Authors: Vanitha Sankaran
Watermark
was a
story in my head long before it ever saw life on the page. I have many people to thank for their support over the years, starting with my family and friends. First and foremost, I thank my sister, Sujatha, who started this journey with me. I also want to thank Laurence, whose patience with a tortuous, and often obscure, path cannot be measured. I thank my parents, Shankar and Bhanu, and Aunt Betty for their faith in me; Ejner Fulsang and Annette for their thoughtful comments and discussion; and John, for turning whimsy into reality. I must also thank Tom and Alandra, as well as the cast and crew of Project Watermark, for bringing my characters literally to life, and Audra and Kelly for their precise, polished work.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the many readers, primarily at Antioch University, on Greytalk and on NovelPro, with a special shoutout to J. R. Lankford, who have given me their valuable feedback at different stages of the writing proces. Your kind words and honest criticism are much appreciated.
My sincere thanks to Lucia Macro and Esi Sogah at Avon Books and, lastly, to my agent Marly Rusoff, without whose dedicated efforts Auda’s story would have stayed silent forever.
The medieval era
is one that has garnered much interest, as is evidenced by the plethora of books, both fictive and not, that concern this time period. For me, the Middle Ages have always seemed a delicious bundle of contradictions—a time of mystery, deep convictions, and yet also expansive social change. Whether through open or private (often heretical) discussions, such weighty topics as women’s equality, the role of the Church with respect to daily life and one’s soul, even the possibility of sex bringing one closer to God, were discussed. Right alongside derogatory comments about the Church’s excesses were heretical sects studying God’s word and inquisitors actively seeking to stamp out their efforts.
My personal interest in the era is best exemplified by the development and spread of papermaking from Moorish to Christian Spain and through the rest of Europe, as well as the subsequent growth and rebellion of an educated middle class. Most of this novel is based on nuggets of historical fact, although I have manipulated people, time, and place in the interest of spinning what I hope is a gripping tale.
The details of papermaking are accurate. Although there is no direct evidence that papermaking flourished in Narbonne, there are some who believe papermaking was significantly advanced by heretical sects who needed cheap writing materials
for their secret studies. I chose Narbonne as the setting for this story for several reasons:
It bore great commercial promise in medieval times;
It was a remarkable haven from heresy, even while surrounded by the Inquisition;
It was also a great patron of troubadour poetry and discussions of courtly love;
It was a cosmopolitan society, with various Christian influences (Hospitallers, Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans, and Dominicans), the largest Jewish population in southern France, and the regular presence of Gypsies and Moorish influences.
Additionally, the flooding of the Aude did occur in 1320, which added considerable drama to my tale. The flood eventually changed the course of the river Aude, and rendered the once-lofty Narbonne a literal backwater.
Catharism, or the religion of the Good Men, is a poorly documented heretical religion that permeated much of south France during the eleventh through fourteenth centuries. The Archbishop Bernard de Farges, the
Vicomte
Amaury, and
Vicomtesse
Jeanne were historical personages; however, all aspects of their lives and personalities are fictional. The remaining characters, and the story in general, are works of fiction.
Finally, any errors, whether in history or ideology, are my fault alone.
armarius
: director of a scriptorium
A la vòstra
: To your health. (Occ.)
amé notz
: with nuts (
Occ.
)
Au va!
: Are you kidding? Come on! (
Cat.
)
Baiser la veuve
: Fuck the widow. (
Fr.
)
banderii
: local guards (
Fr.
)
Bonhommes
: the Good Men;
les Innocents
(
Fr.
)
canonical hours: the liturgical hours, loosely given as
Matins (sunrise)
Lauds (6
A.M.)
Prime (9
A.M.)
Terce (noon)
Sext (3
P.M.)
Nones (6
P.M.)
Vespers (sunset)
Complies (bedtime/nighttime)
cappa
: robe
cers
: northwesterly wind
consolamentum
: baptismal sacrament of the Good Men
denier: medieval penny
domna/dominus
: formal title—lady/lord
donjon: prison/vault (dungeon)
du cabre
: of a goat (
Occ.
)
fin d’amour
: fine love (
Fr.
)
garigue: brush and shrubs (
Fr.
)
houri: fair woman of paradise (
Ar.
)
jongleur: medieval entertainer (
Fr.
)
kirtle: woman’s gown or outer coat
la fadata
: fey girl (
Occ.
)
la Vierge
: the Virgin
ma filla
: my daughter (
Cat.
)
Mare
: Mother (
Cat.
)
marin
: warm marine wind
masco
: witch (
Occ.
)
Michaelmas: a feast signaling that start of autumn; a holy day of obligation
midons
: my lord—code name for my lady (
Occ.
)
monsen
: sir (
Occ.
)
Na: Madame, honorific (
Occ.
)
oc
: yes (
Occ
.)
oyez
: hear; listen (
Occ.
)
pariage
: sum paid to the king for protection (
Fr.
)
pelardon
: sheep’s cheese (
Occ.
)
perfectus/perfecta/perfecti
: perfected Good Man/Woman (priest)
rioja: red table wine (
Sp.
