The world's oldest surviving love letter written in English has been successfully decoded using artificial intelligence, bringing a 540-year-old romance back to life. Written in February 1477, the letter from Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston III reveals a young woman torn between her family's financial demands and the man she loved. The newly launched Scribe AI tool by MyHeritage has translated the difficult Middle English text, providing a rare and intimate glimpse into the complex world of medieval marriage negotiations.
This remarkable document is part of the famous Paston Letters, a vast collection of correspondence that offers unparalleled insights into life during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses. While historians have studied these letters for centuries, the application of modern AI technology is now making them accessible to a far wider audience, illuminating the deeply human emotions that drove historical events.
A Valentine's Plea from the 15th Century
In her heartfelt letter, Margery addresses John as her "right well-beloved Valentine," marking it as the earliest known use of the term in a romantic English letter. However, the tone quickly shifts from romantic endearments to practical concerns. Margery explains that her mother had pleaded with her father to increase her dowry, but he had refused to offer more money, putting the entire wedding at risk. Her father had promised £200 but wanted to pay it in instalments over several years, a condition John's family found unacceptable.
Despite the monetary dispute, Margery's devotion to John remained steadfast. She boldly declared that even if he had "half the livelihood" he currently possessed, she would not forsake him, promising to endure "the greatest labour that any woman on life might." She signed the letter "with a very heavy heart," asking John to keep its contents secret. Her words highlight a remarkable degree of emotional intelligence and personal agency, challenging modern assumptions about arranged marriages in the Middle Ages.
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The Paston Letters and Medieval Society
The Brews-Paston correspondence is a jewel within the larger Paston Letters collection, which spans from 1422 to 1509. This archive, currently held by the British Library, contains over a thousand documents detailing the lives, business dealings, and political maneuvering of the Paston family, members of the English gentry. The letters are an invaluable resource for understanding the social fabric of medieval England during a period of significant upheaval. Notably, the collection is a primary source for the period of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) and the early Tudor period (1485-1603).
The Paston family's story is one of remarkable social climbing. Beginning as farmers in the village of Paston on the Norfolk coast, they rose to become prominent members of the gentry through education, law, and strategic marriages. Margery's letter perfectly encapsulates the tension between personal desire and familial obligation that defined life for England's landed classes. Her mother, Dame Elizabeth Brews, was so keen on the match that she described Margery as "a greater treasure" than any money John would lose, calling her "a witty gentlewoman" who was "both good and virtuous."
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The Edwards family, descendants of the Pastons, gathered around the book containing the original letters. (Daisy Honeybunn / MyHeritage)
AI Unlocks the Secrets of the Past
The deciphering of Margery's letter was made possible by MyHeritage's Scribe AI, a powerful new tool launched in March 2026 that is designed to transcribe, translate, and interpret historical documents. The original text was written in Middle English, utilizing phonetic spelling, unfamiliar grammar, and archaic characters like the Anglo-Saxon letter 'thorn,' which made it virtually unreadable to modern eyes. Ink that had faded to near-invisibility in sections added another layer of difficulty. "The language can feel unfamiliar to modern readers because spelling, grammar and pronunciation were very different from the English we use now," a MyHeritage spokesperson explained.
Scribe AI not only translates the text into modern English but also provides historical context, a list of key details, and suggestions for follow-up research. Rob Edwards, an archaeologist and descendant of the Paston family, was among those who viewed the decoded letter. "It really reminds you that the people you are studying are very much like ourselves," he said. "They have the same feelings, and the fact that they are related really does add an extra dimension." This technology is transforming the field of historical research, allowing both scholars and amateur genealogists to uncover the stories hidden within ancient texts.
Ultimately, the story of Margery Brews and John Paston III has a happy ending. Thanks to the intervention of John's mother, Margaret, a compromise was reached regarding the dowry, and the couple married later in 1477. They went on to have several children, and their subsequent letters reveal a loving and playful relationship. In December of that same year, Margery wrote to John mentioning a ring she had sent him "for a remembrance, till you come home," adding that he had left her "such a remembrance" that made her think of him "both day and night" - a reference, scholars believe, to her first pregnancy. Even across five and a half centuries, the warmth and wit of Margery Brews speaks directly to us.
Top image: The famed 'Be my Valentine' Letter, written in February 1477 by Margery Brews. Source: British Library Board / The Jerusalem Post
By Gary Manners
References
Benzine, V. 2026. Centuries-Old Love Letter Deciphered With Help From A.I. Artnet News. Available at: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/paston-letters-translation-scribe-ai-2767120
Daniella. 2026. Introducing Scribe AI: Transcribe, Interpret, and Receive Fascinating Insights About Your Family's Historical Documents and Photos, and MyHeritage Records. MyHeritage Blog. Available at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/03/introducing-scribe-ai/
Paston Footprints. N.D. Margery (Brews ) Paston. Paston Footprints. Available at: https://www.pastonfootprints.co.uk/margery-brewes-paston-1446-1495
Sela-Eitam, M. 2026. World's oldest love letter decoded by MyHeritage's Scribe AI. The Jerusalem Post. Available at: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-893239
Sisodia, S. S. 2026. AI Analysis Decoded World's Oldest Love Letter After 540 Years. NDTV. Available at: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/ai-analysis-decoded-worlds-oldest-love-letter-after-540-years-11395238
