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Jurisprudence tutorial 1st Edition Galieva. Digital Instant
Download
Author(s): Galieva.
ISBN(s): 9785788227177, 5788227178
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 1.89 MB
Year: 2019
Language: english
Copyright ООО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation

Kazan National Research Technological University

S. Galieva, G.Galieva, N. Kraysman

J U R I S P RU D E N C E
Тutorial

Kazan
KNRTU Press
2019
Copyright ООО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»

UDC 34(07)
LBC 67Англ я7
G15

Published by the decision of the Editorial Review Board

of the Kazan National Research Technological University

Reviewers:
Candidate of Jurisprudence, Associate Professor K. Arslanov
Candidate of Pedagogic sciences, Associate Professor E. Molostova

Galieva S.
G15 Jurisprudence : tutorial / S. Galieva, G. Galieva, N. Kraysman;
The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Kazan
National Research Technological University. – Kazan : KNRTU Press,
2019. – 224 p.

ISBN 978-5-7882-2717-7

The tutorial contains an analysis of the basic concepts and categories

of law. The special attention is paid to such issues as the general theory of
law, the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation,
the foundations of civil, family, labor, administrative law. The materials for
independent work of students are offered.
The tutorial is designed for practical training of Bachelors in the following
areas: 02.03.03 Mathematical Support and Administration of Information Systems,
14.03.01 Nuclear Engineering and Thermophysics, 15.03.02 Technological
Machines and Equipment, 16.03.03 Refrigeration, Cryogenic Equipment and Life
Support Systems, 18.03.01 Chemical Technology, 21.03.01 Oil and Gas Business,
27.03.05 Innovation, 29.03.03 Printing and Packaging Production Technology,
35.03.02 Technology of Logging and Wood Processing Industries, as well as
students studying Jurisprudence.
Prepared by the department of jurisprudence.
UDC 34(07)
LBC 67Англ я7
ISBN 978-5-7882-2717-7 © Galieva S., Galieva G.,
Kraysman N., 2019
© Kazan National Research
Technological University, 2019
Copyright ООО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»

Introduction

Discipline objective:
1) providing the basic concepts of the key branches of law;
2) building the students’ legal literacy;
3 forming in students legal literacy in property and related personal
non-property relations, consisting in profound knowledge of the civil
rights and duties, the ability to be quickly guided in the huge number of
civil-legal regulations, to correctly make civil documents, to use lawful
ways to protect the broken civil rights;
4) forming in students modern legal thinking and language,
allowing them to competently defend their rights
In accordance with the State Higher Education Standard,
Jurisprudence is included in the list of compulsory general humanitarian
and socio-economic disciplines.
Studying objectives.
In the course of studying, the following shall be developed in
students:
• the ability to correctly interpret the state legal phenomena, to
evaluate them from the standpoint of both universal and specific
historical values;
• value orientations in life and practice, based on the priority of
human rights and freedoms while recognizing the fundamental
importance of state and legal institutions;
• the ability to make their own conclusions and justify their
judgments on the problems arising in the process of exercising
their rights and duties in everyday life.
• the ability to search, critique, and make fusion of information, to
employ a systematic approach to solving problems;
• the ability to identify the scope of tasks within the goal set and
to choose the best ways to solve them based on the existing legal
norms, available resources, and restrictions;
• the ability to carry out social interaction and to realize one’s role
in team in solving legal situations.

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In accordance with these objectives, the mandatory minimum

content of knowledge in law includes two sections:
1) General Theory of State and Law;
2) Characteristics of the Main Branches of Russian Law.
The discipline of Jurisprudence solves problems in close cooperation
and interrelation with such sciences as Philosophy, Sociology, Digital
Economy, Management Theory, Social Psychology, etc.
The students are to know:
• what rights and freedoms are given to person and citizen in order
to consciously and competently exercise them in various spheres
of life;
• to know the basics of the legal system and legislation;
• to understand the organization of activities of judicial and other
law enforcement agencies.
The students are to be able to:
• use statutory instruments in practice
• draw up legal documents relating to future professional activities.
General learning tips
Before studying each topic, the students must read the relevant
sections of the training program and guidelines, highlight the issues
to be mastered. It is advisable to read the relevant chapters/paragraphs/
textbooks on Law. This will allow you to better assimilate the lecture
material. The students should highlight the unclear questions that can be
addressed to the lecturer, the teacher.

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A SHORT COURSE ON SELECTED

TOPICS OF THE DISCIPLINE

Topic 1. General Theory of Law

1.1. Characteristic of law origin theories.

1.2. Concept, features, functions of law and state.
1.3. Form of state: form of government, form of government structure,
political regime.
1.4. Concept, types, structure of legal rules.
1.5. Concept, types, structure of legal relations. Legal facts as
the basis of creation of the relationship.
1.6. Legal frameworks of today. Sources (forms) of law.
1.7. Concept, elements, structure, types of offenses. Legal
responsibility.

1.1. Characteristic of law origin theories

The topic should be started with studying the main provisions

of various theories of the origin of state and law: theological, patriarchal,
contractual, organic, psychological, violence, etc. It should be kept
in mind that each of them has faults (the most essential of them being that
the material conditions which are the prerequisites for the origin of state
and law are not taken into consideration) and advantages (each has made
a certain contribution to the development of the theory, revealed some
mechanisms of the said processes).

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The historical and materialistic concept of the origin of state and

law is of paramount importance. Its study should begin with F. Engels’s
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, which on
the basis of extensive historical and ethnographic material and the works
of many researchers considered the western way of the state and law origin.
Attention should be paid to the characteristics of the tribal organization
of the society, the social power that existed there and the accepted code of
conduct. To the three major social divisions of labour and the elements of
state and law revealed at that time. But we must also understand that along
with the root cause of the state and law origin (the emergence of private
property, the split of the society into antagonistic classes), there was
a variety of factors and conditions (territorial, climatic, and demographic)
which one way or another influenced the formation of the state and law,
their original type and form. F. Engels noted the peculiarities of the origin
of law and state in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the ancient
Germans. Undoubtedly, the process of the state and law formation in other
peoples, for example, the Slavs, also had certain specificity. The position
of the early Russian state between Europe and Asia, its relatively rapid
transition from a communal system to feudalism are of great interest.
There is a wealth of scientific literature and fiction on this subject.
Accumulation of new factual material, further development
of science and methodological toolkit, on the one hand, and the complexity
in study and definition of these processes due to their great originality in
comparison with the already studied European models, on the other hand,
have stimulated the attention of scientists to the processes of formation of
state and law, given rise to various points of view that should be known.
The ways of law origin and its ancient sources (forms) are
of considerable interest. These include the Code of Hammurabi in
Babylon, the Manusmriti in India, the Law of the Twelve Tables in Rome,
etc. Equally interesting are the sources of law of ancient and medieval
Russia. But in general, the history of emergence and formation of the state
and law in different countries will be taught (and studied) in more detail
in the relevant history courses.

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1.2. Concept, features, functions of law and state

First of all, we should ensure understanding of the concept of

the political system of the society, its essential features and structure.
It is important to understand the causes and stages of development of
the political system, and highlight the general and the special features
in formation and development of political systems in different societies,
paying special attention to the characteristics of the political system
of Russian society.
The pride of place in the political system of the society goes to
state as the only organization with political power, interconnected and
interacting with other elements of the political system -parties, mass public
organizations, various associations, the church, territorial and labour
collectives, non-governmental, and mixed commercial structures. It is
also important to understand in what ways other elements of the political
system affect the exercise of political power (the influence on defining
the political line, participation in formation of state bodies, in performance
of state functions, etc.), for which organizations these or other ways are
specific. Special attention should be paid to the relations between the state
and political parties (associations) with commercial organizations. We
need to characterize and generalize the comparison of various political
systems of our time, including their regulatory framework, including
the legal aspect. It is customary to distinguish the following types of
political systems: democratic, autocratic, theocratic, transitional. It is
necessary to dwell upon the characteristics of modern states in relation to
their varieties such as totalitarian, authoritarian, liberal, and democratic,
paying special attention to the specifics of the modern, reforming state.
The reform of the political system of Russian society is the most
important means and the guarantee of ensuring transition to a democratic,
social, state of law and a civil society. Students need to know the main
content of this reform. Its main areas, including those related to law.

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1.3. Form of state: form of government, form of government

structure, political regime

It is necessary to gain insight into the concepts of the form of

the state, which includes the following elements: form of government,
form of state framework, and political regime. The students need to
know the types of forms of government, state framework and political
regime, to be able to characterize each of them, making relevant examples.
For Russia, the problem of choosing between presidential, parliamentary
or mixed form of republican government, as well as the form of federal
framework, is relevant now.
The state, inter-state entities and various international institutions
are clearly determined by law in their manifestations. They are often very
much influenced by international law and are subject to international
legality, which imposes certain prohibitions and restrictions for the sake
of establishing international legal order. The UN, continental and other
unions of states, public organizations and social movements operate in
the international arena. The regulatory function of international law is
becoming increasingly effective. It is recommended to be well-versed in
mechanisms of legal support in relation to the most vital global problems.
It is important to know the role of international law enforcement agencies
and the place of the modern Russian state in them.

1.4. Concept, types, structure of legal rules

In this topic, it is necessary to understand, first of all, the concept of

the legal norm and its features.
Legal rules reflect social reality. They result from realization of
the need for its legal mediation, and the necessity to regulate social
relations by law. Legal norm has a certain essence, content and form,
occupying an independent position in the legal system. In legal norm, we
should distinguish logical, socio-legal, and volitional content.

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The essence of legal norm as the most profound, basic property

coincides with the essence of law as a whole, but the essence of legal norm
is not so obvious as the essence of law, since its essential manifestations
are limited to a certain type of social relations, the direct content of legal
norm is expressed in the information contained therein.
Signs of legal norm include: universality; general effect; formal
clarity; determination or authorization by competent state authorities;
ability to regulate social relations through the legal information contained
therein, the specific structure and, very importantly, state guarantee;
the provision of the coercive force of the state and the consciousness of
members of society; repetitiveness of operation.
The social purpose of legal rules and, consequently, their value
are determined by their regulatory role: they are to consolidate relations
that are necessary and desirable for the society and the state, they give
these relations stability and contribute to their development, protecting
them from violations and affecting undesirable for the society and
the government relations in order to limit, oust, and eliminate these
violations.
The structure of the legal norm is understood as the internal
structure of the norm, its constituent parts (structural elements), their
mutual disposition and relationship.
Legal rules, as well as any social norm, are constructed on the model
of conditional assumption: “if..., that..., otherwise...”.
It is necessary to learn to distinguish such structural elements of
legal norm as hypothesis, disposition and sanction in the rules of different
branches of law: administrative, civil, criminal, criminal procedural, and
others.
Legal rules go hand-in-hand, providing a total positive result, some
rules (regulatory) govern the positive actions of people, others (guarding)
protects against offenses. In each legal norm, directly or referentially,
but necessarily there are three elements—hypothesis, disposition and
sanction. The absence of sanction in regulatory norms does not mean
that they are not enforced by the state and its coercive power. The will
of the state is in all cases implemented through the rules containing
sanctions—the protective rules.

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The structural elements of legal rules in their composition

(structure) can be simple, complex, and alternative.
We need to pay attention to the ways and features of the presentation
of legal rules in the articles of a regulatory legal act, to the ratio of legal
rules and articles (parts, clauses, paragraphs) of regulatory acts. There are
simple, reference and blanket ways of presentation.
Depending on the degree of generalization of the factual
circumstances referred to in legal rules and the actions prescribed by them,
there are casual and abstract presentation of hypotheses and dispositions.
All these provisions need to be confirmed by examples of regulatory
legal acts (laws and by-laws).
For legal theory and practice of legal rules application, their
classification is important, especially their sectoral classification by
the subject of legal regulation, which is represented by a certain type
of social relations.
The classification of legal rules by the limits of their application is
connected with the legal force of regulatory legal acts containing elements
of rules, and with the competence of the state bodies issuing these acts.
It is necessary to know the characteristical features of substantive
and procedural law.
Legal rules need to be differentiated by their role in regulation
of social relations into regulatory (legislative), protective and specialized
ones. The latter are devided into the following types: general (constitutional),
definitive (containing definitions of terms and concepts), declarative
(program, goal-setting), operational, and conflicts-of-law rules.
According to the degree of binding, regulatory norms are divided
into mandatory and dispositive.
According to the scope of regulatory effect, legal rules are divided
into general, special, and exclusive.
According to the nature of the prescription contained in disposition,
they are divided into authorizing, binding, and prohibiting. There are also
incentive rules.
Classification of legal rules on this basis determines their wording
in regulatory acts.

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Classification of rules should also be explained by examples taken

from legal acts.
The form of expression of legal rules are the articles of regulatory
legal acts, as well as parts, paragraphs, clauses of these articles, which is
a custom of Russian lawmaking.
There are different ways to express legal norms: direct, reference,
blanket, as well as there are certain features of presentation of legal rules
in the articles of regulatory legal acts, namely:
• the legal rule and the article of law coincide, i. e. in one article of
the regulatory act the legal rule is completely stated including all
its three elements;
• several rules are included in one article of law;
• one rule is contained in several articles.
The concept and criteria of truth, value, usefulness, efficiency,
and effectiveness of legal rules are always relevant. Ways and means to
achieving these characteristics, of both specific legal rules and their
various combinations, including the entire law.

1.5. Concept, types, structure of legal relations. Legal facts as

the basis of creation of the relationship

The problem of legal relations (jural relationships) is one of the most

complex theoretically and practically significant ones, associated with
the need to understand the essence of the legal relation as a special type
social relationship, to identify the features that distinguish legal relations
from other types of social relations.
We need to be able to distinguish between legal relations arising
before legal rules, and social relations regulated by legal rules, and with
regard to the latter—to reveal the ratio of legal rules to legal relations.
Considering classification of legal relations, it is necessary to characterize
their types, showing the features of law enforcement relations. Legal
relations are considered separately in the main branches of law—state
(constitutional), civil, criminal and administrative law, international law
relations.

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The content of legal relations are those actually social relations that
are regulated by legal rules. From the point of view of social prerequisites,
legal relations can arise from:
• giving legal form (juridification) to already established social
relations which in fact represent the relationship of parties with
mutual rights and obligations;
• on the basis of learning the trends in social development, the law
can consolidate relations that have not yet fully developed,
actively contributing to their formation and strengthening.
Sometimes in the immediate basis of legal relationship can be only
a legal rule, which is most typical for procedural legal relations. In this
case, juridification of this or that procedure is carried out in order to
ensure a more effective administration of justice.
The elements of legal relations structure include: subjects of
legal relationship, content of legal relationship, and the object of legal
relationship.
The subjects of legal relations are legally capable individuals, legal
entities, other institutions and the state as a whole. The most important
concepts in legal theory and practice, which we need to learn are legal
personality, legal capacity, legal competency, and delictual responsibility.
The social content of legal relation is understood as the content
of the actual social relationship, i. e. the activities, behavior of
the participants in the relationship, carried out within their legal rights
and legal obligations, which form the legal content of this relationship.
Legal right is a statutory measure (type, scope) of possible behavior
of a particular subject (person). There are three types of powers, namely:
the right to act or interact in one’s own interests; the right to demand
from the obligated party to fulfil its legal obligations; the right for official
defense of one’s authority in case of failure of the other party to fulfil its
obligations or occurrence of explicit obstacles to exercise a legal right.
Legal obligation is a statutory measure (type, scope) of due
conduct of the obligated person (subject), which he/she/it must follow in
the interests of the authorized party under pain of state coercion.
Legal obligations are also divided into three types: obligation of
active conduct and action; obligation to withhold any action; obligation

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to bear legal responsibility, i. e. to suffer undesirable consequences for an

offense.
The object of offense is the benefits for which subjects (parties)
enter into legal relations. It is necessary to know the types of subjects and
be able to give relevant examples.
Legal relations arise, change or terminate with the occurrence of
a legal fact, i. e. a specific life circumstance, to which the legal rule relates
the creation, change, or termination of legal relations. It is necessary
to know classification of legal facts and the concept of the set of facts,
to illustrate the theoretical provisions with practical examples from life
and legislation.
Classification of legal relations by various grounds deserves special
attention. Legal relations can be classified by the following aspects:
by the subject of regulation, by the degree of specification of the parties
in legal relations, etc.

1.6. Legal frameworks of today. Sources (forms) of law

It is necessary to gain insight into the concept of sources (forms)

of law generally and properly, into their division into external and
internal, with such types of sources of law as: legal custom, its varieties
and significance in modern conditions; precedent (judicial and
administrative); official regulatory legal act and its types; other sources of
law. In current conditions, regulatory treaties, i. e. bilateral or multilateral
agreements of subjects of law containing binding legal rules, are becoming
increasingly important as sources of law in Russia.
Of particular importance for the problem of sources of law is
the legal practice, which helps reveal not only the need to change
the existing legal norms and their sets, but also the best ways to apply
them in specific conditions.
Regulatory legal act has certain features and we should be able
to distinguish it from ad hoc regulations.
There are constitutional and ordinary (current) laws. But all of
them have a legal characteristic that shows their highest state status, all

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of them are adopted by the highest legislative governmental bodies, and

in the most significant cases—by referendums, they take precedence over
all other regulations, they are distinguished by a special order of adoption
and publication.
Studies should include Federal Law No. 5-FZ of 14.06.1994
(as revised on 01.07.2017) “On the procedure for publication and
coming into force of Federal constitutional laws, Federal laws, acts of
the chambers of the Federal Assembly”.
A special part in the body of laws is played by the Constitution of
the state—its basic Law to be complied with by each and all regulatory acts
and ad hoc regulations. Students should be familiar with the provisions
of the current Constitution of the Russian Federation. Studies should
include Federal Law No. 33-FZ of 04.03.1998 (as revised on 08.03.2015)
“On the procedure for publication and coming into force of amendments
to the Constitution of the Russian Federation”.
It is also necessary to know the types of by-laws, to be able to give
relevant examples.
The scope of regulatory legal acts is considered in relation to
the following aspects: territorial, temporal, and personal.
The question of the retroactive effect of the law is of fundamental
importance, especially in practice. According to the general rule, “law
does not have retroactive effect.” An exception is the criminal law
and the administrative liability law have retroactive effect if they
eliminate the punishability of the act (responsibility for it) or commute
the punishment (liability).

