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Essay
keys and crest of
the Vatican
By Kevin Clavette
        
Much of the research has been spent reading many ancient and recent writings that take us back to the earliest of Christian times. First, I have found in my research this very basic information concerning the rules by which a French sea-man was expected to conduct himself.

These are the rules in effect for all French sailors at the time of Michel's crossing of the Atlantic.

The Duty of Sea-Man's Vade Mecum, 1707. The Duty of the Clerk, Pilot, Mate, Surgeon and Sea-men of a Ship, according to the Custom of France.'85\The Duty of Sea-men.

The Sea-men shall be obliged to appear at the Days and Places appointed, to take \par a Board the Provisions, rig out the Ship, and set Sail.
    Sea-man hired for a Voyage, must not leave the Ship, without a Discharge in \par Writing, till the Voyage is ended, and the Ship moored at the Key and unladed.
     If a Sea-man leaves a Master without a Discharge in Writing, before the \par Voyage is begun he may be taken up and Imprisoned where-ever he can be found, and compelled to restore what he has received, end [sic] serve out the time for  which he had engaged himself, for nothing; and if he leaves the Ship after the \par Voyage is begun, he may be punish'd corporally.

4. However, if after the Arrival and unlading of a Ship at the intended Port, the Master (instead of returning) takes a Fraight to go elsewhere, the Sea-men may leave him if they please, except it be otherwise provided by their \par Agreement.

5. After the Ship is laded, the Sea-men shall not go a Shore without Leave from \par the Master, under Pain of five Livres for the first Fault, and may be punished corporally, if they commit a second.

\    We forbid the Mariners and Sea-men to take any Bread or [sic] Victuals, or \par draw any Drink, without the permission of the Master or Steward, under Pain of \par the loss of one Month's Wages, and of a greater Punishment, if the Fault \par deserves it. \   The Sea-men or others that spill the Drink, destroy the Bread, make the Ship \par leaky, excite a Sedition to break the Voyage, or strikes the Master, having Arms  in their Hand, shall be punished with Death.
 Any Sea-man sleeping in his Post, or upon the Watch, shall be put in Irons \par during fifteen Days; and any of the Company finding one asleep, and not \par acquainting the Master therewith, shall pay 5 Livres.
 Any Mariner abandoning the Master and the Defence of the Ship in time of  Battle, shall be punished corporally.

10. We forbid all Persons to raise, within Extent of our Kingdom and the Land, and Countries under our Obedience, any Sea-men for Foreign Armaments and Expeditions; and we in like manner forbid our Subjects so to engage themselves without our Permission, under pain of exemplary Punishment.

Perhaps it best that we discuss here, exactly which name came first. It is important to know exactly what came first to determine the exact relation to each name change and to see the evolution of the language that uses it. Many in the family may expect that I am researching the Clavet name, as Michel Clavet was the progenitor of all here in North America, and that the Clavette and Clevette forms came later.

This has not been proven out by my research. The first form of the name was Clavette. And it is a Latin original form. Later, as the French language evolved it became Clavet, and within about a hundred and fifty years of this, Michel Clavet arrived on the North American shores.

He married into the Arcadian families whom had kept the earlier form of the French language and soon, within a generation or two would have changed it to the Clavette form, which they felt was a more accurate word form. The proof of this hypothesis can be found in France today. We have found the Clavet name widespread there, but no Clavette name form currently exists.

We do however find a place named Clavette in the Bordeaux region of France. This must mean that as the language continued to evolve, that the name Clavette was changed to Clavet however, the place name was not changed so as to avoid confusing map makers and travelers to the area.

The fact that the Clavette name form exists in Spain means that we can date the introduction of it into the Spanish language as early as the eleventh century to some time in the sixteenth century. This would also mean that the name survived a language change intact proving it is a Latin form. So, although some of us may have the original name form here, I find that this is only because of the Arcadians maintaining their language structure over the course of the century and a half before Michel's arrival here. Those who are currently in Canada whom kept the Clavet form do so, under the French Canadian language form. The French of Quebec and Montreal does have significant differences to those who speak French in the New Brunswick and Northern Maine areas. So much in fact, that both can be considered separate dialects of the same language. I recall when as a teenager, I spoke with a French language teacher in my school. She informed me that the French of my Father was much more primitive, and that there were less contractions and shortcuts in his language than in modern Parisian French. Her original language was Canadian French and that even this language had it's primitive words and local colloquialisms in it, as compared to modern Parisian French.

To find when this word was first used we must go back much further than Michel's appearance here in the mid-seventeen hundreds to understand this.