)
roumèque
: a fantastic creature that frightens children (
Occ.)
scriptorium: room where manuscripts are read, stored, and copied
simple: a medicine, often taken as a draught or tonic
sou: medieval silver coin
toft: plot of land attached to back of house
trobairitz
: female troubadours (
Occ.)
troubadour: singer and composer of love songs, especially in medieval Languedoc
trencher: stale or dry bread used as a plate
una mica
: a little (
Cat.)
verjuice: acidic (fruit) juice used as a condiment
Cat.
Catalan
Fr.
French
Ar.
Arabic
Occ.
Occitan
Sp.
Spanish
Date
: 1085
Event
: Papermaking in Xativa, Spain
Date
: 1209
Event
: Pope Innocent III launches Albigensian crusade in southern France; Narbonne fortifies defenses
Date
: 1215
Event
: Fourth Lateran Council pronounces sweeping Church reforms; has little effect
Date
: 1221
Event
: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declares all official documents written on paper invalid
Date
: 1231
Event
: Dominican convent in Narbonne established
Date
: 1234–1237
Event
: Inquisition in Narbonne
Date
: 1235
Event
: Heretics arrested in Narbonne
Date
: 1238
Event
: James I of Aragon gains control of Muslim paper mills in Xativa; paper mill starts in Capellades, Catalonia
Date
: 1248–1250
Event
: Inquisitors probe Narbonne
Date
: 1249
Event
: Cistercian/Benedictine abbey of Fontfroide acquires milling rights in Narbonne
Date
: 1250
Event
: Italy becomes major paper producer
Date
: 1261
Event
: Fontfroide starts keeping house in bourg of Narbonne
Date
: 1272
Event
: First stone of Cathedrale de St. Juste is blessed and laid
Date
: 1276
Event
: Watermark invented in Fabriano mills in Tuscany; first paper mill in Italy
Date
: 1278
Event
: Mirror invented
Date
: 1280
Event
: Spectacles invented
Date
: 1285–1314
Event
: Philip IV (the Fair) rules with absolute arrogance; controls papacy
Date
: 1288
Event
: Fontfroide has land dispute with consuls in bourg of Narbonne; woman associated with Beguines sees visions and is accused of heresy
Date
: 1289
Event
: Fontfroide charges Narbonne citizens to cut wood; block printing begins in Ravenna
Date
: 1290
Event
: Franciscan Church in St. Felix starts construction
Date
: 1294–1303
Event
: Boniface VIII becomes pope; defies Philip IV
Date
: 1295–1306
Event
: Donjon (part of Cathedrale de St. Juste) built in Narbonne
Date
: 1296
Event
: Fontfroide takes over one-fourth of Narbonne’s grain-measuring rights
Date
: 1298–1315
Event
: Spirituals dominate Narbonne’s Franciscan Church
Vicomte
Amauri II (who is at odds with Narbonne’s archbishop) rules; loses power to the king from 1309–1322
Date
: 1305
Event
: Clement V becomes pope
Date
: 1306
Event
: Expulsion of Jews from France (they go mostly to Barcelona and Toledo)
Date
: 1307–1323
Event
: Bernard Gui is inquisitor in Toulouse, writes
The Conduct of Inquiry Concerning Heretical Depravity
Date
: 1309–1378
Event
: Avignon papacy (moved to Avignon by Clement V)
Date
: 1311
Event
: Pierre Authiè—the “Last Cathar”—is burned at the stake
Date
: 1312
Event
: Thirteen guilds in Narbonne appeal to the king claiming consuls are unfairly held by rich families; reforms never take effect
Date
: 1314
Event
: Philip IV dies; succeeded by three sons
Date
: 1314–1315
Event
: Dante’s
Inferno
is complete; he writes
Purgatorio
and begins
Paradiso
Date
: 1315–
Date
: mid-1800s The “little ice age”
Date
: 1315
Event
: Bad weather; crop failure in northwest Europe
Date
: 1315–1317
Event
: Beguines burn for heresy in Narbonne
Date
: 1317–1343
Event
: Friars of Narbonne summoned to Avignon to defend themselves for being Spirituals; two burn at stake; Franciscan Church is excommunicated but is appealed by consuls
Date
: 1320
Event
: Flooding of Aude in Narbonne; port silts up
Date
: 1322
Event
: Poor of Narbonne crushed at Fontfroide’s gates by Church’s negligence; twenty-one Beguines burn
Date
: 1328
Event
: Forty-nine people (mostly artisans) accused of heresy in Narbonne
Date
: 1332
Event
: First service in Cathedrale de St. Juste
Date
: 1337–1453
Event
: One Hundred Years’ War
Date
: 1338
Event
: Oldest known paper mill begins in France
Date
: 1348
Event
: Black Plague; Great Schism for control of papacy between Rome and Avignon
Date
: 1387–1400
Event
: Geoffrey Chaucer writes
The Canterbury Tales
Date
: 1388–1470
Event
: French monks produce paper for holy texts
Date
: 1400
Event
: Paper for low-grade textbooks, volumes of sermon, popular tracts, and papal indulgences
Date
: 1450
Event
: Gutenberg invents printing press; paper becomes popular
Date
: 1517
Event
: Martin Luther’s
Ninety-five Theses;
Galileo’s incarceration
Date
: 1648
Event
: Peace of Westphalia