1.7. Concept, elements, structure, types of offenses.

Legal responsibility

A professional engineer needs to know the nature and mechanism

of both lawful and lawless (illegal) behavior.
An offense is a guilty, illegal act of a delictual subject, which is
detrimental to the individual, society, state and is the basis of legal liability.

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Legal features of an offense: this is an act (action or omission); an

illegal act committed by a delictual subject, i. e. actual and potentially able
to control his/her actions by consciousness and will; this is an act that
caused harm (damage) to society.
According to the degree of danger to the public (social harm), all
offenses are divided into crimes (criminal offences) and offenses (they
are also referred to as delicts). There are administrative, disciplinary, and
civil offences. It is necessary to have a general notion of the causes of
the offense (this problem is studied in detail by criminology—in relation
to crimes, and delictology—in relation to other offenses).
The legal offense structure is a set of necessary and sufficient
from the point of view of the current legislation objective and subjective
conditions or elements (and their features) to qualify a wrongful act as an
offense.
The objective part of an offense is formed by the illegal act expressed
externally in the form of actual illegal actions or in illegal failure to
behave as prescribed by law. Thoughts, beliefs, intentions, not manifested
outwardly, are not recognized as the object of prosecution by the current
legislation. This is a manifestation of the humanistic orientation of law.
From the point of view of the legal approach, only action (inaction)
or in some cases verbal activity (insult, slander) can cause damage to
the interests protected by law.
The elements of the objective side of the offense are the causal
relationship between the act and the consequences and the harm caused.
The object of an offense is the phenomena of the outside world,
which the illegal act is focused on. The object of a particular offense can
be spoken about in stark terms: the objects of an attack are human life,
health, property of an individual, organization, atmosphere polluted by
an offender, forest destroyed by him, etc.
The subjective part of an offense is embodied in the concept of
the offender’s delictual responsibility. This means that only a guilty act is
recognized as an offence, i. e. such actions that at the time of doing were
under the control of the will and consciousness of the doer. Absence of
free will, i. e. the ability to choose another (legitimate) course of action
due to insanity, young age, physical or mental influence, etc., is a legal

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condition under which the act is not recognized as an offence, even if it

had harmful consequences.
To recognize illegal actions as an offense, legislation imposes
certain requirements to their subject. This is, first of all, the sufficient age,
at which individuals become delictual. Thus, criminal liability (based on
commission of a crime) is incurred from 16, and for certain types—from
14, administrative liability—from 16, etc.
Not all issues relating to the subject of offense, are resolved in legal
theory and practice unambiguously. There are differences in understanding
of the subject of offense in criminal and civil law.
If in criminal law the subject of crime and the subject of
responsibility are one and the same person (i. e. the liability is incurred
by the individual who has committed this crime), in civil law the property
responsibility can be borne not only by the person who has committed
the civil tort. Quite difficult is the question of recognition of a group of
people as the subject of offense. In the current criminal law, this issue
is solved unambiguously—this is an individual. Even if the crime is
committed by a group of people, each participant is only responsible
for what he has done personally, and is not bound by joint and several
liability. As for other branches of law, the opinions of experts are divided.
One group of scientists tends to recognize a group of people as the subject
of offense, the other sticks to the opposite opinion. In any case, the actions
of collective actors under certain conditions may be recognized as illegal
and, accordingly, entail some restrictions.
The legal offence structure covers another component—
establishment of sanctions (adverse consequences) in legislation for
commission of offences, which is a prerequisite for imposing legal liability
on the offender. It is rightly noted that where there is no legal liability,
there is no offence.
Legal liability is a measure of state coercion that is used or available
for use in respect of a person (organization) for an offense and is manifested
in enduring or threat of enduring those adverse consequences of personal
or/and material nature by the guilty.
Legal liability should be distinguished from legal remedies. They
occur either for a minor offence or for acts that constitute a “legal

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anomaly”, i. e. a slight deviation from normal legal order, which does not
have a nature of an offence, although formally it is “similar”.
Legal remedies include: in civil law—recognition of transaction
invalid with the parties’ return to the original property status, compelling
a bad payer to pre-pay bills, actual performance of contractual obligations
(e. g., retrofitting of products); in family law, forced recovery of alimony,
removal of children from parental custody without depriving parents of
parental rights; in administrative law—detention, personal inspection,
administrative eviction, recovery of monetary sums (taxes), compulsory
treatment.
In scientific literature, legal liability is represented by two types—
positive (perspective) and negative (retrospective).
Positive legal responsibility is about conscientious (voluntary)
fulfilment of legal obligations by the subjects of law. It includes a positive
response from the state and, in some cases, incentive sanctions.
The basis of positive responsibility is always socially approved lawful
actions. These actions are based on the public usefulness of the person
exercising (applying or complying with) the legal regulations, the civil
duty.

Topic 2. Constitutional Framework

of the Russian Federation

2.1. Constitutional law: concept, subject.

2.2. Human and civil rights and duties under the Constitution
of the Russian Federation.

2.1. Constitutional law: concept, subject

This branch of law includes, first of all, legal rules of the foundations
of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, constitutional

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human and civil rights in the Russian Federation, and of the federal
authorities of Russia.
Articles 1–16 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation,
adopted by national vote on December 12, 1993, establish the foundations
of the constitutional framework.
The Constitution has the supreme legal force, direct effect and
is applied throughout the territory of the Russian Federation. Laws
and other legal acts adopted in the Russian Federation, should not
contradict its Constitution. The provisions of the Constitution and laws
of the Russian Federation must be observed by state and local authorities,
officials, citizens, and associations thereof.
The provision on the Supreme legal force and direct action
of the Constitution enshrined in it means that all constitutional rules have
supremacy over laws and by-laws, so that the courts should be guided
by the Constitution of the Russian Federation when dealing with specific
court cases. This fact is highlighted in the resolution of the RF Plenum
of the Supreme Court No. 8 dated October 31, 1995 “On certain questions
of application by courts of the Constitution of the Russian Federation
in administration of justice.”
According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia
is a democratic federal law-bound state with a republican form
of government. The holder of sovereignty and the only source of power in
the Russian Federation is its multi-ethnic people. The people exercises its
power directly and through state power and local self-government bodies.
The highest direct expression of the power of people is referendum
and free election. Federal law No. 67-FZ of 12.06.2002 (last updated
on 05.02.2018). “On basic guarantees of electoral rights and the right
to participate in a referendum of citizens of the Russian Federation”,
the experience of application of the previous legislation in this area,
formulated the rules of elections and referendums, strengthened guarantees
of electoral rights of Russian citizens and their right to participate in
a referendum. In particular, the law modified and clarified a number
of provisions and legal norms relating to the electoral system. It updated
the concept of universal right of suffrage. It also established the terms
of powers of Public authorities, local governments, and candidates elected

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on a one-off basis. These terms may not exceed five years. The law defined
the concept of “electoral association” more clearly. Electoral associations
have the right to nominate candidates and lists of candidates. In a single-
member constituency, an electoral association may nominate only one
candidate. In a multi-member constituency, an electoral association may
nominate a candidate for each deputy mandate to be replaced in that
constituency. In a single electoral district, an electoral association may
nominate one list of candidates, and in the election of an elected official—
one candidate. A candidate may be mentioned in the list of candidates
for a single electoral district only once. A law of a subject of the Russian
Federation may provide for nomination by the election association
of candidates in single-seat (multi-seat) electoral districts as a list,
which defines for which single-seat (multi-seat) electoral district each
candidate is nominated (hereafter “list of candidates in single-seat (multi-
seat) electoral districts”). In this case, a law of a subject of the Russian
Federation may also provide for approval of the list of candidates for
single-mandate (multi-mandate) constituencies by the electoral board
organizing the elections.
Candidates and lists of candidates are nominated by political
parties in accordance with the Federal Law “On political parties.”
Candidates are nominated by other public associations at congresses
(conferences, meetings) of these public associations, their regional or
local branches by secret ballot, in compliance with other requirements
imposed by the Federal Law to nominate candidates for political parties.
When polling, a voter must personally indicate in the signature sheet
his/her full name, residence address, series and number of the passport or
document replacing it, and the date of signature. Uncontested elections
are unacceptable. They can only be carried out if the law of the subject
of the Russian Federation provides for carrying out vote on one candidate
on elections of deputies of local governments. However, a candidate shall
be deemed elected if at least 50 per cent of the voters cast their votes for
him/her. The law established a number of new provisions on campaigning
and financing the election campaign, the work of electoral boards and
holding of referendums. In addition to the provisions of the Constitution
and the Federal law “On basic guarantees of electoral rights and the right

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to participate in a referendum of citizens of the Russian Federation”, local

government elections are also regulated by Federal Law No.138-FZ of
26.11.1996 (last up dated on 04.06.2014). “On ensuring constitutional
rights of Russian citizens to elect and be elected to local governments.” This
law establishes the legal rules ensuring enforcement of the constitutional
rights of Russian citizens to elect and be elected to local self-government
bodies in the subjects of the Russian Federation, that have not implemented
the relevant legislative regulation in accordance with the Constitution of
the Russian Federation and the Federal law “On general principles of local
government in the Russian Federation.” In the subjects of the Russian
Federation that have adopted the necessary laws, operates the procedure
for elections to local self-government bodies, established by them.
The Constitution enshrines the federal structure of the country.
The Russian Federation consists of republics, territories (“Krai”),
regions (“Oblast”), federal cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol),
one autonomous region, autonomous districts, which are subjects
of the Russian Federation.
The economic foundations of the constitutional system are
important. The Russian Federation guarantees the unity of the economic
space, free movement of goods, services, and financial resources,
support for competition and freedom of economic activity. The country
recognizes and protects equally private, state, municipal and other forms
of ownership, including land ownership.
State power in Russia is exercised by the President of the Russian
Federation; the bicameral Federal Assembly (Parliament) consisting of
the Federation Council (the upper house) and the State Duma (the lower
house); the Government of the Russian Federation and the courts of
the Russian Federation.
The Constitution also establishes other principles of
the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, concerning its
citizenship, social and secular nature of the state, ideological diversity,
division of state power into independent branches of legislative, executive,
and judicial power.

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2.2. Human and civil rights and duties under the Constitution
of the Russian Federation

Constitutional human and civil rights and freedoms are recognized

and guaranteed by Articles 17 to 64 of the Constitution and in accordance
with generally recognized principles and rules of international law.
The latter include the rules and principles of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, and
the Declaration of Human and Civil Rights and Freedoms, approved on
the basis of the above UN Declaration in 1991 in the Russian Federation.
The main constitutional principle of human rights and freedoms
is as follows: “Man, his rights and freedoms are the supreme value.
The recognition, observance and protection of the rights and freedoms
of man and citizen shall be the obligation of the State” (Article 2 of RF
Constitution). Fundamental human rights and freedoms are inalienable
and shall be enjoyed by everyone since the day of birth. The State
shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen,
regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official
status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership in public
associations, and also of other circumstances.
The Constitution provides and guarantees the right of everyone to
life, dignity, freedom and inviolability of private life, personal and family
secrets, protection of honour and good name, privacy of correspondence,
of telephone conversations, postal, telegraph, and other messages.
No one shall have the right to get into a house against the will
of those living there, except for the cases established by a federal law or
by court decision.
The above and other constitutional human and civil rights and
freedoms may be divided into political, economic, social, cultural, etc.
According to the industry sector, rights are divided into those relating
to public law (electoral rights); to civil law (property ownership, right to
entrepreneurial activity, intellectual property rights, etc., and moral rights
to protection of honor and dignity, freedom of movement, choice of place
of residence etc.): to labour law (rights to work and rest, right to social

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security); to criminal law (no one may be convicted twice for one and
the same crime), etc.
The Constitution pays special attention to protection of private
property rights.
Everyone shall have the right to have property, possess, use and
dispose of it both personally and jointly with other people. “Citizens and
their associations shall have the right to possess land as private property.”
“The terms and rules for the use of land shall be fixed by a federal law”
(p. 1, 3 Art. 36).
Along with the rights, the Constitution requires the subjects
of rights to fulfil a number of obligations: to comply with the Constitution
and laws (Article 15), to pay the legally established taxes and dues
(Article 57), to preserve nature and the environment (Article 58), to carry
out military service and to defend the Fatherland (Article 59).

Topic 3. Fundamentals of Civil Law

of the Russian Federation

3.1. Concept, structure, classification of civil relations.

3.2. Legal capacity and civil competency of citizens.
3.3. Acts of civil status. Recognition of a citizen as missing.
Declaration of a citizen dead.
3.4. Legal entities: concept, features, types, state registration,
reorganization, liquidation.

3.1. Concept, structure, classification of civil relations

Civil relation is an actual public relation regulated by civ­il standards,

the participan­ts to which are legally equal holders of civil rights and duties.

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The abstract norms of civil law get their concrete expression in civil
relations.
Features of civil relation:
1. Independence, separate property and legal equality of subjects
of the civil relation.
2. The main legal facts resulting in a civil relationship are
transactions, i. e., free acts and deeds of the parties to the legal relation.
3. The possibility of independent determination of the content of
the legal relation by its participants (freedom of contract).
4. The property character of legal guarantees and responsibilitines
for violation of civil rights and non-performance of civil obligations.
5. Mainly judicial procedure for protection of violated civil rights.
Structure of civil relation: subjects, objects and content of a legal
relation.
Subjects of a civil relation are persons having ­civil rights and bearing
civil obligations in connection with p ­ articipation in a particular civil
relation. They can be a­ ny subjects of civil law: individuals, legal entities,
the Russian Federation, subjects of the Russian Federation, ­municipalities.
The participant to a civil relation, endowed with right, is c­alled
a holder of right (the obligee) and the participant carrying o ­ bligations is
called an obligator (the obligor).
Normally, each participant in a civil relation is ­both the obligor
and the obligee (for example, the seller under a sales ­contract is obliged
to transfer the goods and at the same t­ ime has the right to receive payment
for them).
The content of a civil relation is legal ­civil rights and obligations
of subjects of the civil relation. Legal rights and obligations are closely
related, and ­each legal right of one person corresponds to a certain legal
duty of another person. Thus, in the loan agreement, the right of the lender
to get back the data in the loan money corresponds to the borrower’s
obliga­tion to repay the debt.
Legal right is a measure of possible behavior of the holder of right,
provided by legal rules. This possibility ­typically includes three authorities:
• the possibility of own behavior (for example, the use of things by
the person who they belong to);

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• the right to demand certain behavior from other (obligated)

persons (for example, the right of the owner to demand from
third parties not to prevent him from using the thing at his own
discretion);
• the right to protection of a legal right by:
• self-defense (e.g. alarm system installation);
• application of retaliatory measures (i. e., application of
­certain measures to the obliged person without recourse to
the competent ­state bodies: withholding things for default on
debt, disconnection of electrical service, etc.);
• application of state coercion, including legal liabilities
(penalty, reimbursement of damages, compensation for
moral harm, etc.).
A legal duty is due conduct of an obligated person, established
by legal rules, which, like a legal right, consists of three elements:
• non-obstruction to the lawful actions of the holder of right;
• obligation to comply with the legal requirements of the holder
of right;
• obligation to suffer measures that the holder of right lawfully
applies.
The object of a legal relation is what the interest of the participants
in the legal relation is focused on, what their activities are aimed at.
The circle of objects is changing. The main part includes tangible objects
(things, securities, money). Objects can include not only the existing
benefits, but also the process of their creation, what is known as work or
services. Objects can also include:
• property rights (right to inheritance),
• information;
• copyright products including exclusive rights to them, i. e.
intellectual property;
• intangible benefits: life and health, personal dignity, personal
integrity, honour and good name, business reputation, right to
a name, etc.
Things are tangible objects created by nature or man, satisfying
certain human needs.

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Classification of things:
1) related to the possibility of their trade:
• free-traded;
• restricted (narcotic drugs);
• prohibited (certain types of weapons).
2) • divisible (can be divided into separate parts without prejudice
to their purpose (land);
• indivisible (their division is impossible without prejudice to
their purpose (apartment, animals).
3) movable and immovable.
If a thing is immovable, all transactions with this thing are subject
to state registration. Immovable property is something that is inextricably
linked to the land.
4) • consumables (destroyed or substantially modified as a result of
a single use (fuel)),
• non-consumables (retain their quality for a long time).
5) • nonfungible things (the sides are interested in a specific thing
with its own individual characteristics)
• thing of general description.
6) • complex things (consist of several heterogeneous parts and
used for the same purpose),
• simple things.
7) the main thing and accessory.
A security is a document which, in compliance with the established
form and mandatory requisites certifies property rights, exercise or
transfer of which is possible only upon its presentation.
Classification of securities:
• registered: the name of the owner is specified (checks,
certificates);
• bearer (shares, bonds): the subject is the bearer;
• order: the debtor must use the obligations against the person
specified in the document. Endorsement, i. e. a handover note by
which the rights on the security are transferred.
Civil relations can be classified by various grounds:
a) by the nature of the relationship between the authorized and
the obligated subject: absolute (when the authorized person is opposed

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by an indefinite range of obligations of subjects (the owner and third

parties)) and relative (when the authorized person (persons) is opposed
by a strictly defined obliged person);
b) by the object: property (the object of legal relations are material
goods (property)) and non-property (the object is copyright products and
other intangible benefits);
c) by the way of satisfaction of the authorized person’s interests:
real (assign to the authorized person the possibility to directly influence
a thing with the right to counter third parties’ encroachments on it) and
liability (property relations on transfer of property, performance of works,
rendering of services);
d) corporate (based on the subject’s participation in the legal
entities (corporations) and consist in the right to manage the corporation
and its property);
e) pre-emptive rights (for example, pre-emptive right to acquire a
share in the common share ownership that is being sold).