Nearly two thousand years ago, at a time when most of Europe had not yet seen the spread of Christianity through its political and social structures. The Roman Empire was at its zenith, and the conquest and subjugation of the peoples of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa were key to  continued existence. It is about this time in the first century, that the origin of our name as a \plain\ul term of meaning\plain\b \plain found  first written expression. Ironically however, I have spent several years researching this one point and found the first recorded use of this term, comes from the most published and the most studied book in the Western Hemisphere today.

The New Testament of the Holy Bible informs us that this first written use, is also in the book agreed by most theology scholars as more than likely first written about 70 to 90 A.D.. This would place it about 60 years after the events that are written about took place, but may have been written within memory of first hand witnesses. We also find the use of it in a quote from Jesus himself. The book of Matthew states in Chapter 16 verse 17 (And Jesus answered and said unto him, \'93Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.\'94) Matthew chapter 16 verse 18 (\'93And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it\'94) Matthew Chapter 16 verse 19 \{we first read of it\} (\'93And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.\'94) In Matthew chapter 16 verse 20 (Then he charged his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus, the Christ.) The book of Matthew, many scholars agree was written in the first half of the first century A.D. first in Greek then later in Latin. No doubt in the context of the story it marks a discernible change in the expectations of Jesus. He knew that forces were beginning to take a course that could lead to his end, and that the other Apostles would need to know whom to look too for leadership.

St. Peter is depicted in almost every statue, painting, and likeness of having a set of keys in his hand or hanging from his robes which directly relates to this early concept. This passage, from the book of Matthew, has been the basis for Papal rule and the rise of the monarchical powers through out Europe in the two millenniums since the birth of Jesus and the rise of Christianity in the western world. In the third century we first see the events that bring Christianity to the forefront of political and social control after nearly a century of harsh repression from pagan Roman Emperors. Between Constantine's Embrace of Christianity and the final declaration of it as the official religion of the Empire took about one hundred years, between 312 A.D.-395 A.D. Constantine moved the Empire\'92s political capitol to Constantinople (Modern Istanbul, Turkey), possibly precipitating the fall of the Roman Empire or maybe giving it one last great assent and birth of the Byzantine Empire. This depends on whose history you read of the period. \tab Within this time, across the Middle East and Mediterranean area the most spoken language of the time was Aramaic Latin. This was the common language spoken by Jesus in his time, but no written examples existed because Greek was the accepted written language of the time. It was a primitive form of Latin, and it\'92s mother tongue. Most of the words were borrowed from Greek, Persian, Etruskian, Egyptian, Phoenician, and a host of others. The Gastoneese Language of Michel Clavet is rooted in Latin. It still exists as a spoken tongue in areas around the Pyrenee Mountains between Spain and France today. Statistics kept by the French government indicate there are still about two million speakers of it today. Later as the silk road, first opened by Alexander the Great, came under less and less control of the Roman legions and the rise of the Moslem religion in the Arabian regions and across North Africa in the fifth century, the continuous raids by Germanic tribes to the north, and the horsemen of the steps of Russia, Latin was left in regional isolation and it became more refined. Then, countries who accepted Christianity, began their own root languages from the Latin mother tongue. \par \tab Recorded histories of the time reinforce the concept that the Bishops of the large cities around the Mediterranean held religious authority over their flocks and the political Empires, and established that the one to whom was intrusted with the authority over them all was the Bishop of Rome. Ambrose, The Bishop of Milan, makes one of the earliest mentions of this in writing to fellow Christians when he excommunicates Theodoric, of the Ostrogoths, whom had taken control of the Roman Empire in the late fourth century and had committed an act of genocide outside the city of Milan. Theodoric then paid penitence for this act which absolved him in the eyes of the then young Church, and set an important precedent to the peoples in the Empire and to future assertions of the Church\'92s autonomy and authority, but it did not put an end to secular interference and influence within the Church. When Ambrose was asked, in a letter, where he derived his power over the political leaders of his day, he quoted the passage in Matthew, of Jesus identifying Peter as the head of the Church. He also stated that in the matters of this life that although the political hierarchy was in charge of material matters, that in spiritual matters it was the church for whom was the gate kept to heaven, and only with the Vatican\'92s blessings could admittance be gained. \par \tab We also find in the year 446 Pope Leo writes: "Although the priests enjoy a common dignity, they are not all on the same footing, since even among the blessed apostles, who were alike in honor, there was a certain distinction in authority. All were alike chosen, but it was given to one that he should be preeminent among the others. Upon this model the distinction among the bishops is based, and it is salutarily provided that all should not claim the right to do all things, but in each province there should be one who should have the first word among his brethren. Again, in the greater cities others are appointed to greater responsibilities. Through these the oversight of the whole church is concentrated in one see, that of Peter, and from his head there should never be any dissent." This explains the view of the early hierarchy of the church and confirms that as early as the fourth century, the book of Matthew was already being accepted as source material for spiritual rulings for the church and for political control over the Empire and monarchies. This was important for several reasons. Not only was the right of succession to be preserved, but that this be mirrored in the society within which they lived.

