The Hexagon Stone Of Thibaud de Castillon
The Hexagon Stone Of Thibaud de Castillon by Daniel Arrhakis (2021)
With the music : "Deceit and Betrayal" from Audiomachine
In 1357, the ship São Vicente departed from Lisbon towards Avignon, France. On board was a veritable treasure guarded for years by Bishop Thibaud de Castillon, who had died a few years earlier in the Portuguese capital: gigantic coffers covered in gold, silver, jewels, rings, fine dishes, tapestries and even portable altars. While sailing near the town of Cartagena, in modern-day Spain, the São Vicente was attacked by two heavily armed pirate vessels whose crew seized its treasure.
One pirate ship, commanded by a man named Antonio Botafoc (a name that means fire blast or fire fart) was later captured after it ran aground. However, the other pirate ship commanded by Martin Yanes appears to have made a clean getaway. What happened to Yanes, his pirate crew and the stolen treasure is unknown.
In the middle of the treasure a hexagonal stone stood out, inlaid in an ornate golden cross, reflecting the light in various tones and geometries. A rare tourmaline cut into a perfect hexagon that, according to legend, came from the Crusades to the Holy Land.
However, the stone hid a terrible secret because due to its strange beauty it exerted an almost hypnotic seduction power, fostering greed and avarice.
While De Castillon didn't have to take a vow of poverty, the ways in which he acquired his wealth were questionable for someone in his position; usury (lending money with a high interest rate) was a mortal sin, and the profit of trading investments was considered usurious.
But the papal administration looked the other way. His "past in Atlantic and Mediterranean commerce may have been viewed by the Camera Apostolica (the organization in charge of papal finances) as desirable experience for a bishop in Portugal, and in any case, the Camera intended to take all Thibaud's wealth as spoils when he died.
The So Vicente's mission was to deliver the dead bishop's treasure to Avignon, in France, where Pope Innocent VI (reign 1352-1362) was based. In the 14th century, popes often resided in Avignon due to political turmoil in Italy.
Faced with this overwhelming firepower, the crew of the So Vicente had little choice but to surrender the treasure.
While Yanes may have made a clean getaway, Botafoc's crew wasn't so lucky. Botafoc's galley ran aground near the town of Aigues-Mortes in France. The local garrison captured Botafoc's crew and hanged them on the beach, possibly by the lanteen spar (part of the ship used to rig the sails) of their own galley.
Botafoc and a few of his officers were spared and were sent to prison to await their fate.
Before the authorities could secure the beached pirate vessel, local fishers took items from the ship, claiming right of salvage.
On Feb. 11, 1357, Jean des Baumes, a clerk of a local judge, took inventory of the remaining goods but the cross with the hexagonal stone was never found.
While Botafoc's crew was hanged, his officers were let off with a fine, the Vatican records indicate.
The second pirate ship that attacked the So Vicente the one commanded by Yanes was never mentioned again in historical records. Yanes' crew may have gotten away cleanly, with a bounty of treasure.
Story in part real in part recreated for this work ( The Hexagon Stone is a creation of Daniel Arrhakis ) ; the full story has been published in the book The Spoils of the Pope and the Pirates, 1357: The Complete Legal Dossier from the Vatican Archives, by The Ames Foundation.
The Hexagon Stone Of Thibaud de Castillon
The Hexagon Stone Of Thibaud de Castillon by Daniel Arrhakis (2021)
With the music : "Deceit and Betrayal" from Audiomachine
In 1357, the ship São Vicente departed from Lisbon towards Avignon, France. On board was a veritable treasure guarded for years by Bishop Thibaud de Castillon, who had died a few years earlier in the Portuguese capital: gigantic coffers covered in gold, silver, jewels, rings, fine dishes, tapestries and even portable altars. While sailing near the town of Cartagena, in modern-day Spain, the São Vicente was attacked by two heavily armed pirate vessels whose crew seized its treasure.
One pirate ship, commanded by a man named Antonio Botafoc (a name that means fire blast or fire fart) was later captured after it ran aground. However, the other pirate ship commanded by Martin Yanes appears to have made a clean getaway. What happened to Yanes, his pirate crew and the stolen treasure is unknown.
In the middle of the treasure a hexagonal stone stood out, inlaid in an ornate golden cross, reflecting the light in various tones and geometries. A rare tourmaline cut into a perfect hexagon that, according to legend, came from the Crusades to the Holy Land.
However, the stone hid a terrible secret because due to its strange beauty it exerted an almost hypnotic seduction power, fostering greed and avarice.
While De Castillon didn't have to take a vow of poverty, the ways in which he acquired his wealth were questionable for someone in his position; usury (lending money with a high interest rate) was a mortal sin, and the profit of trading investments was considered usurious.
But the papal administration looked the other way. His "past in Atlantic and Mediterranean commerce may have been viewed by the Camera Apostolica (the organization in charge of papal finances) as desirable experience for a bishop in Portugal, and in any case, the Camera intended to take all Thibaud's wealth as spoils when he died.
The So Vicente's mission was to deliver the dead bishop's treasure to Avignon, in France, where Pope Innocent VI (reign 1352-1362) was based. In the 14th century, popes often resided in Avignon due to political turmoil in Italy.
Faced with this overwhelming firepower, the crew of the So Vicente had little choice but to surrender the treasure.
While Yanes may have made a clean getaway, Botafoc's crew wasn't so lucky. Botafoc's galley ran aground near the town of Aigues-Mortes in France. The local garrison captured Botafoc's crew and hanged them on the beach, possibly by the lanteen spar (part of the ship used to rig the sails) of their own galley.
Botafoc and a few of his officers were spared and were sent to prison to await their fate.
Before the authorities could secure the beached pirate vessel, local fishers took items from the ship, claiming right of salvage.
On Feb. 11, 1357, Jean des Baumes, a clerk of a local judge, took inventory of the remaining goods but the cross with the hexagonal stone was never found.
While Botafoc's crew was hanged, his officers were let off with a fine, the Vatican records indicate.
The second pirate ship that attacked the So Vicente the one commanded by Yanes was never mentioned again in historical records. Yanes' crew may have gotten away cleanly, with a bounty of treasure.
Story in part real in part recreated for this work ( The Hexagon Stone is a creation of Daniel Arrhakis ) ; the full story has been published in the book The Spoils of the Pope and the Pirates, 1357: The Complete Legal Dossier from the Vatican Archives, by The Ames Foundation.