3.2. Legal capacity and civil competency of citizens

Legal capacity is the ability to have civil rights and responsibilities.

Consequently, specific subjective rights and obligations can arise
only in the presence of legal capacity. Legal capacity is recognized in all
citizens of the country, it arises at the time of birth and ends with death, it
is inseparable from people, they are legally capable throughout their lives,
regardless of age and health.
But legal capacity is not a natural property of a person, it is not
acquired by nature, but by virtue of the law and is a social and legal property.
In history, we know periods when large groups of people were deprived
of legal capacity by virtue of the laws then in force. Legal capacity means
the legal ability (legal right) of everyone to have rights and obligations. This
right corresponds with the relevant duty—not to violate the legal capacity
of persons with whom a person has entered into any social relations.
Legal status differs from other legal rights in the following ways:
a) specific, independent content—the ability to have statutory civil rights

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and civil obligations; b) appointment—provides each citizen with a legal

opportunity to acquire civil rights and civil obligations; c) close connection
of legal capacity with the personality of its holder and the impossibility
of its alienation or transfer to another person. Civil law recognizes all
transactions aimed at limiting legal capacity as void (paragraph 3 of
Article 22 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
Civil legal capacity is a right belonging to each citizen and
inalienable from him/her, which consists in the ability (possibility) to
have any civil rights and obligations permitted by law. Exercise of legal
capacity is acquisition and possession of specific legal rights.
Civil legal capacity is not about the rights themselves, but about
the opportunity to have property and personal non-property rights and
obligations. Civil legislation provides for a provisional list of rights that
Russian citizens may have:
a) have property on an ownership basis;
b) inherit and bequeath property;
c) carry out entrepreneurial and any other activities not prohibited
by law;
d) create legal entities independently or jointly with other citizens
and legal entities;
e) make any transactions that do not contradict the law and
participate in obligations;
f) choose a place of residence;
g) have the rights of authors of works of science, literature and art,
inventions and other legally protected intellectual deliverables;
h) have other property and personal non-property rights.
In principle, it could be written in civil law that a citizen could have
any civil rights and civil obligations not prohibited by law. But we can not
say that the content of legal capacity of citizens is unlimited. Like any legal
right, it has some limits. These limits are reflected in the provision that
a citizen may carry out any “lawful activity” and that having certain rights
may be expressly prohibited.
Foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Russian Federation are
granted national treatment and they enjoy civil legal capacity on an equal
basis with citizens of the Russian Federation.

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Civil competency is the ability of citizens to acquire and exercise

civil rights by their actions, to create civil obligations for themselves and
to perform them. Civil competency includes: the capacity to contract
(the ability to execute civil transactions) and delictual responsibility
(the ability to take responsibility for misconduct). Civil competency is not
a natural property of a person, it is provided by law and is a legal category.
The civil legislation establishes its inalienability and impossibility of its
restriction at the citizen’s will. Compulsory limitation of civil competency
may take place only in cases and in the manner prescribed by law.
Civil competency, as well as legal capacity, is a legal right of a citizen.
If legal capacity is the rights and obligations that an individual may have,
civil competency is the opportunity provided to a citizen by law to exercise
his legal capacity by his own actions.
The content of civil competency includes the following features
(components):
a) the ability of a citizen to acquire civil rights by his actions and
to create civil obligations for himself;
b) the ability to independently exercise civil rights and perform
civil obligations;
c) the ability to be responsible for civil offences.
Unlike legal capacity, which belongs equally to all citizens, the civil
competency of citizens cannot be the same. In order to acquire rights, to
exercise them by his own actions, to assume and perform duties, a person
must reach a certain age and possess mental health. Civil law distinguishes
several types of civil competency:
a) full civil competency—the ability of a citizen to acquire and
exercise in full any civil rights permitted by law, to assume and perform
any civil duties by his actions. Full civil competency occurs upon a person
reaching 18. There are 2 exceptions: a person who has entered into an
exceptional marriage before the age of 18 acquires full civil competency
upon marriage; emancipation.
b) the civil competency of minors aged 14 to 18—its scope is quite
wide. Minors may acquire civil rights and create civil obligations for
themselves independently (in cases specified by law), or with the written
consent of their representatives (parents, adoptive parents or guardians).

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Consent may be expressed in the subsequent approval of the transaction.

Minors between 14 and 18 are entitled to independently:
• use their earnings, scholarships, and other income;
• exercise the rights of the author of works of science, literature and
art, inventions or other legally protected intellectual deliverables;
• in accordance with the law, make deposits in credit institutions
and deal with them;
• make minor household and other transactions.
Upon reaching the age of 16, minors have the right to be members
of cooperatives in accordance with the law. They are considered to be
delictual, i. e. they are responsible for property damage caused by their
actions. They have the right to make wills.
c) the civil competency of minors aged 6 to 14—minors have
the right to independently make:
• minor household transactions;
• transactions aimed at obtaining benefits free of charge, which do
not require notarization or state registration;
• transactions involving disposal of funds provided by a legal
representative or with the consent of the latter by a third party
for a specific purpose or for free disposal.
Other transactions on their behalf are carried out by their parents,
adoptive parents or guardians. The responsibility for the harm caused
by a minor is borne by his/her representatives if they fail to prove that
the harm was not their fault, that is, minors are not recognized as delictual.
Children are completely legally incompetent up to 6.
A minor who has reached the age of 16 may be declared fully
legally competent if he/she works under an employment contract or
with the consent of parents, adoptive parents or guardians, is engaged in
entrepreneurial activity and is registered as an entrepreneur. The legal act
of declaring a minor as fully legally competent is called emancipation, and
is made by the decision of the guardianship authority, with the consent
of parents, adoptive parents or guardians, and in the absence of consent—
by a court decision.

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3.3. Acts of civil status. Recognition of a citizen as missing.

Declaration of a citizen dead

Civil status is the legal status of a particular citizen as a bearer

of various civil rights and civil obligations, determined by the facts and
circumstances of natural and social character. The civil status of different
people is not the same (having civil competency, being married, having
children), and the legal status of citizens as participants in public relations
governed by civil law also differs.
Acts of civil status (from “actio”—action, deed) are the actions
of citizens or events affecting emergence, change and termination of rights
and obligations and characterizing the legal status of citizens.
Types of civil status acts:
• birth,
• marriage,
• divorce,
• adoption,
• establishing paternity,
• name change,
• death of a citizen.
Acts of civil status, as the main events of human life, are subject to
mandatory state registration in the civil registration authorities (Article 47
of the Civil Code). State registration of these events is important for
protection of personal non-property and property rights of citizens,
since such events are associated with emergence, change or termination
of a number of important rights and obligations. The purpose of state
registration is establishing indisputable evidence that the events took place
and when they occurred. Civil registration is also carried out for public
interest: to know the dynamics of the population (how many people are
born, die, marry, etc.).
Civil registration is carried out by local registry offices formed
by the Executive authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Acts
of civil status of Russian citizens living abroad are registered by consular
offices of the Russian Federation. Information that became known to

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an officer of the registry office in connection with the state registration

of civil status acts, are confidential information and cannot be disclosed.
Civil status acts are registered through preparation of two identical
copies in the appropriate form, which include the necessary information
about the citizen and the act of civil status itself. On the basis of the record,
a certificate is issued to citizens, i. e. the document certifying the fact
of state registration of the act of civil status. The first and second copies of
records of the act of civil status are formed in chronological order in civil
registers. Civil registers are kept for 75 years, then they are transferred to
the state archives. The first copies of civil registers are stored in the registry
office at the place of execution, the second copies—in the Executive
authority of the Russian Federation.
Changes or corrections to the civil status records are made
by the registry office at the request of the persons concerned (when
mistakes were made: distortion, omission of information, etc.), in
compliance with a court order, upon decisions of administrative bodies,
on the basis of other records of civil status acts. In case of loss of a civil
status document, a duplicative certificate can be issued to the citizen.
The lost civil status record can be restored only on the basis of the court
decision on establishment of the fact of registration of this civil
status act. Cancellation of civil status records is made by the registry
office on the basis of a court decision: on annulment of marriage; on
cancellation of the divorce judgment; on cancellation of the judgment on
the announcement of the citizen dead, etc.
A state fee is charged for civil status registration, the amount and
procedure for payment (exemption from payment) of which is determined
by Law.
The condition of being a missing person is a judicially certified
fact of long absence of a citizen at the place of his residence if it was not
possible to establish the place of his stay (Art. 42 of the Civil Code of
RF). The main purpose of recognition of a citizen as missing is to protect
his rights and preserve property, since the long absence of a person and
the uncertainty of his place of residence pose a threat to these rights.
The interests of his creditors, as well as those dependent on him, are also
prejudiced. To recognize a citizen as missing, two facts shall be established:

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• his permanent absence at the place of residence for a year;

• absence of information about the place of his stay and inability
to establish this place.
The procedure for recognizing a citizen as missing is defined by RF
Civil Procedural Code. The petition is filed in court by the person concerned
at the place of his residence. The court establishes if the applicant is
a person concerned. The petition must indicate the purpose of recognition
the citizen as missing. The applicant and the court take measures to
establish the place of residence of the citizen, find out when the latest
information about him was received. The court considers the case in
special proceedings with the obligatory participation of the prosecutor.
In case of a favourable decision, the beginning of calculating the term for
recognition of a citizen as missing is determined by the calendar day of
the latest information about him, and if this day cannot be established,
the beginning of the term is the first day of the month following the month
in which the last information about the missing was received, and if this
month cannot be established—the first of January of the following year.
The court decision on recognition of a citizen missing is the basis
to establish trusteeship over his property (Article 43 of the Civil Code).
Trusteeship is established by the custody and guardianship agency at
the location of the property. If permanent property management is
necessary, the property is transferred by a court decision to the Trustee
determined by the custody and guardianship agency; he also enters
into a deed of trust. The Trustee has the right to perform any actions
in the missing person’s interests, including transactions. The latter are
concluded by him on his own behalf, indicating that he acts as the Trustee.
The Trustee shall be entitled to remuneration provided for in the deed
of trust and to reimbursement of reasonable expenses on account
of income from the use of the property. From the property of the missing
person and the income received from it, the maintenance is given to
citizens dependent on him, his obligations to creditors are discharged.
The Civil Code provides for other consequences of recognizing a citizen
as missing:
• the power of attorney issued by him is terminated (Article 178
of the Civil Code);

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• marriage to a missing person is dissolved (Article 19 of the Family

Code), etc.
The fact of being missing assumes that the citizen is alive. In case
of his appearance or detection of the place of his stay, the court overrides
the earlier decision with a new one (Art. 44 of RF Civil Code). A petition
may be filed to the court by the citizen himself or by other persons
concerned. The court decision constitutes grounds for cancellation
of the custody of his property and termination of the deed of trust.
If the marriage was dissolved, it can be restored by the registry office
on the joint application of the spouses, provided that none of them has
entered into a new marriage (Article 26 of the Family Code).
Recognition of a citizen as missing does not eliminate the legal
uncertainty that has arisen, since he remains a participant in a number of
civil relations. In the long absence of a citizen, there is reason to believe
that he died, and then the citizen can be declared dead by the court
(Article 45 of RF Civil Code). The conditions to declare a person to be
deceased are as follows:
• absence of the citizen at the place of permanent residence for
5 years after receipt of the latest information about him, and in
certain cases prescribed by law (missing under circumstances
threatening death)—for 6 months;
• non-receipt of data on the place of stay of the citizen within
the specified terms and impossibility, despite the measures taken,
to establish if he is alive or not.
A military servant or other citizen who is missing in connection
with military operations may be declared dead by the court not earlier
than 2 years upon completion of the military operations.
The day of death of a citizen declared dead shall be the date of entry
into force of the court decision declaring him dead. In case of declaring
deceased a citizen who is gone missing under circumstances threatening
death or giving grounds to assume his death resulting from a certain
accident, the court may recognize the day of this citizen’s death the day of
his alleged death.
Declaring a citizen as deceased by legal consequences is equated
to his natural death. According to the court’s decision, an entry is made

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in the relevant book of the registry office, an inheritance is opened,

the marriage is considered to be terminated. However, a citizen declared
dead, if alive, has both legal capacity and civil competency. The evidence
for declaring a citizen dead is not the circumstances that reliably certify
his death, but only a special situation that gives reason to assume his death.
In case of appearance of the citizen declared dead or detection of
the place of his stay, upon the request of this citizen or other persons
concerned, the court overrides the earlier decision with a new one, which
is the basis for cancellation of the record of his death in the civil register
(Art. 46 of RF Civil Code). The return of the property belonging to
the citizen depends on whether the property has been preserved in kind
and on the grounds for its transfer to other persons. Donated property,
for example, by inheritance, under the contract of donation and on other
grounds, is subject to return, except for money and bearer securities.
Persons who have acquired for consideration the property of a citizen
declared dead by the court are obliged to return this property or its value,
if they knew that the citizen is alive (they are recognized as possessors
mala fide). In all other cases, the property or its value is non-refundable.
On the basis of Article 26 of the Family Code, the marriage of
a citizen declared dead, can be restored by the registry office upon a
joint application of the spouses, if none of them has entered into a new
marriage.

3.4. Legal entities: concept, features, types, state registration,

reorganization, liquidation

Participants in civil relations are not only individuals (citizens), but

also legal entities, i. e. organizations specially created for participation in
civil transactions. According to Art. 48 of RF Civil Code, a legal entity is
an organization which has separate property and is liable to the extent
of this property for its obligations, can acquire and exercise civil rights
and bear civil obligations on its own behalf, sue and be sued.
Securing certain property for an organization means its disposal
from the property of the founders of this organization, but at the same time

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it significantly reduces the risk of their possible loss due to participation

in civil transactions. Normally, the founders control the activity of
the entity established by them, quite often directly or indirectly participate
in property turnover, whereas adverse property consequences of this
activity according to the general rule affect the property of the entity
(organization). Using this scheme is characteristic of highly developed
property turnover when due to amalgamation (alienation) of part
of property of the founder, a new subject of law emerges, i. e. the owner
who is not an individual but an artificial formation recognized by law as
an independent subject of civil relations. The legal personality of this new
subject is independent of the personality of the persons who have created
it, in civil transactions it acts on its own behalf, and the civil rights and
duties acquired by it belong to it.
Civil legislation establishes the mandatory features of a legal entity
(paragraph 1 of Article 48 of RF Civil Code):
a) organizational integrity;
b) separate property;
c) independent material liability for its obligations;
d) acting on its own behalf in civil transations and in resolution of
disputes in courts.
Organizational integrity is characteristic of any organization as
a whole, able to solve certain social (property) problems and involves
a certain internal structure of the organization. Objectives (functions)
and structure are fixed in the constituent document (Charter) of
the organization.
Separate property of the organization assumes the existence of some
property on an ownership basis (or on the basis of interests in property).
The absence of own property excludes the possibility of independent
participation in property transactions. The initial property is covered
by the concept of authorized capital or authorized fund (for a partnership—
share capital, for cooperatives—mutual fund), the amount of which is
specified in the constituent documents. As a result of participation in
property transactions, the property increases and changes structurally. All
settled property is subject to accounting and reflection on the independent
balance sheet (for a non-owner institution—in the cost estimate).

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Independent property liability. Separation of property is also about

the ability of the creditors to foreclose on the selected objects. A legal
entity shall be liable to the full extent of its property for its obligations.
As a general rule, founders and participants are not liable for debts of
a legal entity, but even when such liability is established (some types
of bankruptcy, for general partnerships, owners of institutions and state-
owned enterprises), it always has an additional (subsidiary) nature.
Acting in civil transactions and in judicial agencies on its own behalf
is an indicator of independence. The name of a legal entity serves its
individualization and consists in the name defined in the constituent
documents. It may refer to its legal form, nature of activity, brand name
(for a commercial legal entity it is mandatory).
In addition to the above, a legal entity must have a location—a legal
address—which is usually determined by the place of its state registration
and specified in the constituent documents. Differentiation of legal
entities engaged in business activities is ensured by trademarks (service
marks) and designations of origin (champagne wines, Tula samovars).
Trademarks (service marks) registered with a patent office give rise to
exclusive rights to use them.
Legal entities, except for business partnerships and state
corporations, act under charters approved by their founders (participants),
except for the case provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 52 of RF Civil
Code.
A business partnership shall operate on the basis of a Memorandum
of Association concluded by its founders (participants) and subject
to the rules of this Code on the Charter of a Legal Entity.
A government-owned corporation acts on the basis of the Federal
law on such government-owned corporation.
The constituent documents of a legal entity shall define the name
of the legal entity, its location, the procedure for managing the business
of the legal entity, as well as other information provided by law for
legal entities of this type. The constituent documents of non-profit
organizations and unitary enterprises, and, if required by law, of other
commercial organizations, shall define the subject and objectives of
the legal entity. The subject and certain objectives of the legal entity

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may be provided by the constituent documents even where not required

by law. Under the Memorandum of Association, the founders undertake
to create a legal entity, determine the procedure for joint activities for
creation of a legal entity, the conditions for the transfer of their property
to it and participation in its activities. The Memorandum also defines
the conditions and the procedure for distribution of profit and loss
between the participants, management of the legal entity, withdrawal
of the founders (participants).
Changes in the constituent documents shall become effective for
third parties upon their state registration, and in cases provided by law—
upon notification of the state registration authority. However, legal entities
and their founders (participants) are not entitled to refer to the absence of
registration of such changes in their relationships with third parties acting
in accordance with these changes.
The civil legislation establishes the so-called procedure for formation
of legal entities without prior arrangement—the registering body only
checks the compliance of the constituent documents and the actions
of the founders with the rules of law, and it is not entitled to enter into
a discussion of the appropriateness or usefulness of the legal entity being
created. In this, the procedure without prior arrangement differs from
the licensing procedure, which is applied to state registration of certain
legal entities (commercial banks, insurance companies) and requires
obtaining permission from public authorities.
Regardless of the legal form, all legal entities are subject to mandatory
state registration upon which they are considered to be established.
The law on state registration of legal entities and individual
entrepreneurs to establishes the list of required documents (the Notice
of Articles; the Charter approved by its founders; the Incorporation
Resolution or the Memorandum of Association; the documents
confirming payment of not less than 50 % of the share capital; a document
confirming payment of the state fee, etc.).
Violation of the prescribed procedure for a legal entity formation
or incompliance of its constituent documents with the law entails denial
of state registration. Refusal for other reasons, including inexpediency
of creation of legal entity, is not allowed.