This would leave a patriarchal and unbroken line that fostered loyalties and lines of accession to the thrones and stability for the future. This was a familiar and accepted part of those who still believed in the old pagan Roman empire and provided a somewhat seamless political shift. Insuring that political, religious, and economical stability could be maintained over long periods of time was essential to spread Christian beliefs and allowed the later monarchies to colonize and subjugate, in the name of Christianity, those who refused to be converted.

The first Popes who enjoyed the legal and exclusionary practice of the Christian religion, fully intended to keep this power to themselves and leave no doubt what would happen to those who usurped their authority.

They learned these political lessons from the pagan Roman emperors of their past. The reaction to the Reformation, The Inquisition, the rise and expansion of the Moslem religion in the east and the conquest and exploitation of the New World are the best examples we have of this. Monotheism was tolerated to a certain extent, but even those religions (Judaism in particular) were persecuted.

\ri173\sl480 \ This was also the time of the division of the Orthodox (whose founder was Andrew, brother of Peter and who introduced him to Jesus, according to the book of John) and Roman churches took place.

Forever dividing, and driving the western and eastern churches apart.

The early church was a small sect with James, brother of Jesus, we are told in the Apocrypha ( A non-canonized book of early Christian works and in the Epistles of Paul), as it's head. Peter is even depicted as second to James in a meeting some years after the crucifixion with Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus to determine Saul's justification for converting the Gentiles and bringing the teachings of Jesus to them. It was Peter's martyrdom in Rome circa 64 A.D. that cemented his leadership role in the early church.

The use of Clavette as a name may have first taken place at a time when the Papal court was shifted to the south of France in the eighth or ninth centuries for a brief time, in the Bordeaux area.

No doubt the names use \par was in some way symbolic, in much the same way that the people of the time wore daggers in their belts. The dagger was symbolic and often elaborately bore it\'92s owners status in the society in which he lived. It was also used as a form of personal cutlery and weapon of safety. Perhaps the first Clavette was given this name for being either intrusted with, or in charge of some form of protection for someone, or some thing, the Papal crown thought was of exceptional importance.

The then early church relied heavily on icons in it\'92s relation of the Christian story to bring in and cement the relationship to it\'92s first congregations. It is possible that an early icon or object thought precious to the early church fathers may have been placed in safe keeping with this first ancestor.

The name, Keeper of the Keys, reminds one of the naming of the first groups intrusted with the safety of those places first identified by Constantine the Great\'92s mother Helena (Later, St. Helena). Her mission was to find and secure those places and objects for Christianity in the holy land, the areas and things spoken about in the bible.

\sl480\tx720 \tab Groups like the Knights Templars, the Teutonic Knights, the Knights of St. John, or Hospitalers.

These were active military religious orders in the early middle ages, but there were some others whom had other areas of religious and chivalrous concerns.

Today only the Teutonic Knights and Hospitalers remain as religious orders today. \plain\cf1 These military religious orders accepted their work as the supreme expression of the principles of Christian knighthood. They also were free from the control of bishops and kings, and were responsible to the Pope only. By combining martial ideals with religious zeal, the orders helped establish the concept of the knight as an honorable and pious Christian soldier.

This practice helped infuse chivalry, the code of medieval knights, with religious overtones, and led to the image of the noble knight as a man of both faith and honor.

plain There can be no doubt of this conclusion. The Coat of Arms of The Vatican resembles the Clavette\'92s so closely that the name would not have been tolerated for long from someone whom did not share some close, almost family relationship to this office. The connection to the office despite it\'92s holder should be also noted. This gives us a wide range of possible Popes, and administrations, in this era with which to investigate. The Popes of this time were elected into office, and that along with this office came a growing and expanding bureaucratic group that were the day to day administrators of the office.

The Emperors and kings clashed repeatedly with the popes during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the Roman Catholic church was still a formidable political power. At the end of the Investiture Controversy in the twelfth century, a clear distinction was drawn between the spheres of ecclesiastical and secular authority.

