La gestion des forêts royales en Normandie à la fin du Moyen Âge : étude du Coutumier d’Hector de Chartres
At the beginning of the XVth century, domanial forests became a major issue in the affairs of the kingdom of France. Managed by the Waters and Forests administration, they were put under close surveillance by the king’s decree. The study of Hector de Chartres’ customary, a XVth century register containing the customs of hundreds of users of Charles VI’s norman domain’s forests, reveals the place that they held in France at the end of the Middle Ages. It shows first that they were not only important in the province’s economic life but that they also played a major role in its urban and rural life. It also shows, with the analysis of a XIVth and XVth century corpus of royal ordonnances, how they were important for the king, who took there the ressources he needed to build a navy and maintain his fortresses in Normandy and who benefited from the users’ royalties. Thus, a complex relation which greatly benefited the two parties was created through a complex system of customs and royalties. By trying to protect these benefits, the kings of France tried to manage adequately their forests, establishing the bases of sustainable forestry oriented towards the conservation of forest ressources and acting as gardians of the kingdom’s common good.
Hector de Chartres Gestion durable Waters and forests administration Normandy Forest Reformation Customs Sustainable management