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Denial of state registration or evasion of registration by

the registration authority may be appealed against to the Court of General
Jurisdiction or to the Court of Arbitrazh. Registration of a legal entity may
be declared invalid by the court in case of violation of the law or other
regulatory legal acts. Such declaration entails liquidation of the legal
entity only if the violations are irreparable.
The activity of a legal entity shall be terminated by its reorganization
(Article 57) or liquidation (Article 61).
A legal entity may be reorganized as follows:
• merger of several legal entities into one;
• joining one or more legal entities to another;
• division of a legal entity into several independent legal entities;
• separation from a legal entity (which continues its business) of
one or several new legal entities;
• transformation of a legal entity from one legal form to another.
In all cases, except separation, the activity of at least one legal
entity discontinues, but its rights and duties survive and pass to the newly
created legal entities by way of succession. Succession also occurs in
case of separation, as part of the rights and obligations of the remaining
legal entity passes to the separated legal entity. Therefore, reorganization
of a legal entity always bears succession and in this way it differs from
liquidation of a legal entity, when no succession occurs, because their
subject (the legal entity) is subject to termination.
As a general rule, reorganization of a legal entity is voluntary, made
by the decision of its founders or its authorized body (General Meeting).
The law allows reorganization of a legal entity with a combination of its
various forms.
Reorganization may involve two or more legal entities, including
those created in different legal forms, if this Code or another law provides
for the possibility to transform a legal entity in one of such legal forms
into a legal entity of another of such legal forms.
The law can impose restrictions on reorganization of legal entities.
The characteristics of reorganization of credit, insurance, clearing
organizations, special purpose financial entities, project financing
companies, securities traders, joint-stock investment funds, management

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companies of investment funds, mutual funds and non-state pension

funds, private pension funds and other non-credit financial organizations,
employee-owned companies are determined by the laws governing
the activities of such organizations.
Voluntary reorganization in the form of merger, accession
or transformation in cases provided by law requires prior consent
of governmental bodies (antimonopoly agencies or other). In cases
expressly stated in law, division and separation may be enforced by
a decision of a competent governmental body or court (a legal entity
holding a dominant position in the market, which has repeatedly violated
the requirements of competition legislation).
When a legal entity is divided, its rights and obligations pass to
the newly created legal entities under a transfer act.
When one or more legal entities are separated from a legal entity,
the rights and obligations of the reorganized legal entity shall pass
to each of them under a transfer act. The transfer act shall provide for
succession of all obligations of the reorganized legal entity in respect of
all its creditors and debtors, including obligations disputed by the parties,
as well as the procedure for determining the succession in connection
with the change in the type, items, value of property, emergence, change,
termination of the rights and obligations of the reorganized legal entity,
that may occur after the transfer act is executed.
The transfer act shall be approved by the founders (participants) of
the legal entity or the body that made the decision to reorganize the legal
entity, and shall be submitted together with the constituent documents for
state registration of legal entities created as a result of reorganization, or
for making changes to the constituent documents of existing legal entities.
Failure to submit the transfer act together with the constituent
documents, the absence of provisions on succession of all obligations
of the reorganized legal entity shall entail refusal of state registration
of legal entities created as a result of reorganization.
In practice, reorganization of a legal entity often worsens the position
of creditors, so the law requires notifying all creditors about the decision
taken by the founders, and the latter may demand termination or early
execution of the relevant obligations and compensation for the losses

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incurred. Reorganization is considered to be completed upon state

registration of newly created legal entities, and in case of accession—upon
state registration of termination of the activities of the acceding entity.
Upon state registration of the legal entity reorganization, it ceases
to operate. This is preceded by a long preparatory period, which necessarily
includes the legal entity’s property accounting, notification of creditors
and settlement of their interests.
Liquidation of a legal entity is a method to terminate its activities
without transfer to anyone of rights and obligations of the legal entity.
In this case, protecting the rights and interests of creditors becomes even
more important than in cases of reorganization. Civil legislation establishes
a special procedure for liquidation of a legal entity. Liquidation may be
carried out voluntarily by the decision of the founders or the authorized
body of the legal entity. Compulsory liquidation is also possible by court
decision, subject to: carrying out activities without proper authorization
(license); repeated or gross violation of laws or regulations; contradiction
of the activities to legislative prohibitions, etc. The Civil Code provides for
all cases of compulsory liquidation of a legal entity. A particular case of
liquidation of a legal entity is bankruptcy.
Liquidation of a legal entity is quite a long procedure, which
mainly consists in identification and satisfaction of creditors’ claims.
The legal entity continues its activities, and the persons who have
made the liquidation decisions shall notify the registering body about
it. The reported information shall be entered into the state register and
the words “in liquidation” shall be added to the name of the legal entity.
Liquidation shall be controlled by the body that has provided state
registration of the legal entity.
The stages of liquidation of a legal entity:
• appointment of a special liquidation Committee (sole liquidator)
with the consent of the registering body);
• publication in mass media of the notice on liquidation, and also
on the procedure and terms of assertion of claims by creditors
and written notification of known creditors;
• approval of the interim liquidation balance sheet;

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• in case of insufficient funds to meet the asserted claims—sale

of the legal entity’s property by public bidding;
• settlements with the legal entity’s creditors in the order of priority
(Article 64 of RF Civil Code);
• preparation and approval of the liquidation balance sheet;
• transfer of property balances to the founders.
Liquidation is considered to be completed, and the legal entity
ceased to exist upon making a relevant entry into the state register.
In accordance with Article 50 of the Civil Code, legal entities
are divided into profit-making and non-profit entities depending on
the purpose of their activities.
Legal entities may be organizations seeking making profit as
the main purpose of their activity (commercial organizations) or not
having profit making as such purpose and not distributing the profit
received among the participants (non-profit organizations).
The legal forms of commercial organizations are exhaustively
provided by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The list of legal
forms of non-profit organizations is approximate, other forms may be
provided by special laws.
Legal entities can be classified according to the property criterion.
Legal entities are divided into 3 groups depending on the rights of
the founder to the property of the legal entity:
• after transfer of their property to legal entities, the founders lose
real rights to this property, but acquire liability rights in respect
of property (business partnerships and companies, production
and consumer cooperatives);
• the founders retain ownership of the transferred property and
acquire ownership of the property that is created in course of this
legal entity activities (state and municipal unitary enterprises
and institutions);
• the founders do not retain real rights and have no liability rights.
Legal entities that are commercial organizations can be created
in the legal forms of business partnerships and companies, agricultural
(farmer) enterprises, economic partnerships, production cooperatives,
state and municipal unitary enterprises.

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Business partnerships and companies are commercial organizations

with the authorized (share) capital divided into shares (deposits) of
the founders (participants). The property created from the participants’
deposits, as well as acquired as a result of economic activity, is the property
of the legal entity. The main difference is that a partnership is an association
of individuals and a company is an association of capitals. Founders of
companies do not necessarily have to participate in the companies’ activities.
Business partnerships are divided into:
• general partnerships: the participants bear full material liability
for its obligations with all their property;
• trust partnerships (partnership in commendam). The distinctive
feature of it is that among the participants there are full
partners and member investors, i. e. those who make property
contribution.
Business companies are divided into:
• joint-stock company;
• limited liability company.
There are public and private joint-stock companies. The authorized
fund of a joint-stock company is divided into shares.
In a private joint-stock company, there can be no more than
50 people. Shares of a private joint-stock company are distributed only
among a pre-defined circle of persons.
State and municipal unitary enterprises are characterized by
the fact that they are not owners of the property assigned to them, and
this property is indivisible and can not be distributed by shares, deposits,
including between employees of the enterprise. These enterprises are
created on the basis of state, federal, municipal property, or the property
of federal subjects. Property can be secured to a state unitary enterprise
on the basis of possession for business use or operation control.
A production cooperative (artel) is a voluntary association of
citizens on the basis of membership for joint production or other
economic activity (production, processing, sale of industrial, agricultural
and other products, performance of works, trade, consumer services,
provision of other services) based on their personal labour and other
participation and consolidation by its members (participants) of property

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share contributions. The law and the Charter of a production cooperative

may provide for participation of legal entities in its activities. Production
cooperative is a corporate commercial organization.
The members of a production cooperative shall bear subsidiary
liability for the obligations of the cooperative in the amount and in
the manner provided for by the Law On Production Cooperatives and
the Charter of the cooperative.
Non-profit legal entities can be divided into:
1) consumer cooperatives, which include housing, housing
construction and garage cooperatives, horticultural, market-gardening
and suburban consumer cooperatives, mutual insurance companies, credit
cooperatives, rental funds, agricultural consumer cooperatives;
2) public organizations, including without limitation political parties
and trade unions (trade union organizations) established as legal entities,
bodies of public amateur activity, territorial public self-governments;
2.1) social movements;
3) associations (unions), which include non-profit partnerships,
self-regulatory organizations, employers’ associations, associations
of trade unions, cooperatives and public organizations, chambers of
commerce and industry;
4) condominiums including without limitation housing
cooperatives;
5) Cossack societies included in the state register of Cossack
societies in the Russian Federation;
6) indigenous communities of the Russian Federation;
7) foundations including without limitation public and charitable
foundations;
8) institutions including government facilities (including state
Academies of Sciences), municipal and private (including public)
institutions;
9) autonomous non-profit organizations;
10) religious organizations;
11) public not-profit organizations;
12) chambers of lawyers;
13) legal practices (that are legal entities);

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14) public corporations;

15) notary chambers.
Non-profit organizations may carry out income-generating
activities, if provided for in their Charters, only to the extent that this
serves the purposes for which they are established and if it is consistent
with such purposes.
A non-profit organization, the Charter of which provides for
carrying out income-generating activities, with the exception of state
and private institutions, to carry out the above activities must have
sufficient property of market value of not less than the minimum amount
of the authorized capital required for limited liability companies (p. 1 of
Article 66.2).

Topic 4. Fundamentals of Administrative Law

in the Russian Federation

4.1. Fundamentals of administrative and legal status of citizens.

4.2. Concept, features, legal structure, classification of administrative
offenses.
4.3. The concept and key features of administrative liability.

4.1. Fundamentals of administrative and legal status of citizens

The administrative and legal status of citizens of the Russian

Federation is established, first of all, by the Constitution of the Russian
Federation, acts of representative (legislative) authorities. But executive
and local self-government authorities also play a significant part in
formation and, particularly, in exercising the rights and duties that make
up this status. Within the scope of their competence, they:
a) issue legal acts affecting the content of the status of citizens,
entailing acquisition by them rights and obligations in a particular area
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(for example, exercising the right to education involves issuing an act on

enrollment in an educational institution);
b) ensure execution of laws directly related to the administrative
and legal status of citizens;
c) help, assist citizens in the exercising their specific legal rights, for
example, in matters of social protection;
d) protect the rights and freedoms of citizens. In many cases, the acts
of executive and local self-government bodies specify the rights and
obligations established in general terms by the constitutions, individual
legislative acts.
Executive authorities, within their compete­nce, directly, as primary
authorities, establish the rights and duties of citizens, including those of
administrative and legal nature.
For example, they are provided by the Traffic Rules of the Russian
Federation, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.
The rules of administrative law, which determine the administrative
and legal status of citizens, regulate, in particular, the procedure for
decision by executive and local self-government authorities of many
individual cases, establish individual guarantees of their rights and duties.
The administrative and legal status of citizens of the Russian
Federation is basically the same, however, particularized in relation to
individual citizen groups, which reflects the differences in the scope of
their rights and obligations due to age, health, actual implementation
of their legal rights, and other factors. Most often, these differences are
provided for by current legislation and by-laws, sometimes reflecting
occurrence of actual circumstances.
With this in mind, special literature on administrative law
distinguishes different types of administrative and legal status of citizens
of the Russian Federation. It seems more appropriate to the logic
of the current legislation to distinguish general, special, individual
administrative and legal status of citizens of the Russian Federation.
General—equal for all citizens of the Russian Federation, special—
characteristic of certain groups of citizens of the Russian Federation,
endowed with additional special rights and duties (pensioners, disabled
people, students of state universities, etc.), individual—inherent only in

45
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 Comment, aprez le disner, les
chevaliers joustèrent.

