Nouvelles réflexions sur la charte dite d’Albert de Cuyck

In a 1972 article, Georges Despy claimed that the charter of privileges granted to the bourgeoisie of Liège by Bishop Albert de Cuyck (1194-1200) – a document that had long been considered central to the medieval history of Liège – had most certainly never existed. He also asserted that the imperial diploma of 1208, by which the so-called episcopal charter was confirmed, was a forgery fabricated around 1230. For many years, historians unquestioningly accepted this claim, made by an eminent medievalist. Hence, studies on the episcopal city of Liège only sporadically mentioned the so-called Albert de Cuyck charter, despite its great significance. Since the 1980s and increasingly so, medievalists have challenged, in part or as a whole, the conclusions reached by Despy. Based on my own research on the medieval history of Liège, I am convinced (in line with recent work on the topic) that several of the claims made by Despy should by qualified, or even, in some cases, discarded. In doing so, I hope to reopen the discussion surrounding this exceptional document of Liège history.