's resignation and had confirmed her successor Françoise d' Espinay without Duke François' consent. The Duke protests that the Holy Father has accepted Olive's resignation “…sans nostre consentement, et a nostre moustier [de Saint George] a pourveu aultre personne…” [“…without our consent, and has confirmed another abbess for our monastery of Saint-Georges….”]. The new abbess has received “…la possession et jouiss[a]nc[e] de la dit abbaye…que en temp[s] passés n'ait jamais esté pourveu par le siège apostolicque en la dit abbaye d'aucune abbesse, sans leypres consentement [de] noz predecess[eur]s, pruves de ceste nostre principaulté et de nos [ ] en son temps.” [“…the possession and use of the said abbey…the said abbey has never in the past had an abbess confirmed by the Apostolic See without the abbey subsequently obtaining the consent [of] our predecess[or]s, proof of our sovereign rights and of our [ ] in their time.”] The Duke commands the concerned parties to reply formally to his mandate explaining their actions.Google Scholar

17. Election of Perrine du Feu, lines 21–62.

18. See Power, 's discussion of this case in Medieval English Nunneries, 45–47. The Elstow example is the only similar case reported in the literature to date on medieval women's houses. More work is needed in this area before the significance of Saint-Georges's 1434 election results can be fully assessed.Google Scholar

19. Ibid., p. 47.

20. Anselm, Bishop, Confirmation of Philipotte de Saint-Pern's election.Google Scholar

21. Ibid.

22. Jean, V's mandate of 17 September 1406 is preserved in Brittany's Chancery Register. René, Blanchard, ed., Lettres el Mandements de Jean V, due de Bretagne (Nantes, 1889), Archives de Bretagne, Receuil d'actes, de chroniques, et de documents historiques rares ou inedits, vol. 4, p. 107, no. 338.Google Scholar

23. Villeneuve, Paul de La Bigne, “Catalogue historique des abbesses de Saint-Georges, depuis la fondation de l'abbaye jusqu'à 1789,” SAIV 10 (1876): 223–224.Google Scholar

24. Ibid.

25. “Et deliberatione habita per quam formam esset in electionis negotio procedendum, tandem placuit omnibus et singulis per viam scrutim eidem monasterio de futtura abbatissa providere.” [“After deliberating on which election procedure should be used, each and every (sister) agreed to select a new abbess for the monastery by scrutin.”] Election of Perrine du Feu, lines 15–16.Google Scholar

26. Berliere, , “Les elections abbatiales,” pp. 5–12;Google ScholarGaudemet, Jean et al. , Les élections dans l'église latine des origines au XVI^e siècle (Paris, 1979), p. 293. On the choice of procedure see, for example, the case of Notre-Dame-aux-Nonnains' 1262 election; scrutin was chosen only after compromise had failed.Google ScholarJohnson, Penelope, Equal in Monastic Profession: Religious Women in Medieval France (Chicago, 1991), pp. 171–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

27. The dissenting sisters changed their vote, “…dubitantes si in eorum oppinionibus insisterent, que propterea divisio, lites, et scandala inter eas posset similiter suboriri. Et dictum eorum monasterium multipliciter dampnificandum premissum obviare, et ad pacem, concordiam, et unionem se reducere cupientes…electioni dicte Perrine du Feu recesserunt, in eamque vota sua direxerunt, et in earn consenserunt, ac ipsam univoce, concorditer, et uniformiter nominarunt et elegerunt in dicti monasterii abbatissam.” Ibid., lines 65–68.

28. Villeneuve, La Bigne, “Catalogue des abbesses,” 225–230.Google Scholar

29. For perspectives on the political environment of medieval women's religious communities see especially Nichols, “Internal Organization;” McLaughlin, Mary Martin, “Creating and Recreating Communities of Women: The Case of Corpus Domini, Ferara, 1406–1452,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 14 (1989): 293–320;Google ScholarJohnson, , Equal in Monastic Profession, 166–206.Google Scholar