Les dames retournèrent et montèrent sur les eschafauds ; lors

vindrent les chevaliers sur les rends, et commencèrent les joustes
moult belles ; et n’y eubt oncques chevalier qui se peut tenir à
Anthoine ne à Regnauld ; et quant ilz visrent que les joustes
affoiblissoient pour eulx, ilz se departirent des rends, et se vindrent
desarmer ; et tout ce apperceut bien le roy d’Anssay, le duc Ode de
Bavière et l’aultre baronnie. La jouste dura moult longue pièce ; et
tantost aprez fut temps de soupper, ainsi la jouste cessa ; et s’en
departirent les chevaliers et escuiers, et puys souppèrent. Le
soupper fait, les menestriers cornèrent, et danssa on grant temps. Et
quant il fut heure d’aller dormir, on mena l’espousée couchier en ung
riche lict de parement ; et puys assez tost aprez vint Regnauld et se
coucha avecq la pucelle, aprez que le lict eubt esté beneit.
Adoncques se departist chascun de la chambre, les ungz crians,
chantans et danssans, et les aultres comptans de beaulx comptes et
de belles adventures ; et se esbatoient qui mieulx pour passer le
temps ; les aultres allèrent dormir. Regnauld et la pucelle furent
couchiés l’ung avecq l’autre, et moult se humilioit la pucelle envers
luy et luy disoit : Monseigneur, se ne fut la grace de Dieu mon
createur, et la puissance de vostre frère, et vous aussi, ceste povre
orpheline estoit toute desolée et perdue, elle et tout son pays, et
cheue en moult grande adversité entre les mains des mauvais
Sarrazins ; mais l’aide de Dieu et la vostre m’en ont jetté, dont je
vous remercie, et quant vous avez daigné de prendre en femme si
medice pucelle comme je suys. Par foy, dist Regnauld, ma doulce
amour, vous avez trop plus fait pour moy que je n’ay pour vous,
quant vous m’avez fait le don de vostre noble corps, et héritier de
tout vostre royaulme ; et avecques moy n’avez riens pris fors tant
seullement mon corps. Et lors respondist la pucelle : Par ma foy,
monseigneur, le corps de vous vault mieulx que dix royaulmes, et
plus est à priser, quant à mon gré. De leurs parolles n’en veulz plus
parler ; mais celle nuyt fut engendré d’eulx deux ung tresbeau filz
qui eubt à nom Oliphart ; celluy fist moult grande guerre et les
soubzmist en toute la basse marche de Hollande et de Zellande,
Streve et Dannemarche et Norwége. Lendemain, au matin, se leva
chascun, et fut messe chantée et y fut menée la dame. Aprez la
messe, vindrent au maistre pavillon, et ainsi qu’ilz eubrent lavé et
qu’ilz se deurent asseoir pour disner, vindrent deux chevaliers de
Lucembourg qui apportoient lettres à Anthoine de par Cristienne sa
femme, et vindrent devant le duc Anthoine et le saluèrent de par sa
femme, en luy disant ainsi : Monseigneur, vous devez avoir grant
joye, car ma dame vostre femme vous a apporté ung le plus bel
enfant masle que oncques fut veu en nul pays. Or, beaulx seigneurs,
dist Anthoine, loué en soit Dieu, et vous soiez les tresbien venus ; et
puys prinst-il les lettres.
L’istoire nous dist que le duc Anthoine de Lucembourg fut moult
joyeulx de ces nouvelles, et aussi fut Regnauld, son frère.
Adoncques le duc Anthoine leut les lettres, et trouva dedens que les
deux chevaliers disoient la vérité. Alors accolla le duc les deux
chevaliers moult liement, et leur fist donner moult de riches dons.
Adonc s’assist au disner, et dura la feste jusques à huyt jours ; et
puys retournèrent en la cité. Et lors prinst congié le roy d’Anssay,
Anthoine et le duc Ode de Bavières, et tous les barons, du roy
Regnauld et de la royne Aiglentine, qui furent moult doulens de leur
departie. Et eubt convenant le duc Anthoine au roy Regnauld que se
les paiens luy faisoient point de guerre, que il le viendroit secourir à
noble baronnie, et le roy Regnauld l’en remercia moult ; lors
s’entrebaisèrent les deux frères à leur departement. Tant chevaucha
l’ost qu’il vint à Muchin en Bavière, et se logèrent en la prarie devant
icelle ville ; et les festoia moult le duc Ode par l’espace de trois
jours ; et au quatriesme jour se departirent, et prindrent congié du
duc Ode ; et chevauchèrent tant qu’ilz approuchèrent Coulongne à
une journée prez. Adonc vindrent les quatre chevaliers qui
gouvernoient les gens d’armes et les arbalestriers que ceulx de
Couloingne avoient envoié à Anthoine, et luy disdrent en ceste
manière : Monseigneur, il est bon que nous allons devant en la ville
pour appareillier vostre passage. Par ma foy, dist le duc Anthoine,
beaulx seigneurs, il me plait bien ; et lors se partirent les quatre
chevaliers et leur mesnie avecques eulx ; et chevauchèrent tant qu’ilz
vindrent en la cité de Coulongne, où ilz furent moult liement
receups, et leur enquirent les grands bourgois et les gouverneurs de
la cité comment ilz avoient exploité en leur voiage, et ilz leur
comptèrent toute la vérité, avecq la grande puissance et la grant
valeur des deux frères ; et comment Regnauld estoit roy de
Behaigne. Adoncques quant ceulx de Coulongne l’entendirent, ils
furent bien joyeulx, et disdrent qu’ilz estoient bien eureux d’avoir
acquis l’amour de telz deux princes. Et lors firent faire moult grant
appareil pour recepvoir le duc Anthoine et le roy d’Anssay et leurs
gens. Tant chevaucha l’ost qu’il vint à Couloingne, et allèrent les
bourgoys de la cité à l’encontre en moult belle compaignie, et firent
passer ceulx qui venoient pour aller tendre oultre la ville ; et firent
loger par decha l’avant-garde, la grosse bataille et le sommage. A
tant encontrèrent Anthoine et le roy d’Anssay, et leur firent moult
grande reverence, et les prièrent tant qu’ilz vindrent loger le soir en
la ville à moult grant foison de nobles barons ; et les festoièrent
moult honnourablement, et donna aux dames, aux bourgois de la
ville et aux gentilz hommes à soupper, et le lendemain à disner ; et
ce jour passa le Rin le remanant de l’ost ; et le lendemain au matin
prinst le duc Anthoine congié de ceulx de la ville, et les mercia moult
de ce qu’ilz lui avoient fait ; et leur dist que se ilz avoient besoing de
luy, qu’il les conforteroit à son povoir ; et ilz le mercièrent moult. Lors
se departist Anthoine et se desloga l’ost, et errèrent tant par
pluiseurs journées qu’ils vindrent ung soir loger es prez dessoubz
Lucembourg.
La duchesse Cristienne fut moult joyeuse quant elle sceut la
venue du duc Anthoine son mary ; elle s’en issist hors de la ville a
moult belle compaignie de dames et damoiselles, et des nobles du
pays, et toute la bourgoisie venoit aprez à l’encontre de luy, et la
clergé à confanons et l’eau benoite, et l’encontrèrent à demie lieue
de la ville ; et là fut moult grande la joye que le duc et la duchesse
s’entrefirent ; et tout le menu peuple crioit noel, et louoient nostre
Seigneur Jhesucrist de la venue de leur seigneur ; et se loga l’ost
devant Lucembourg ; et Anthoine, le roy d’Anssay et les plus haultz
barons se logèrent en la ville ; là fut la feste moult grande par toute
la ville ; et y demoura le roy d’Anssay par l’espace de six jours
continuellement, et le festoia le duc Anthoine moult richement, et
luy rendist toutes ses obligations et le quitta, excepté la prieuré
fonder pour prier pour les mors, pour l’amour du roy Regnauld son
frère ; et le mercia le roy moult amiablement. Et adonc se departit de
Lucembourg, et s’en revint en son pays d’Anssay, où il fut moult
joyeusement receu ; et le duc Anthoine demoura avec sa femme, et
en eubt la dame celluy an ung filz qui fut appellé Lochier ; et delivra
toute l’Ardemie de robeurs, et fonda ès bois une abbaye de saincte
vie, et fist faire le pont de Maisières, sur la Meuse, et pluiseurs
aultres fortresses en la basse marce de Hollande ; et fist moult de
beaulx faitz d’armes avecq le roy Olliphart de Behaigne, qui estoit
son cousin germain et filz du roy Regnauld. Et depuys eubt le roy
d’Anssay affaire au conte de Fribourg et au duc d’Autrice ; et manda
à Anthoine qu’il luy venist aidier ; et si fist-il, et print par force le
conte de Fribourg, et passa en Autrice, et desconfist le duc en
bataille, et le fist apaisier au roy d’Anssay à son honneur. Et eubt
Bertrand, le filz Anthoine, à femme Mellidée, la fille au roy d’Anssay,
et fut roy d’Anssay aprez le trespas du roy. Et la duché de
Lucembourg demoura à Locher aprez le decès de son père, le duc
Anthoine. Mais de ceste matère n’en parleray-je plus quant à
maintenant, mais retourneray à parler de Raimondin, de Melusine et
de leurs aultres enfans.
 En ceste partie nous dist l’histoire que Raimondin, par son
vasselaige, conquist moult grant pays, et luy firent maintz barons
hommaige jusques en Bretaigne. Et eubt Mellusine, les deux ans
aprez, deux filz, dont le premier eubt à nom Fromond, qui ama
moult l’eglise, et bien le monstra en la fin, car il fut rendu moinne à
Maillères, dont il advint puys ung grant et horrible meschief, ainsi
comme vous orrez cy aprez en l’istoire. Et l’aultre filz qu’elle eut l’an
ensievant eut à nom Thierry, qui fut moult bataillereux. Icy vous
laisseray à parler des deux enfans, et vous diray de Geuffroy au
grant dent, qui fut le plus fier, le plus hardi et le plus entreprenant
de tous ses aultres frères. Et sachiés que celluy Geuffroy n’en
doubta oncques homme, et dist l’istoire et la vraie cronicque qu’il se
combatit à ung chevalier faye au maulvais esperit ès prez dessoubz
Lusignen, ainsi comme vous oyrez cy après racompter. Or est vray
que pour lors Geuffroy fut grant et percreu, et oyt nouvelles qu’il y
avoit en Irlande ung peuple qui ne vouloit pas obéir en ce qu’il
devoit à son père. Adonc jura Geuffroy la dent Dieu qu’il les feroit
venir à raison ; et, pour ce faire, prinst congié de son père, qui fut
moult courroucé de son departement. Et de fait mena avecq luy
jusques au nombre de cincq cens hommes d’armes et cent
arbalestriers, et s’en vint en Irlande ; et tantost enquist où estoient
les desobeissans ; et ceux qui tenoient la partie de Raimondin lui
enseignèrent les fortresses des desobeissans. Et adoncques
s’armèrent et se presentèrent audit Geuffroy, et ilz luy disdrent qu’ilz
luy aideroient à destruire ses ennemis. Par Dieu, beaulx seigneurs,
dist Geuffroy au grant dent, vous estes moult bonnes et leales gens,
et je vous mercie moult de ce que vous m’offrez et de l’onneur que
vous me faictes ; mais, quant à present, Dieu mercy, il n’est nul
besoing de ce, car j’ay assez de gens d’armes pour accomplir mon
affaire sans vous traveiller de rien, au plaisir de Dieu. Par ma foy,
sire, vous avez plus affaire que vous ne cuidez, car vos ennemis sont
moult fors et fiers et de merveilleux courages, et sont trestous
cousins et parens, et du plus grand estraction de sang qui cy soit ou
pays. Beaulx seigneurs, dist Geuffroy, ne vous en chaille, car, à l’aide
de Dieu omnipotent, j’en chevirai bien. Et sachiés qu’il n’y aura ja si
grant ne si petit, s’il ne veut obéir à mon mandement, que je ne le
fasse mourrir de malle mort, et aussi, beaulx seigneurs et amis, se je
vois qu’il me soit besoing, je vous remanderay. Et ilz respondirent :
Nous sommes tous prestz dès maintenant, ou toutesfois, sire, quand
il vous plaira. Beaulx seigneurs, dist Geuffroy au grant dent, ce fait
est moult à remercier. Adonc prinst Geuffroy congié d’eulx, et se mist
à chemin vers une fortresse qui estoit nommée Syon ; et dedens
icelle avoit ung des ennemis de Geuffroy, qui estoit nommé Claude
de Syon, et estoit luy troisième des frères ; moult furent les trois
frères fiers et orguilleux, et vouloient suppediter tous leurs voisins et
estre seigneurs d’eulx. Adoncques Geuffroy envoia deffier iceulx
frères, en disant en ceste manière que ilz luy voulsissent faire
obeissance pour Raimondin son père. Et ilz respondirent au
messaigier que, pour Raimondin ne pour homme de par luy, ilz n’en
feroient riens, et qu’il n’y retournat plus, aultrement il feroit que fol.
Par ma foy, dist le messagier, je m’en garderay moult bien, sinon que
je vous enmaine ung medecin qui vous destrempera ung tel
electuaire de quoy vous serez trestous perdus et pendus par la
gorge. Et de ce mot furent les frères moult couroucez. Et sachiés
que, se le messagier n’eust tost hasté le chevau, qu’il eut esté pris et
mort sans nul remède : car ilz estoient folz et cruelz, et ne
craignoient Dieu ne nul homme. Adoncques le messagier retourna
vers Geuffroy, et luy compta l’orguel et le boubant des trois frères.
Par mon chief, dist Geuffroy, grant vent chiet pour petit de pluie, et
de ce ne doubtez, car je les paieray bien de leurs gaiges.
L’istoire nous dist que quant Geuffroy eubt oy l’orgueil et la fière
responce des trois frères, que, sans plus dire, il s’en vint loger à
demie-lieue de la fortresse ; et quant il eubt ses gens logez et
ordonnez, il s’arma de toutes pièces, et prinst avec luy un escuier
qui bien sçavoit tout le pays, et le fist monter sur ung riche destrier
et coursier à l’avantaige, et commanda à ses gens qu’ilz ne se
meussent de là jusques à tant qu’ils orroient nouvelles de luy ; et ils
luy respondirent que non feroient-ils. Adoncques s’en partist
Geuffroy avec l’escuier ; mais là avoit ung chevalier qui avoit nourry
et gouverné Geuffroy, qui bien cognoissoit son fier courage, et qu’il
ne craignoit riens du monde ; et celluy chevalier avoit nom Philibert
de Mommoret, et estoit moult vaillant de la main ; et avoit esté en
moult de bonnes places, et celluy amoit moult Geuffroy. Adonc se
partist aprez lui, avecq luy dix chevaliers tous armez, et sievit
Geuffroy de loing que oncques ne perdist la veue de luy ; et Geuffroy
chevaucha tant qu’il apperceut la fortresse de Syon, qui seoit devers
la coste où il estoit sur une haulte roche. Par ma foy, dist Geuffroy,
se la fortresse est ainsi forte de l’aultre costé comme elle est de
cestuy, elle me fera grant ennuy ainçoys qu’elle soit prinse. Il me
faut sçavoir se elle est ainsi forte par delà. Adoncques prinst
environner la fortresse tout le couvert d’ung petit boys qui estoit illec
prez, et vindrent en la coste de la montaigne, et s’avallèrent aval à
une belle prarie ; et tousjours Philibert le sievait ne oncques n’en
perdist la veue, et faisoit mucer ses gens au bois. Et tant chevaucha
Geuffroy qu’il eut environné la fortresse, et regarda moult bien que
devers le pont c’estoit le plus foible, et luy sembloit bien que par là
elle pourroit estre prise d’assault, car les murs y estoient bas et
n’estoient pas les tours guerlandées, mais y avoit sur la porte une
grosse tour assez haulte et bien couronnée et monstroit tresgrant
deffence en lieu foible. Mais Geuffroy advisoit de venir tout pourveu
de manteaulx et de cloyes pour garder des pierres de fer ; et ainsi
qu’il advisoit et pensoit à ce, il entra en une petite rue qui remontoit
la montaigne, à revenir autour de la fortresse, pour retourner à son
logis. Adonc Philibert le perceut bien et qu’il vouloit faire, et s’en vint
à ses gens et les remena assez prez du chemin par où il estoit venu,
et les fist embuchier au bois ; car il vouloit laisser Geuffroy repasser,
et s’en vouloit retourner au logis aprez lui ; et ainsi qu’il regardoit
quant Geuffroy isseroit du cavan, il perceut une route de gens
d’armes à chevau qui entroient en la charrière par où Geuffroy
venoit ; et fut la charrière si estroite que à paine se pouvoient
rencontrer deux hommes de front, et aucunesfois quant les chevaux
estoient grans, il en convenoit retourner quelqu’un ; si ne sceut
Philibert que penser, et s’arresta moult grant pièce sur ce propos, car
il craignoit tant Geuffroy qu’il n’osoit aller avant. Et me tairay de luy,
et vous diray de Geuffroy, et comment il luy prinst de ce fait, comme
vous orrez cy aprez racompter tout le fait et la manière.
 En ceste partie nous dist l’istoire que au milieu de la montaigne
Geuffroy rencontra la route des gens de chevau ; et estoient de seize
à dix et huyt, que ung que aultres ; de quoy il y en avoit jusques à
quatorze bien armez et richement ; et qui me demanderoit quieulx
gens c’estoient, je diroye que c’estoit l’ung des frères Claude de
Syon qui venoit devers son frère, pour ce qu’il avoit mandé pour le
conseillier qu’il feroit du mandement qu’il avoit eu de Geuffroy ; car il
auroit entendu que Geuffroy estoit moult cruel et moult merveilleux
homme. Et adonc quant Geuffroy eubt rencontré le premier de la
route, si luy dist qu’il se virast et qu’il fist virer ses compaignons tant
qu’il eubt la montaigne passée. Par foy, fist celluy, qui estoit fier et
orguilleux, damp musart, avant nous faudra bien sçavoir qui vous
estes, qui distes que nous virons pour vous. Par foy, dist Geuffroy au
grant dent, et vous le sçaurez maintenant, et puys vous retournerez
malgré que vous en ayez ; je suis Geuffroy de Lusignen ; or virés
tost, ou, par le dent Dieu, je vous feray virer par force. Quant Guion
le frère Claude de Syon l’entendit, et que c’estoit Geuffroy au grant
dent, il leur escria et dist : Avant, seigneurs barons, par foy, se il
nous eschappe ce sera grant honte à nous tous ; mal nous est venu
demander servitude en nostre pays. Adoncques quant Geuffroy
entendit ceste parolle, il traist l’espée sans plus dire, et ferit le
premier sur le chief si grand cop qu’il l’envoya tout estourdy par
terre, et puys passa par de costé le chevau et par-dessus celluy que
feru avoit, qui gisoit au font de la charière, tellement qu’il luy
derompit tout le corps, et ferist ung aultre d’estoc parmy le pis, et le
jetta tout mort par terre, et puys leur escria : Par foy, faulces gens
tristes, vous ne me povez eschapper ; vous retournerez à vostre pute
estraine. Et lors passa par delà le chevau à l’aultre qui gisoit mort, et