After 1300, the monarchs progressively limited the Church\'92s influence over political and economic affairs in their kingdoms, restricting the Church to the important but less threatening spiritual and cultural sphere of influence.

The Crusades to the Holy Land attested to the Church\'92s continuing popularity in the high Middle Ages, even though these ventures had acquired a mercenary character by the thirteenth century. In an increasingly materialistic age, the rise of the Dominican and Franciscan friars signaled a new spiritual revival among the clergy that also attracted large numbers of pious laity. Until the Reformation period, when church reformers rallied under the banner of apostolic poverty. \tab We may never know the first Clavette named, because in the time at which he lived, the histories were being written about those whom were in power. The entire era was referred to as the Dark Ages for just this reason. Not many references exist for those lower on the ladders of social and economic life, as this was a luxury that only those in authority could either afford to have written or published, (It should be noted here, that it is often the conquer who writes the history of the time, not the conquered, as I found in researching Michel's arrival), as most books at that time were still being printed one copy at a time entirely by hand and kept by those whom could read. This was not to change until the revolutionary printing of the Guttenberg Bible, and new processes of creating cheap paper in the fourteenth century, (It required 170 calfskin\'92s or 300 sheepskin's to produce a single vellum Bible) that led to the widespread exchange of ideas and concepts, and it became more available to a vastly underprivileged peasantry. \par \pard \fi-720\sl480 \tab We do know that the library in the Vatican contains texts and documents that span the entire Christian era, and many from the earlier pagan Roman times. Access to this even today, is strictly regulated to protect these extensive and vast resources of the Roman church, that no doubt have a value that is impossible to calculate. \par \pard \sl480\tx720\tx8640 \tab It is known from the chroniclers of the times that many documents of individuals do exist in records that found there way into the vast Vatican collections and that the importance of these facts can not be disputed. One instance of such record keeping can be found in the attempts of the church to locate an ever more accurate calendar system to keep the various parts of the church in regular or same time. This was needed to inform everyone everywhere when certain feast days, or fasting days, occurred and that travelers could be assured that these days were kept the same all over the Christian empire. These calendars were kept posted on the churches to where they were sent. Every month being changed with new, and the old being returned to the seat of the bishops who were in charge of cataloging and keeping them safe. All eventually were brought back to Rome.\tab These calendars often had in their margins written by the priests or others whom the vast uneducated relied upon for writing, some of the every day events of the peoples in that church. Some of whom may have been peasants, that neither owned property or were able to read or write. The range of these observations may have been simple, (a loss of a farm animal), to an event that all of Europe witnessed, (a passing comet). Often, person\'92s names and/or occupations were used to described who saw what and where. This could give an unmistakable feel for some of the dynamics that these people had within the immediate areas where they lived and provide much needed details to documents like censuses and other documents that sometimes read like shopping lists, rather than living history.

After reading thousands of texts and chronicles reprinted of the period, I have still yet to come across any direct evidence of any links to a lineage of our common ancestor. My investigation, so far, has spread over fourteen countries (United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Turkey) and five principalities (The Vatican, Andorra, Monte Carlo, Grenoble, and Luxembourg) from the western hemisphere to the lands of ancient Persia (modern Iraq). It also spans seven languages (Latin, English, Greek, Spanish, German, Italian, & Bask), and one with four dialects (Cajun French, Canadian French, Arcadian French, and Parisian French) and one now dead language (Aramaic Latin), now only spoken by a handful of archeologists and linguistic specialists.

The obvious lack of a connection apparent to us, who are trying to tie in Michel's connection to the Old World may be because there is a lack of family research occurring in some areas of Europe, at this time, and in this area of France in particular. Perhaps the feelings that they are close to where many feel they first came from doesn't inspire many to ask, or to seek.

In conclusion, there maybe some earlier references to this term in Assyrian, Greek, (Three to sixty five hundred B.C.) or the Bask language.

The Bask peoples arrived about Thirty to Eighty thousand years ago, in the first great migration from Africa.

The extensive cave paintings found in southern France are attributed to these early people, who may have lived along side Neanderthal Man during the last Ice Age.

The lack of any great amounts of writings available earlier than the third century B.C.

in Cuneiform (at this time) or Greek together with the lack of an early written Bask language may preclude any further investigations, and can only be left to speculation.

This early history seems to be all that is found about this subject until this time. I hope that as more time passes and more of the vast information age expands into our lives, and the cutting edge of technology is brought in to use in more archeology finds, that eventually we will find those connections that will fill in the voids of our common history.

What information we have here, I hope, will help to provide the basis for that continuous chain to the first Keeper of the Keys.

Kevin D.Clavette

 

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