vint au tiers. Celluy estoit moult grant et fort, et ferit Geuffroy sur le
bassinet de toute sa force ; mais le bassinet fut moult dur et l’espée
glissa aval de grant randon, mais oncques n’empira Geuffroy ne son
harnois de la valleur d’ung denier ; et adont Geuffroy empoigna
l’espée à deux mains et le ferist sur la coeffe d’acier jusques à la
cerveille, et le rua tout mort. Et quant Guion perceut ce meschief, il
fut moult iré, car il ne povoit advenir à Geuffroy fors que ung à coup,
et veoit qu’il n’y avoit mais que deux devant luy, si en eut grant
paour, car il appercevoit venir Geuffroy de grant puissance et
hardiesse ; il escria aux derreniers : Retournez et montez tant que
nous soions au large où nous nous puissions deffendre, car, en ce
parti, ce diable nous occiroit tous. Et adont ceulx virèrent tout court
et montèrent appertement la montaigne, et Geuffroy aprez, l’espée
au poing ; et lors son escuier fist retourner les chevaux des trois qui
estoient abbatuz. Or diray de Philibert de Mommoret, qui estoit
approuché du cavan, et oyt la noise ; si appella ses gens et ilz
vindrent à luy ; et adoncques Guion et ses gens saillèrent de la
montaigne, et Geuffroy aprez, l’espée au poing ; et quant ilz
l’apperceurent, ils le assaillirent de tous costez ; et il se deffendoit
comme preus et vaillant ; et aussi son escuier se porta
tresvaillamment, et fut moult forte la bataille. Or vous diray de celluy
que Geuffroy avoit abbatu premier, car quant il apperceut que Guion
s’en estoit tourné par la force de Geuffroy, et il vit que ses deux
compaignons estoient mors emprez luy, il fut moult doulent, et
regarda autour de luy, et trouva son chevau et monta sus à tresgrant
paine, et s’en alla, tant qu’il peut poindre le chevau des esporons,
vers Syon ; et quant il vint, il trouva Claude à la porte, avecq luy de
ses gens ; et quant il le vit, il le congneut moult bien et le vit tout
sanglent et tout souillé de sang ; si luy demanda qui ainsi l’avoit
atourné, et celluy luy compta l’adventure comment ilz avoient
rencontré Geuffroy tout seul, et le dommage qu’il luy avoit fait
retourner Guion son frère hors du cavan par force, et encores duroit
la bataille. Adoncques quant Claude l’entendit, il en fut moult
doulent, et tantost s’en alla armer et fist ses gens armer.
Moult fut doulent Claude quant il ouyt les nouvelles de la vilonnie
et du dommage que Geuffroy eubt fait à Guion, son frère, et
comment encores se debatoient et combatoient par dessus le cavan.
Adoncques s’arma et fist armer ses gens et montèrent à chevau
jusques à sept vingz hommes d’armes, et laissa Clarebault, son
frère, au fort, atout soixante bassines pour le garder ; lors vint en la
bataille ; mais pour neant se penoit, car Philibert et ses dix chevaliers
estoient venus en la bataille, et besongnèrent tellement que tous les
hommes de Guion furent mors et Guion pris ; et tantost jura
Geuffroy qu’il le feroit pendre par le col. Lors vint l’escuier à Geuffroy
qui estoit rentré au cavan pour aller querir une belle espée qu’il avoit
veu gisir par terre d’ung des chevaliers que Geuffroy avoit occy.
Adonc il ouyt le trot et le bruit des chevaux et des gens d’armes que
Claude amenoit ; si retourna tout courant à Geuffroy et lui dist :
Monseigneur, j’ay oy moult grant bruit de gens qui cy viennent ; et
tantost que Geuffroy l’ouyt, il fist Guion lier au bois à ung arbre, et le
fist garder à ung chevalier, et s’en vint atout ses hommes à
l’encontre du cavan, et là attendoit l’adventure. Et Philibert alla
courant sur la montaigne et regarda au font de la charrière, et vit
venir Claude et ses gens qui venoient par le cavan. Adoncques
retourna à ses gens et dist à Geuffroy : Sire, il n’y a affaire aultre
chose que de bien garder ce pas ; veez cy venir vos ennemis ; et
Geuffroy respondist : Or ne vous en doubtez, il sera moult bien
gardé et deffendu. Adonc il appella l’escuier qui estoit venu avecques
luy et luy dist : Courez tantost à l’ost et me faictes venir mes
compaignons le plus brief que vous pourrez. Et il se departist et ferit
des esporons, et vint vers l’ost grant alaine ; et, quant il fut arrivé, il
leur dist : Beaulx seigneurs, or tost à chevau, car Geuffroy se
combat à ses ennemis ; et ilz s’armèrent et montèrent tantost à
chevau qui mieulx sceut, et vindrent tantost aprez l’escuier qui les
guidoit au plus droit qu’il povoit vers le lieu où il pensoit à trouver
Geuffroy, qui se combatoit à ses ennemis.
L’istoire nous dist que Geuffroy et Philibert et leurs chevaliers
estoient en l’entrée du pas ; et lors vint Claude et ses gens qui
venoient à moult grant effort parmy le cavan, et bien cuidoient
gaignier la montaingne à leur advis ; mais Geuffroy estoit à l’entrée
du pas qui moult asprement leur deffendoit le passaige ; et sachiés
qu’il n’y eut si hardi qu’il ne fist reculer, car il y eut deux de ses
chevaliers qui estoient descendus à piet, les lances es poings qui se
tenoient moult vigoureusement au cavan coste à coste de Geuffroy,
et donnoient aux gens de Claude de grans coups de lances, et en y
eubt pluiseurs de mors. Philibert estoit adonc descendu lui
quatriesme, et c’estoit mis sur la donne du cavan par dessus, et
faisoit assambler pierres et gettoient par telle vigeur contre la vallée
que il n’y avoit si fort, s’il estoit ataint sur la couppe du bassinet à
plain coup, qui ne fut tout estourdi ou rué du chevau par terre ; et
sachiés qu’il en y eut plus de vingt mors. Et lors vint l’escuier qui
amenoit l’ost, et quant Geuffroy le sceut il lui fist mener trois cens
hommes d’armes par le chemin qu’ils estoient allez le matin pour
aller au devant du pas, que Claude ne ses gens ne peussent
retourner en leur fortresse. Et tantost de là l’escuier se departist, et
s’en vint grant aleure au devant de la prarie, et passa par devant la
fortresse. Et quant Clerevault les vit, il cuida que ce fut aulcun
secours qui leur venist, car il ne cuidoit pas qu’il y eut au pais de
leurs ennemis à si grant force ; et ceulx venoient tout le beau pas
sans faire nul samblant qu’ilz leur voulsissent que bien. Et adonc
Clerevaud, qui cuidoit bien que ce fussent amis, fist abaisser le pont
et ouvrir la porte, et vint lui vingtiesme tout armé sur le pont. Et
adonc quant l’escuier et sa route apperceurent que le pont fut
abbattu et la porte ouverte, ilz se trairent le chemin le plus
promptement qu’ilz peurent, et quant, au passer devant la porte,
Clerevauld leur escria : Quelles gens estes-vous ? Et ceulx
respondirent : Nous sommes bonnes gens ; et en approchant dudit
pont environ de .xx. chevaux, ilz luy demandèrent où est Claude de
Syon ? nous voulons parler à luy. Et Clerevauld les approcha en
disant : Il reviendra tantost, il est allé combattre Geuffroy au grant
dent, nostre ennemy, que luy et Guion, nostre frère, ont enclos en
celle montaigne que vous voiés là devant vous ; et sachiés que
Geuffroy ne leur peut eschapper, et fut-il ores de fin acier trempé,
qu’il ne soit mort ou affollé. Par foy se dist l’escuier, ce sont bonnes
nouvelles. Et adonc s’approcha luy vingtiesme de plus en plus, en
demandant à ses gens : Le irons-nous aidier ? Par foy, dist
Clerevauld, grant mercy, il n’est à present nul besoing.
L’istoire nous racompte que tant s’approcha l’escuier de
Clerevault par belles parolles, qu’il vint prez du pont. Adoncques il
escria à ses gens : Avant, seigneurs, la fortresse nous est gaignée.
Et quant Clerevauld oyt ce mot, il cuida reculer pour lever le pont ;
mais les vingt se ferirent si rudement parmy luy et ses gens, que
tout fut tombé par terre, et tantost misrent piet à terre et vindrent
sur le pont et entrèrent en la porte, tantost ilz misrent deux lances
ès chaines de la porte coulisse, et puis plus de cent misrent piet à
terre et vindrent sur le pont et entrèrent en la porte, et hault et bas,
parmy la fortresse, et puis fut pris Clerevauld et tous les autres qui
estoient en la fortresse, et furent tous liez en une chambre, et les
firent garder par quarante hommes d’armes ; et aprez se
assamblèrent et eurent conseil qu’ilz manderoient celluy fait à
Geuffroy, et qu’ilz se tendroient enclos en la fortresse, assavoir moult
se Claude reviendroit à garent ; et ainsi le firent. Adonc dist l’escuier
que luy mesme le iroit nuncer à Geuffroy ceste adventure ; et lors
s’en partist, et vint au ferir de l’esporon à Geuffroy, et luy compta
ceste adventure ; et, quand Geuffroy sceut l’adventure, il fut moult
joyeulx, et tantost le fist chevalier, et luy bailla cent hommes
d’armes, et luy commanda qu’il allast tantost sur le pays et qu’il
gardast bien que Claude ne print aultre chemin que celluy de la
fortresse, car, se il eschappoit, il pourroit faire moult d’ennuy avant
que on le peut atraper ; et que mieulx le valloit enclore au cavan et
le prendre par force là dedens. Sire, dist le chevalier nouvel, ne vous
en doubtez, il ne nous eschappera se il ne scet voler ; mais que je
puisse aller à temps, je vous donne ma teste se il s’en va. Et lors se
departist et descendist la montaigne atout les cent hommes
d’armes ; et Geuffroy demoura au pertuis, qui se combatoit à force
d’espée à ses ennemis ; et bien .xl. chevaliers estoient descendus à
piet sur la montaigne, qui gettoient pierres contre val de si grant
force que, malgré que Claude en eubt, il le convint retourner à grant
paine luy et ses gens. Et Geuffroy et ses hommes entrèrent au cavan
et les enchassèrent au dos ; mais à grant paine peurent passer
parmy les mors qui avoient esté occis du jet de pierres. Or vous
diray du nouvel chevalier qui jà estoit venu à l’encontre du cavan,
luy et sa route ; mais quant il oyt le bruit des chevaux, il pensa bien
que Claude retournoit, et prist le couvert de la montaigne, et laissa à
Claude le chemin de la fortresse.
L’istoire dit que Claude exploita moult fort pour saillir du cavan et
s’en venir à temps à salveté au fort de Syon ; mais de ce que fol
pense demeure souvent la plus grant partie à la fois. Or est vray qu’il
exploita tant qu’il saillist du cavan et vint au large. Adoncques il
n’attendit per ne compaignon, mais s’en vint à cours de chevau vers
le fort, et, quant il fut prez, il cria à haulte voix : Ouvrez la porte ; et
ilz firent ainsi. Et lors il passa le pont et entra dedens, et vint
descendre avant qu’il perceut qu’il eubt perdu sa fortresse ; et
tantost qu’il fut descendu, il fut saisi de tous costez et lié fermement,
Adoncques il fut moult esbahi, car il ne veoit autour de luy homme
qu’il congneut. Qu’esse cy ? dist-il ; que diable sont mes gens
devenus ? Par mon chief, dist ung chevalier qui bien le congnoissoit,
tantost serez logé avec eulx, et tantost il fut mené en la chambre où
Clerevauld et les autres prisonniers estoient. Lors, quant il les
apperceut liez et gardez comme ilz estoient, il fut moult doulent. Et
quant Clerevauld le vit, il luy dist : Ha a, Claude, beau frère, nous
sommes par vostre orgueil enchus en grant chetiveté, et doubtez
que n’en eschapons jà sans perdre la vie, car trop est Geuffroy cruel.
Et Claude lui respondist : Il nous en convient attendre tout ce qu’il
nous adviendra. Lors vint Geuffroy, qui entra en la fortresse, et avoit
occis que prins tout le demourant des gens de Claude ; et adonc fut
amené Guion son frère en la chambre avec les aultres ; lors entra
Geuffroy dedens et choisist Claude entre les aultres, et luy dist : Et
comment, dist-il, faulx triste, avez-vous esté si hardi de dommager
ne de molester ainsi le pays de monseigneur mon père et ses gens,
vous qui devez estre son homme ? Par mon chief, je vous en
pugniray bien : car je vous feray pendre devant Val bruiant, voiant
vostre cousin Guerin, qui est triste comme vous devers monseigneur
mon père. Et quant Claude oyt ce salut, sachiés qu’il ne luy pleut
gaires. Mais, quant le peuple du pays sceut que Syon et Claude
estoient pris avec ses deux frères et leurs gens mors, lors vindrent
plaintes de roberies et d’aultres mauvais cas sur Claude et sur ses
gens, et trouva-on leans plus de cent prisonniers, que de bonnes
gens du pays, que marchans et estrangiers, qui avoient esté robez,
le venoient racompter ; et par là ne passoit nul qui ne fust rué jus ;
et, quant Geuffroy ouyt ces nouvelles, il fist tantost lever unes
fourches sur la coste de la montaigne, et y fist pendre toutes les
gens de Claude : mais celluy Claude et ses deux frères il espargna
pour lors, et bailla la charge du chasteau à ung chevalier du pays qui
estoit moult vaillant homme et preud’homme, et lui commanda sus
sa vie de elle bien garder, et gouverner leaulment les subjectz, et
faire garder justice. Et celluy luy promist de ainsi le faire à son
povoir, car il gouverna le pays moult bien et loiaulment. Et, après ces
choses, se partist le matin, et prist le chemin de Val bruiant, et fist
amener avec luy tous les trois frères, qui moult grant paour avoient
de la mort, et n’estoit pas sans cause, comme vous oyrez dire et
deviser cy aprez.
L’istoire nous dist que Geuffroy et ses gens chevauchèrent tant
qu’ilz vindrent devant Val bruiant, et furent les tentes tendues, et se
loga chascun en ordonnance ainsi qu’il peut. Adonc fist Geuffroy
tantost lever unes fourches devant la porte du chasteau, et fist
pendre incontinent Claude et ses deux frères, et manda à ceulx du
chasteau que, se ilz ne se rendoient à sa voulenté, qu’il les feroit
tous pendre se il les povoit tenir. Et, quant Guerin de Val bruiant oyt
ces nouvelles, il dist à sa femme : Or dame, il est vrai que contre la
force de ce diable je ne me pourroie tenir, et je me partiray d’icy et
m’en iray à Montfrin, à Girard, mon nepveu, et à mes autres amis,
pour avoir conseil comment nous pourrons avoir traicté de paix à
Geuffroy. Adonc la femme, qui moult fut saige et subtive, luy dist :
Allez-vous-en, de par Dieu, et gardez bien que vous ne soiés pris, et
ne vous partés point de Montfrin tant que vous aurez nouvelles de
moy : car, à l’aide de Dieu, je pense que je vous pourchasseray bon
traicté à Geuffroy : car vous sçavez bien que, se vous me eussiés
voulu croire, vous ne vous feussiés pas meslé d’avoir fait ce que
Claude et ses frères vous ont fait faire ; combien que, Dieu merci,
vous n’avez point encores faulcé vostre foy devers vostre seigneur
souverain Raimondin de Lusignen. Adonc Guerin luy respondist : Ma
chière seur, faictes le mieulx que vous pourrez, car je me fie en
vous, et croiré de tout ce que vous me conseillerez. Et lors s’en
partist par une faulce poterne, monté sur ung moult appert coursier,
et passa le couvert des fossés et rés à rés des logis, que oncques ne
fut congneu, et, quant il se vit ung peu loingz, il ferit le chevau des
esporons tant comme il peut, et le chevau l’emporta moult
roidement. Et sachiés qu’il avoit si grand paour d’estre advisé qu’il
ne sçavoit son sens, et loua moult Jhesucrist quant il se trouva à
l’entrée de la forest, qui duroit bien deux lieues, et print le chemin
vers Montfrin tant qu’il peut chevauchier.
L’istoire nous dist et tesmoingne que tant chevaucha Guerin de
Val bruiant qu’il vint à Montfrin, où il trouva Girard son nepveu et luy
compta cest affaire, et comment Geuffroy au grant dent avoit pris
Claude leur cousin et ses deux frères, et avoit fait pendre tous leurs
gens devant le chasteau de Syon, et les trois frères avoit fait mener
devant Val bruiant, et de fait les avoit fait pendre illecq, et comment
il se partist pour doubte qu’il ne fut pris en la fortresse. Par foy, dist
Girard, beau oncle, vous avez fait que saige : car, à ce que on m’a
dict, celluy Geuffroy est moult grant chevalier de hault et puissant
affaire, et si est merveilleusement cruel et se fait moult à doubter.
Mal nous vint quant nous oncques alasmes à Claude, car nous
sçavions bien que luy et ses frères estoient de mauvaise vie et que
nul ne passoit par leur terre qui ne fut robé. Or prions à Jhesucrist
qu’il nous en vueille jeter hors à nostre honneur. Bel oncle, il nous
fault aller aviser sur ce fait ; il est bon que nous le mandons à nos
proesmes et à tous ceulx qui ont esté de ceste folle aliance. Et
Guerin respondist. C’est verité. Et adonc ilz mandèrent à tous qu’ilz
s’appareillassent de venir devers Montfrin, affin d’avoir conseil
ensamble comment nous pourrons ouvrer de cestuy fait, et sçavoir
se nous pourrons aulcunement trouver voye comment nous nous
pourrons excuser devers Geuffroy. Or se taist l’istoire de plus parler
d’eulx, et parle de la dame de Val Bruiant, qui moult estoit saige et
soubtive et vaillante dame ; et tousjours avoit blasmé son mari de ce
qu’il c’estoit oncques consenti à Claude ne à ses frères. Celle dame
avoit une fille qui povoit bien avoir de .viii. à .ix. ans, laquelle estoit
moult belle et gracieuse, et aussi avoit ung filz qui avoit environ dix
ans, qui estoit moult bel et bien endoctriné. Adonc la dame ne fut ne
folle ne esbahie, et monta sur ung riche pallefroy, et fist monter ses
deux enfans et conduire par les frains par deux anciens gentilz
hommes, et fist monter avec elle jusques à six damoiselles, et fist
ouvrir la porte ; et là trouva le nouvel chevalier qui apportoit le
mandement de Geuffroy, et le bienveigna moult doulcement et
courtoisement ; et aussi celluy luy fist grant reverence, car moult
sçavoit de bien et d’onneur. Et la dame luy dist moult
attemprement : Sire chevalier, monseigneur n’est pas ceans, et pour
tant je vueil aller par devers monseigneur vostre maistre, pour
sçavoir que c’est qu’il luy plait : car il me samble qu’il est cy venu en
manière de faire guerre ; mais je ne croy pas que ce soit à
monseigneur mon mari ne à nul de ceste fortresse, car ne plaise à
Dieu que monseigneur ne nul de ceans ait point fait chose qui
doibve desplaire à Geuffroy ne à monseigneur son père ; et, se par
adventure aulcuns de ses haineux avoient informé Geuffroy d’aultre
chose que de raison, je luy vouldroie humblement supplier et prier
qu’il luy plaist à ouyr monseigneur mon mari en ses excusations et
deffences. Adoncques, quant le nouvel chevalier l’ouyt parler si
sagement, il respondist : Ma dame, ceste requeste est raisonnable,
et pour ce je vous meneray devers monseigneur ; et je croy que
vous le trouverez tresamiable et que vous aurez bon traicté avec luy,
combien qu’il soit bien informé contre Guerin moult durement ; mais
je croy que à vostre requeste il fera une partie de vostre petition. Et
lors se partirent et vindrent vers les logis.
L’istoire dist que tant chevauchèrent la dame, sa mesnie et le
nouvel chevalier, qu’ilz vindrent à la tente de Geuffroy, et là
descendirent ; et quant il sceut la venue de la dame, il saillist de sa
tente et vint à l’encontre ; et celle, qui fut bien enseignée tenoit ses
deux enfans devant Geuffroy et luy fist moult humblement la
reverence. Et adonc Geuffroy s’enclina vers elle et la leva moult
humblement, et luy dist : Madame, vous soiez la tresbien venue. Et,
Monseigneur, dist elle, vous soiez le tresbien trouvé. Et adonc les
deux enfans le saluèrent moult doulcement et tresreveramment ; et
eulx deux dressiés, il leur rendist leur salut. Et adonc print la dame
la parolle, et faignit, comme se elle ne sceut riens, qu’il fust venu là
par maltalent, et dist en ceste manière : Monseigneur, monseigneur
mon mari n’est pas, quant à present, en ceste contrée, et pourtant
suys-je venue par devers vous pour vous prier qu’il vous plaise de
venir loger en vostre fortresse, et amenez avec vous tant de vous
gens qu’il vous plaira ; car, mon treschier seigneur, il y a bien de
quoy vous tenir bien aise, Dieu merci et vous ; et sachiés que moy et
ma mesnie vous recepvrons voulentiers comme nous devons faire au
filz de nostre seigneur naturel. Quant Geuffroy l’entendist, il fut
moult esbahi comment elle lui osoit faire celle requeste, veu et
consideré de quoy on l’avoit informé contre Guerin de Val-Bruiant
son mari. Toutesfois il respondist : Par mon chief, belle dame, je
vous mercie de la grande courtoisie que vous me offrez, mais ceste
requeste ne vous doibz-je pas accorder, car on m’a donné à
entendre que vostre mari ne l’a pas desservi envers monseigneur
mon père et envers moy ; combien que, ma belle dame, je vueil bien
que vous sachiés que je ne suys mie venu pour guerroier dames ne
damoiselles, Dieu m’en gard, et de ce soiez toute seure que à vous,
à vos gens ne à vostre fortresse, ne feray rien meffaire au cas que
vostre mari n’y soit. Et elle luy respondit : Tresgrans mercis ; mais je
vous requiers qu’il vous plaise à moy dire la cause pour quoy vous
avez indignation contre monseigneur mon mari, car je suys certaine
qu’il ne fist oncques riens, là ou luy ou moy l’aions peu penser ne
sçavoir, que par raison dust estre à vostre desplaisance, et crois bien
que s’il vous plaist à oyr monseigneur mon mari en ses excusations,
que vous trouverez que ceulx qui vous ont informé le contraire n’ont
pas dit verité ; et, monseigneur, je me faictz forte sur ma vie que
vous le trouverez ainsi que je vous dis.
En ceste partie nous dist l’istoire que, quant Geuffroy oyt la dame
parler, il pensa ung peu et puys respondist : Par foy, dame, s’il se
peut bonnement excuser qu’il n’ait erré contre son serement, j’en
seray tout joyeulx, et je le recepveray voulentiers en ses excusations
avec ses compaignons et tous leurs complices, et vigoureusement je
luy donne son alant et son venant huit jours luy .xl. Et lors print
congié et s’en retourna à Val-Bruiant, et laissa ses enfans, et fist
monter jusques à dix chevaliers et escuiers et trois damoiselles, et
s’en partist et chemina tant qu’elle vint à Montfrin, où elle fut
liement recepue. Là estoient les gentilz hommes ; et adonc la dame
leur compta comment Guerin, son mari, avoit huit jours saulf, allant
et venant, de Geuffroy, pour luy .xl., et se il se peut excuser,
Geuffroy l’orra voulentiers et luy fera toute raison. Par foy, dist ung
ancien chevalier, dont aurons bien traicté avec luy, car il n’est
homme qui puist dire que nous aions riens meffait en quelque
manière que ce soit ; se Claude, qui estoit nostre cousin, nous avoit
requis d’avoir aide de nous, s’il en avoit besoing, et nous luy
eussions promis de luy aidier, nous n’avons mie pourtant encores
riens meffait ; ne Geuffroy ne aultre ne peut dire que nous en
missions oncques bassinet sur teste, et que nous sallissions oncques
ung seul pas de nostre hostel pour luy conforter aucunement contre
Geuffroy, ne trouver le contraire. Doncques alons-nous-en
seurement, et m’en laissez convenir, car je ne me soussie pas que
nous n’aions bon traicté avec luy. A celluy propos se affermèrent
tous les proesmes, et lors prindrent journée de faire leur appareil d’y
aller le tiers jour aprez ; et adonc s’en partist la dame, et erra tant
qu’elle vint à Val-Bruiant ; lors fist querir vin, pain, poullaille, foing et
avaine, pour envoier à Geuffroy, qui oncques n’en receupt riens,
mais bien souffrit prendre qui en vouloit avoir, pour son argent qu’il
en eubt ; et manda ma dame à Geuffroy la journée que Guerin et ses
parens devoient venir devers luy.
En ceste partie nous dist l’istoire que Guerin de Val-Bruiant,
Girard, son nepveu, attendoient leur lignage à Montfrin ; et ceulz
venus, ilz montèrent à chevau et chevauchèrent tant qu’ilz vindrent à
Val-Bruiant, et le lendemain ilz mandèrent à Geuffroy qu’ilz estoient
tous prestz à venir devers luy pour eulx excuser ; et Geuffroy leur
manda qu’il estoit tout prest de les recepvoir. Et adoncques partirent
du chasteau et vindrent devant la tente de Geuffroy et luy firent la
reverence honnourablement. Et lors print l’ancien chevalier, dont je
vous ay dessus parlé, la parolle en disant : Treschier seigneur, nous
sommes cy venus pour la cause qu’on nous a donné à entendre que
vous estes informé contre nous, et vous a-on raporté que nous
estions consentans de la mauvaistié que Claude avoit commencé de
faire encontre nostre droit seigneur vostre père, dont, sire, il est bien
vray que Claude, avant qu’il eut ceste folie entreprise, il nous
assambla trestous et nous dist : Beaulx seigneurs, vous estes tous
de mon lignage, et je suis du vostre ; c’est bien raison que nous
nous entreaimons comme cousins. Par foy, Claude, dismes, c’est
verité ; pourquoy le dictes-vous ? Et adonc il nous respondist moult
couvertement : Beaulx seigneurs, je me doubte que je n’aye
briefment une grosse guerre et à faire à forte partie ; si vueil sçavoir
se vous me vouldrez aidier. Et nous luy demandasmes à qui, et il
nous respondist que nous le sçaurions tout à temps, et qu’il n’estoit
pas parfait ami qui failloit à son proesme à son besoing. Adonc nous
luy dismes : Nous voulons bien que vous sachiés qu’il n’y a si grant
en ce pais ne marchissant, s’il se prent à vous, que nous ne vous
aidons à vostre droit soustenir. Et sur ce s’en partist ; et eut plusieurs
rancunes où il avoit peu de droit, desquelles luy aidasmes à saillir.
Mais, chier seigneur, depuis qu’il commença à desobeir monseigneur
vostre père, nous ne doubtons ne Dieu ne homme que nul de nous
mist sur son corps pièce de harnois ne en issist de son chastel pour
luy ne pour son fait ; et le contraire ne sera jà sceu ne trouvé ; et se
il est aultrement trouvé, si nous faictes pugnir selon raison, car de ce
nous ne voulons jà avoir grace ; mais requerons seullement droit et
justice ; doncques, se il y a aultre cause que aulcun ait sur nous
devisé par envie ou par hainne, je dis par droit que vous ne nous
devez vouloir nul mal, nous qui sommes vrais subjectz et obeissans
de monseigneur vostre père Raimondin de Lusignen, car se aulcun
nous vouloit molester ou injurier, vous nous devriés garder ; et de
cestuy fait ne vous sçauroie plus que dire, car nous ne sçavons entre
nous adviser que nous eussions oncques fait chose qui deut
desplaire à monseigneur vostre père. Si vous requerons tous que
vous ne vueillez estre informé que de raison.
Quant Geuffroy eut oy l’excusation de l’ancien chevalier, qui avoit
parlé pour luy et pour les aultres, il trait son conseil à part et leur
dist : Beaulx seigneurs, que vous samble de ce fait ? Il me samble
que ces gens s’excusent moult bel. Par foy, disdrent-ilz tous en
commun, c’est verité, nous ne leur sçaurions que demander, fors que
vous leur facés jurer sur sainctes evangilles que se le siége eut esté
devant Syon, se ilz eussent aidé ne conforté Claude et ses frères
contre vous, et se ilz jurent que oy, ilz sont vos anemis ; et se ilz
jurent que non, vous ne leur devez porter nul maltalent ; et en aprez
faictes-leur jurer que se vous les eussiés mandé au siége, se ilz vous
feussent venu aidier, conforter et servir contre vos anemis. A ce
point furent tous ceulx du conseil d’accord. Et lors furent appellez et
leur furent ces parolles et ce fait recordé. Et ilz disdrent qu’ilz
jureroient bien et voulentiers, et jurèrent et affermèrent les deux
poingz dessus dis, et pour ce ilz furent d’accord à Geuffroy, qui,
aprez, alla visitant le pays par l’espace de deux mois, et puis print
congié des barons et laissa bon gouverneur au pais, et s’en partist et
s’en vint grant erre à Lusignen, où il fut moult festoié de son père et
sa mère et de toutes gens ; car ilz sçavoient comment il avoit fait
plesser tous leurs ennemis. Lors estoit venu de Chippre ung
chevalier de Poetou qui estoit du lignage de ceulx de Tours, qui avoit
rapporté nouvelles comment le caliphe de Bandas et le grant Carmen
avoient couru en Armanie et fait moult grant dommaige au roy
Guion d’Armanie, et comment le roy Urian avoit oy nouvelles qu’ilz
avoient intention de lui faire guerre en Chippre, et faisoit le roy son
amas de gens d’armes et de navires pour eulx combatre en mer ou
en leur pays mesmes, s’ilz ne le trouvoient sur mer, car il n’avoit pas
intention de le laisser arriver en son pais. Quant Geuffroy oyt ce, il
jura Dieu que ce ne seroit pas sans luy, et que trop avoit gardé son
hostel, et dist à Raimondin son père et à sa mère qu’ilz luy
voulsissent faire finance pour aller aidier à ses frères contre les
Sarrazins. Et ilz luy accordèrent parmy ce que dedens ung an il
retourneroit par devers eulx.
Moult fut Geuffroy joyeux quant il eubt l’accord et le
consentement de ses père et mère d’aller secourir ses frères contre
les Sarrazins. Et adoncques il pria le chevalier qui estoit venu de
Chippres qu’il voulsist retourner avec lui, et il l’en meriteroit bien. Par
mon chief, dist le chevalier, on m’a dit que à vostre proesse nul ne se
peut comparer, et je iray avecques vous pour veoir se vous ferez
plus que Urian, votre frère, ou que Guion, le roy d’Armanie, car ces
deux congnoissé-je assez. Par foy, sire chevalier, dist Geuffroy, c’est
peu de chose de mon fait envers la puissance de mes deux
seigneurs mes frères ; mais je vous remercie de ce que si
liberalement m’avez offert de venir avec moy, et pour tant je le vous
meriteray bien, se Dieu plait. Adoncques il fist son mandement, et
fist tant qu’il eubt bien .xiiii. cent bassines et bien trois cens
arbalestriers, et les fist tous retraire vers la Rochelle ; et Raimondin
et Melusine y estoient, qui avoient fait arriver moult belle navire et
bien pourveue et avitaillée de ce qui estoit necessaire. Et adoncques
prist congié de ses père et mère et entra en la mer, et avec luy sa
compaignie ; et furent les voilles levez et se commandèrent à Dieu,
et aprez se esquippèrent en mer, et en peu d’eure on eubt perdu la
veue d’eulx, car ilz alloient moult roidement. Mais cy se taist l’istoire
de plus parler, et commence à parler du caliphe de Bandas et du
souldan de Barbarie, qui estoit nepveu du Souldan qui avoit esté
mort en la bataille soubz le cap Saint Andrieu, au dessus de la
montaigne Noirre.
L’istoire nous dist que le caliphe de Bandas, le souldan de
Barbarie, le roy Anthenor d’Antioche, et l’admiral de Cordes, avoient
fait ensamble leurs seremens que jamais ne fineroient tant qu’ilz
eussent destruist le roy Urian de Chippre, et Guion, roy d’Armanie,
son frère ; et avoient assamblé bien jusques à .xvi. mille Sarrazins, et
avoient leurs navires toutes prestes ; et avoient intention de
descendre et arriver premièrement en Armanie, et tout avant euvre
destruire l’isle de Rodes et le royaulme d’Armanie, et puys passer en
Chippre et tout destruire et mettre à mort. Et avoient juré qu’ilz
feroient le roy Urian morir en croix, et le crucifieroient, et sa femme
et ses enfans arderoient ; mais comme dist le saige : Fol pense et
Dieu ordonne. Et pour lors avoit pluiseurs espies entre eulx, tant
d’Armanie comme de Rodes ; et là en eut une qui estoit proprement
au grant maistre de Rodes, qui sambloit si bien Sarrazin que nul ne
l’avisast jamais pour aultre que Sarrazin, et avoit à main leur
langage si bien comme s’il fut du pays. Cestuy sceut tout le secret
des Sarrazins, et aprez se partist d’avec eulx, et s’en vint à Baruth,
où il trouva une barque qui s’en vouloit aller en Turquie querir
marchandises ; il se mist avecq eulx. Et quant ilz eurent vent propice,
ils desancrèrent et levèrent leurs voilles au vent ; et tant sanglèrent
par mer qu’ilz virent l’isle de Rodes et l’approchièrent pour eulx
refrechier ; et l’espie leur dist qu’il vouloit aller en la ville ung petit ;
et ceulx luy dirent que s’il ne revenoit tantost qu’ilz ne
l’attenderoient gaires. Ne vous doubtez, dist-il, je reviendray tantost.
Et tantost se departist d’avec eulx et vint en la ville où il fut moult
bien congneu ; et le plus tost qu’il peut il vint comparoir devant le
grant maistre de Rodes, qui lui fist bonne chière, et tantost luy
compta les nouvelles. Et quant le maistre de Rodes l’oyt parler, il luy
demanda se c’estoit verité. Et il lui respondist : Par ma foy, oy, car je
les ay veu. Et aprez le maistre de Rodes rescript tout ce fait au roy
d’Armanie et au roy de Chippre, qui tantost escript au maistre de
Rodes et au roy Guion d’Armanie en leur mandant qu’ilz fussent en
mer atout leur puissance, et qu’ilz l’atendissent sur la coste de
Iaphes ; car c’estoit son intention de soy traire vers celles parties,
pour ce qu’il sçavoit que le caliphe de Bandas et tous ses complices
se mettoient en mer vers celle coste. Adoncques quant le roy oyt
ceste nouvelle, il se mist en mer à bien six mille hermins et bien trois
mille arbalestriers, et s’en vint par mer en Rodes où il trouva le grant
maistre au port. Et quant le grant maistre de Rodes le vit, il en eubt
moult grant joye ; et tantost se mist avecques luy en la mer à bien
trois cens hommes d’armes, que frères chevaliers que aultres, et
bien de six à sept cens arbalestriers et archiers ; et quant ilz furent
assamblez, belle fut la flotte à veoir ; car par compte fait ilz furent
trouvez par vraye estimation .x. mille hommes d’armes, et environ
.xvii. cens arbalestriers ; et sachiés qu’il les faisoit beau veoir, car les
banières ventilloient sur les vaisseaux, et l’or et l’asseur et autres
couleurs ; les bassines et aultres harnois reluisoient au soleil que
c’estoit grant merveille. Ce fait, ilz se misrent à mer et tirèrent le
chemin du port de Iaphes, où les Sarrazins avoient fait tirer et
assambler leurs navires. Et icy se taist l’istoire de plus parler d’eulx,
et parle du roy Urian.
L’istoire dist que le roy Urian avoit fait arriver parmy son pays de
Chippre, et les avoit fait entrer en la mer au port de Limasson ; et
estoit la royne Hermine au chasteau, et avecques elle dames,
damoiselles et Henri son filz, qui avoit jà cincq ans, et ceulx qui
devoient garder le pays et le port. Or est vray que quant le roy eubt
pris congié et fut entré en mer, il eut bien avec luy .xiiii. mille
hommes, tant d’ommes d’armes, comme les combatans de trait ; et
furent les voilles levez, et se esquippèrent du port, et se boutèrent
en mer, et senglèrent de telle force que la royne, qui fut en la
maistresse tour, en eubt tost perdu la veue. Et sachiés que le tiers
jour aprez, Geuffroy au grant dent s’ariva soubz Limasson ; mais le
maistre du port ne les laissa pas entrer dedens, combien qu’il fust
moult esbahy quand il perceut les armes de Lusignen sur les
vaisseaulx et banières ; il ne sceut que penser, et pour ce, il alla
tantost au chasteau et nunça à la reyne cest affaire. Et elle, qui fut
moult saige, luy dist : Allez sçavoir que c’est, car se il n’y a traïson, il
n’y peut avoir que bien ; et parlez à eulx sçavoir que c’est ; et ayez
vos gens tous prestz sur le port, affin que se ilz vouloient arriver par
force que ilz en fussent contreditz. Et il fist le commandement de la
royne, et vint aux barrières contre de deux tours du clos et leur
demanda que ilz queroient. Et adoncques dist le chevalier qui
aultresfois avoit esté en Chippre : Laissez-nous arriver, car c’est l’ung
des frères du roy Urian qui luy vient au secours contre les Sarrazins.
Adoncques quant le maistre du port oyt le chevalier, il le congneut et
luy dist ainsi : Sire, le roy est parti d’icy trois jours y a, et s’en va à
moult noble et riche armée vers le port de Iaphes ; car il ne veult
pas que les Sarrazins arrivent en son pays ; mais dictes à son frère
qu’il viengne, vous et luy, avec .l. ou .lx. en vostre compaignie,
devers ma dame la royne, qui moult sera lie de vostre venue. Et
celluy le dist à Geuffroy, qui tantost entra en une petite galiotte, et
vindrent à la chainne, qui tantost lui fut ouverte, et entrèrent
dedens. Et trouvèrent moult bonnes gens qui moult
honnourablement receuprent Geuffroy et sa compaignie, et moult se
donnèrent merveilles de son grant couraige et de sa fierté, et
disdrent en eulx-mêmes : Ces frères conquerront moult de pays ; je
crois bien que cestui ne repassera jamais en son pays tant qu’il aura
conquesté pays decha. Et en ces choses disant vindrent là où la
royne estoit, qui les attendoit en tenant par la main son filz Henri. Et
à l’approchier de Geuffroy, elle s’enclina tout jus à terre, et aussi fist
Geuffroy, et la drescha sus en l’embrachant moult doulcement et la
baisa. Et aprez luy dist : Ma dame ma seur, Dieu vous doint joye de
tant que vostre cœur desire. Et elle le bienveigna en lui monstrant
grant signe d’amour. Et aprez Geuffroy prist son nepveu, qui estoit à
genoulx devant luy, et le leva entre ses bras en luy disant : Beau
nepveu, Dieu vous accroisse et vous ottroye bon amendement. Et
l’enfant luy respondist : Grant mercis, bel oncle. Que vous feroie
ores plus long compte ? Geuffroy fut adonc moult joyeux, et fut le
port ouvert et la navire mise dedens. Et quant ilz furent bien
refrechis Geuffroy dist à sa seur : Madame, je m’en vueil aller ;
baillez-moy maronnier qui bien sache la contrée de ceste mer, par
quoy je ne faille trouver mon frère, et je vous en prie, ma treschière
seur, tant comme je puis.
A ce respondist la royne : Mon treschier frère, à ce ne fauldrez
pas, car, par mon ame, je vouldroie qu’il m’eut cousté mille bezans
pour tous perilz, et vous et vostre navire fussés là où monseigneur
est ; car je sçay bien que de vostre venue il aura moult grant joye,
comme il est de raison. Adoncques elle appela le maistre du port et
lui dist : Alez, et me faictes arriver une galiote qui soit de .xvi.
rames, et me querez le meilleur maronnier et le plus saige patron de
galée qui soit demourant par decha, pour conduire mon frère par
devers monseigneur. Et celluy tantost respondist : Par ma foy, ma
dame, j’ai bien ung rampin tout prest et tout armé et advitaillé de ce
qu’il fault ; il ne convient que mouvoir. Adonc fut Geuffroy moult
joyeulx, et print incontinent congié de sa seur et de son nepveu et
de la compaignie, et vint au havre et entra en son vaisseau. Adonc le
rampin fut devant, et les voilles furent levées ; lors ilz s’empaignirent
en la mer, et allèrent si roidement que ceulx qui estoient au port en
eubrent tost perdu la veue. Et la royne et ceux qui estoient avecques
elle en la maistresse tour disdrent : Nostre Seigneur les conduise et
les vueille retourner à joye. Or les vueille Dieu aidier, car ilz en ont
bien besoing. Et ne demoura pas quatre jours, ainsi que vous oyrez
cy aprez, que le roy Urian et sa navire se exploittèrent tant qu’ils
virent le port de Iaphes et la grosse navire qui estoit là assemblée ;
et estoit jà le Calife venu, qui avoit fait traire dehors toutes ses
gens ; et le souldan de Barbarie, et le roy Anthenor d’Antioche, et
l’admiral de Cordes avoient ainsi fait leur appareil, et n’y avoit à
monter que les seigneurs et princes ; et eurent conseil que le roy
d’Antioche et l’admiral de Cordes feroient l’avant-garde, et tendroient
le chemin de Rodes ; et que illec prendroient terre et escriroient au
caliphe et au souldan, affin que se ilz en avoient affaire, qu’ilz les
sieveroient pour les secourir. Et ainsi fut ordonné et fait. Et partirent
le roy et l’admiral à tout .xl. mille paiens, et tournèrent leur chemin
vers Rodes, que oncques le roy Urian ne les perceut ; et n’avoient
esté que deux journées qu’ilz perceurent le roy Guion et la navire de
Rodes ; et les cristiens l’apperceurent aussi ; là eubt grand effroy
quant ilz eurent advisé l’ung l’aultre à cler, et qu’ilz se entre
rencontrèrent. Lors se misrent cristiens en ordonnance et arches ;
adoncques abordèrent ensamble ; là eubt grant occision et fière
meslée, et eubt à celluy poindre six navires sarrazines effondrées et
peries en mer ; et firent les cristiens moult bien leur debvoir, et se
combatirent moult vaillamment ; mais la force et la quantité des
Sarrazins fut moult grande, et eurent les cristiens fort à souffrir, et
eussent esté desconfis se Dieu, par sa grace, n’eut celle part conduit
Geuffroy et sa navire, ainsi comme vous oyrez cy aprez dire.
L’istoire nous dit que Geuffroy et ses gens sengloient par la mer à
voilles tendues et à force de vent qu’ilz avoient à fin souhet, et
approchèrent le lieu où estoit la bataille ; et tout premier le rampin
qui le conduisoit les approcha de si prez qu’il les veoit combatre à
l’eul. Lors vira tout court et dist à Geuffroy que chascun fut tout
prest, car nous avons veu grans gens, et croy que ce soient nous
gens et Sarrazins qui se combatent ; or vous mettés en ordonnance,
et nous retournerons veoir quieulx gens ce sont. Or allez, dist
Geuffroy, et qui qu’ilz soient, j’aideray aux plus foibles, voire se ne
sont mes frères. Et à ce mot partist le rampin, et vint jusques sur la
bataille, et oyrent ceulx qui estoient dedens le rampin crier moult
hault : Cordes et Antioche ; et d’aultre part : Lusignen et saint Jehan
de Rodes. Et lors vindrent à Geuffroy et dirent : Sire, se sont
Sarrazins d’ung costé, et, d’aultre part, cristiens crians Lusignen et
saint Jehan de Rodes ; mais certainement se n’est pas le roy Urian,
mais croy, monseigneur, que c’est le roy Guion son frère et le
maistre de Rodes, qui ainsi se combatent à Sarrazins qui sont sur
mer. Or tost, dit Geuffroy, à eulx appertement. Adonc on tira les
voilles à mont, et le vent se ferit dedens dont la navire fut si fort
boutée que ce sembloit carreaulx d’arbalestre, et se ferirent par les
navieres des Sarrazins par telle manière et vertu, qu’ilz les exillèrent
tant qu’il ne demourent pas .iiii. vaisseaulx ensamble d’une flotte, et
crioient Lusignen à haulte voix, dont les hermins et ceulx de Rodes
cuidoient que ce fust le roy Urian qui venist de Chippre. Et adonc
reprindrent grant cœur en eulx et se ravigoroient fort ; et le roy
d’Antioche et l’admiral de Cordes ralièrent leurs gens ensamble et
coururent sur les cristiens de grant force ; mais Geuffroy et ses gens,
qui estoient frès et nouveaulx, leur coururent sus par telle manière
qu’il sembloit qu’ilz fussent frisones. Adonc le vaisseau où Geuffroi
estoit se borda au vaisseau où le roy Anthenor estoit, et se
entregrapèrent à bons cros de fer ; adonc saillist Geuffroy dedens le
vaisseau du roy, et commença à faire moult grant occision de
Sarrazins ; et ses gens coururent de l’aultre part, et se combatoient
vaillamment et de si grant puissance qu’il n’y eut Sarrazin qui s’osast
monstrer en nulle deffence ; et en saillist pluiseurs en la mer, qui
cuidoient saillir au vaisseau de l’admiral de Cordes, qui estoit moult
prez d’eulx, que le roy Guion assailloit par grande force ; et
toutesfois le roy Anthenor se saulva au vaisseau de l’admiral de
Cordes, et fut tantost son vaisseau pillié de ce qui y estoit de bon, et
puys fut effrondé en mer ; et le rampin costioit toujours les gros
vaisseaulx et en perça jusques à quatre ; de quoy ceulx qui estoient
dedens ne s’en perceurent oncques jusques à ce qu’ilz se trouvèrent
plains d’eau, et par ce leur convint perir en mer. La bataille fut moult
fière et horrible, et l’occision fut hideuze ; et à brief parler, les
Sarrazins furent mis si au bas tellement que en eulx n’avoit point de
deffence.
Moult fut la bataille dure, fière et aspre ; mais sur tous les aultres
se combatoit Geuffroy moult puissamment, et aussi faisoient
Poetevins qui estoient avecq luy venus ; et aussi faisoit Guion et le
maistre de Rodes ; mais ilz s’esbahissoient pour ce qu’ilz crioient
Lusignen : mais adonc n’estoit pas heure de enquester. Adoncques le
roy Anthenor et l’admiral virent bien que la desconfiture tournoit sur
eulx, car jà ilz avoient perdu plus de deux pars de leurs gens ; si
firent sçavoir au demourant qu’ilz se retirassent vers le port de
Iaphes pour avoir secours ; et ilz s’estoient jà boutez en un vaisseau
d’avantaige, et prindrent la palange de la mer, et tirèrent les voilles
amont, et s’en partirent de la bataille. Et quant les Sarrazins
l’apperceurent, il s’en alla aprez qui peut ; mais les hermins et ceulx
de Rodes en reculèrent la plus grant partie, qui furent mors et jettez
tous à bort. Mais quant Geuffroy perceut partir le roy et l’admiral de
Cordes, il fist tirer ses voilles amont, et se mist aprez atout sa
navire, et les suyt si asprement que en peu d’eure il eslongna les
hermins, le roi Guion et le maistre de Rodes. Adoncques quant le
rampin l’aperceut, il escria à ses gens à haulte voix : Aprez, aprez,
beaulx seigneurs, car se Geuffroy perdoit son chemin qu’il ne
tournast tantost vers monseigneur son frère, jamais je n’oseroie
retourner vers ma dame. Et adonc le roy Guion congneut le rampin
et lui demanda qui ces gens estoient qui leur avoient fait si grant
secours. Par foy, sire, dist le patron, c’est Geuffroy au grant dent
vostre frère, et frère au roi Urian. Quant le roy Guion l’entendit, il
s’escria à haulte voix : Levez ces voilles, et vous hastés d’aller aprez
mon frère, car, se je le pers, jamais n’auray au cœur joye. Et ceulx le
firent et allèrent aprez le gerondt. Mais le rampin alla devant si
roidement que en peu de temps il eubt rataint Geuffroy, qui jà estoit
prez des Sarrazins, qui approchoient le port de Iaphes. Or vous
laisseray d’en parler, et vous diray du roy Urian, qui jà estoit venu
sur le port, et avoit de fait bouté le feu en leur navire ; mais paiens
les resçoyrent le mieulx qu’ilz peurent, et toutesfois ilz n’y sceurent
oncques tel remède mettre qu’il n’y eut plus de dix vaisseaulx ars,
que grans que petis. Et fut moult grant l’estourmie.
En ceste partie nous dist l’istoire que tant sievyt Geuffroy au
grant dent le roy et l’admiral, qu’ilz approchèrent fort du port de
Iaphes, et se ferirent dedens, et Geuffroy aprez, et sa navire, que
oncques ne voulut de y laisser entrer, pour chose que on luy
monstrat, la grant multitude et peuple de Sarrazins qui jà estoient
entrez en la navire qui estoit sur le port ; et tantost commença
Geuffroy la bataille, qui fut moult dure et moult forte, tant que de
fait le roy et l’admiral se firent mettre à terre à ung petit basteau, et
vindrent en la ville de Iaphes, où ilz trouvèrent le caliphe de Bandas
et le souldan de Barbarie, qui furent moult esbahis de ce qu’ilz
estoient si tost retournez, et leur demanda pourquoy c’estoit. Et ilz
leur comptèrent toute l’adventure, et comment le roy d’Armanie et le
maistre de Rodes estoient desconfis, se ne fut ung chevalier tout
fourcené qui y survint à tout ung peu de peuple qui crioit Lusignen,
et n’est nul qui puisse arrester contre luy ; et veez le là où il se
combat à nos gens, et c’est feru au havre parmy le plus dru, et tout
ce qu’il ataint est destruit et mis en fin. Adonc quant le souldan
l’entendit, il n’eut mie talent de rire, mais dist : Par Mahon, on m’a
dit de pieça que moy et pluiseurs aultres de nostre loy aurons moult
affaire pour les hoirs de Lusignen ; mais qui pourroit tant faire que
on les tint par decha à terre, et nos gens fussent hors des navires,
ilz seroient tous detruis à peu de paine. Par mon chief, dist le
caliphe, vous dictes verité ; et puys qui les auroit desconfis par
decha, la terre par de là seroit moult legière à conquester. Par foy,
sire, dist le souldan, vous dictes verité. Or faisons retraire nos gens
hors des vaisseaux, et les laissons arriver paisiblement. Mais pour
neant en parloient, car ilz en issirent, sans ce qu’il leur fut
commandé, par Geuffroy, qui les assailloit par telle vigeur que, au
costé où il estoit, mal eubt celluy qui demourast au vaisseau, que
tous ne tirassent à terre. Et adoncq Geuffroy fist yssir toutes ses
gens aprez, et les enchassa jusques en la ville de Iaphes ; et tous
ceulx qui peurent estre atains furent ruez tous mors à terre, et les
fuyans entrèrent en la ville crians : Trahis ! trahis ! Lors furent les
portes fermées, et vint chascun en sa garde. Et Geuffroy retourna à
sa navire, et commanda à tirer les chevaux dehors, car bien
affermoit que jamais ne s’en partira, pour mourir en la paine, tant
qu’il aura fait tel enseigne au pays qu’il y ait esté encores.
L’istoire nous dist que, demaustiers que Geuffroy faisoit tirer les
chevaux dehors, le rampin advisa les pavières et panons du roy
Urian, qui moult fort escarmouchoit la navire aux Sarrazins, qui riens
ne sçavoient que Geuffroy eut pris terre, car ils avoient prins la
barge et le parfont du port, et le roy et l’admiral de Cordes avoient
pris, et estoient arrivez dessoubz à l’estroit, qui estoit moult aisé à
prendre terre, voire à bien peu de navire. Et lors rencontra le rampin
le roy Guion et ses gens, qui luy demandèrent nouvelles de Geuffroy.
Par mon chief, dist le patron, veez-le là où il a pris terre sur les
ennemis, et les fait entrer par force en Iaphes ; allez prendre terre
avecques luy, car il a peu de gens, et Sarrazins ont pris terre. Et velà
le roy Urian qui escarmouche leur navire, à qui je vois anuncer
vostre adventure et la venue de Geuffroy, son frère. Par foy, dist le
roy Guion, ce fait à creancer. Et lors se ferist au havre, et le rampin
exploita tant, qu’il vint au roy Urian et le salua treshaultement, et luy
dist toute l’adventure ainsi comme vous l’avez oye, dont il regracia
moult devotement nostre seigneur. Et adoncques il s’escria à ses
gens : Avant, seigneurs et barons, pensez de bien faire, car nos
ennemis ne nous peuvent eschapper que ilz ne soient ou mors ou
pris. Et s’en vindrent ferir aux navires si roidement, que Sarrazins
furent tous esbahis et issirent hors de leurs navires qui mieulx sceut,
et s’en allèrent vers Iaphes. Et quant le caliphe et le souldan virent
leurs gens qui estoient trais à terre, ilz mandèrent au roy Urian, par
un truchement, qu’ils eussent trèves pour trois jours, et qu’il venist
prendre place, et se logast, et fist refreschier ses gens, et au quart
jour on luy livreroit bataille. Et le roy leur accorda voulentiers, et le
fist signifier au roy Guion et à Geuffroy, ses frères ; et estoit jà le roy
Guion trait à terre avec son frère, qui se entrefaisoient grande joye,
et se logèrent au mieulx qu’ilz peurent. Et le roy Urian fist adonc
mettre ses gens à terre, et fist tendre ses logis sur la marine, au
devant de sa navire ; et fist venir loger ses frères et le maistre de
Rodes avec luy, et fist leur navire traire emprez la sienne. Adoncques
commença la joye à estre grande entre les frères, et fut leur ost
nombré à estre en somme toute environ .xxii. mille, que archiers,
que arbalestriers, que gens d’armes.
L’istoire dist que les deux frères et leurs gens se refreschirent et
s’entrefirent moult grant joye les trois jours durans ; mais en ce
terme, le souldan de Damas, qui sceut la venue des cristiens, manda
au caliphe et à ses gens qu’ilz ne se combattissent pas sans luy, et
qu’ils prenissent encores trois jours de trèves, et ilz si firent ; et leur
accorda le roy Urian. Et durant icelluy terme les fist le souldan
desloger de nuyt, et s’en vindrent loger en la prarie soubz Damas,
pour traire les cristiens plus avant au pays, car ilz avoient en
intention que jamais pié n’en eschapperoit. Et avoit bien assemblé
.xl. mille paiens, et les aultres estoient bien quatre-vingz mille ; ainsi
estoient tous en nombre .vii. vingz mille Sarrazins ; et nous gens
n’estoient sur le tout que .xxii. mille. Mais quant ilz sceurent que
Sarrazins estoient partis, ilz furent moult doulens, car bien cuidoient
qu’ilz s’en fussent fuys ; mais pour neant s’en doubtoient, car avant
trois jours les eurent en barbe, et leur donnèrent tant d’affaire, qu’ilz
furent tous embesognez d’eulx deffendre. Lors vint ung truchement
sur ung dromadère, qui descendist en la tente des frères et les salua
moult sagement ; et les frères luy rendirent son salut ; et celluy les
regarda tous trois moult longuement avant qu’il parlast, car moult se
donnoit merveilles de la grant fierté qu’il veoit estre en eulx trois, et
par special à Geuffroy, qui estoit le plus grant et le plus fourni des
aultres, sans comparaison ; et veoit la dent qui luy passoit la lèvre de
plus d’ung grant pouce en esquare ; il en fut si esbahi que à peine
peut-il parler. Mais toutesfois il dist au roy Urian : Sire roy de
Chippre, le caliphe de Bandas, le souldan de Barbarie, le roy
Anthenor d’Antioche, l’admiral de Cordes et le roy de Dannette vous
mandent par moy qu’ilz sont tous pretz de vous livrer bataille, et
vous attendent ès prez qui sont dessoubz Damas, ès belles tentes et
pavillons ; et vous mandent que vous y povez venir seurement loger
devant eulx, et pourrez prendre place telle qu’il vous plaira ; et vous
donnent trèves depuys que vous serez logez ; et cependant de
commun accord vous adviserez place où la bataille se fera ; et par
adventure, quant vous aurez vu leur puissance, vous trouverez
aulcun amiable et bon traictié à messeigneurs, car certainement à
leur force ne pourrez contrester, tant sont fors. Et quant Geuffroy
entendist ceste parolle, il luy dist : Va à tes rois, à ton souldan, à ton
caliphe, et leur dis que s’il n’y avoit tant seullement que moy et mes
gens, si les iroie combattre ; et leur dis que de leur trève n’avons-
nous que faire. Et quant tu vendras à eulx, dis-leur que je les deffie ;
et tantost, toy parti d’icy, je feray assaillir Iaphes et mettre tout à feu
et à flamme, et tout ce que je trouveray dedens de Sarrazins, je les
feray tous mourir ; et leur dis, à ton passer à Iaphes, qu’ilz se
pourvoient bien, car je les iray presentement visiter et assaillir.