A letter from Frederick II, Emperor (1245, July)

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity. Frederick II, by the favor of divine mercy ever venerable king of the Romans, king of Sicily and Jerusalem. We are compelled to condescend to the just petitions of our faithful, which, unless we hear favorably, we might appear to obey that which is sought through wrongdoing. Through the present (letter) therefore, we make this charter known to all faithful, both present and future, of the empire, that Margaret, countess of Flanders and of Hainaut, our beloved faithful, humbly beseeched our majesty through R. the venerable prior of Holy Salvation, and Genlayn, her messengers sent to our presence, that we might deign by our favor in the name of fealty to invest her with the fiefs of the countships of Namur and parts of Flanders near Scaldis toward Hainaut and Brabant with the Four Districts and Land from Alost and the islands, with all rights, honors, jurisdictions and their appurtenances which were in demesne for demesne (i.e. retained by the lord for his own use) and in tenant service for service, which formerly Joan countess of Flanders, her older sister by birth, held justly from us and from the empire as long as she lived, and she herself (i.e. Margaret) now rightly holds and possesses. We, although it is the custom of the empire that supplicants of this kind should bring themselves personally to our feet for the debt and customary oath that must be pledged to us, wish to grant special favor with the said countess concerning this, given that we have received in our court her agent Walter, in our presence, because she has established fully for her part by due oath of fidelity and of liege homage. We, considering also the pure faith and sincere devotion that the aforesaid countess and her ancestors have thus far shown to our ancestors, highly venerable of memory to be honored, and the same (countess) henceforth will be able to show more favorable, concerning the aforesaid fiefs of the countships of Namur and parts of Flanders near Scaldis toward Hainaut and Brabant with the Four Districts and Land from Alost and the islands with all rights, honors, jurisdictions and their appurtenances which were in demesne for demesne and in tenant service for service, just as formerly the memorable countess Joan rightly held these as long as she lived, and as the same countess (Margaret) rightly holds and possesses, we invest her by the favor of our majesty, such that she herself and all her heirs should immediately hold and also recognize always from us and from the empire all of the aforesaid things, also they should be held to pay debts and customary duties to us and to our successors in the empire and they should not intend to withdraw these things from our dominion ever at any time; they should abide in faith, duties both in devotion to us and of the empire, preserving in all things and through all things in the aforesaid our imperial law. We have established therefore and decree by imperial edict in order that no person high or lowborn, ecclesiastic or secular, no duke, marquis, count or viscount, should presume to challenge with audacious attempt the tenor of our present privilege; whoever will have presumed this, beyond the displeasure of our highness which he will incur, will pay four thousand marks of silver as punishment, with half to our treasury, the remaining half to be applied to those who have suffered wrong. For the recording of this our investiture we have commanded with a document impressed by the golden seal of our majesty that this power be secured and that it become a present privilege permanently effective. The witnesses of this deed are: Conrad our dearest son, ever venerable elect as king of the Romans and legitimate successor of the king of Jerusalem, bishop of Ratisbon, chancellor of the imperial court, the bishop of Freising, bishop of Pactauiensis, H. elect of Bamberg, O. duke of Moravia and B. duke of Cärnten, beloved princes, B. archbishop of Panormitanus, Richard count of Caserta, B. marquis of Montferrat, M. marquis of Lancsa, master Peter of the Vines [Pier della Vigna] and master T. of Soissons, judges of our great court, our beloved faithful, and many others. The seal of our lord Frederick II, invincible by the grace of God, ever venerable emperor of the Romans, king of Sicily and Jerusalem. These judgments have been pronounced in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 1245, in the month of July, of the third indiction, with the lord Frederick II ruling, by the grace of God, invincible ever venerable emperor of the Romans, king of Sicily and of Jerusalem, in the 25th year of his rule, in the 21st of the kingdom of Jerusalem, but in the 47th of the kingdom of Sicily; happily. Amen. Granted at Turin in the year, month, and indiction of the aforementioned title.(1)

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis. Fridericus secundus divina favente clemencia Romanorum imperator semper augustus, Iervsalem et Sicilie rex. Iustis fidelium nostrorum peticionibus condescendere cogimur quas, nisi favorabiliter audiremus, obaudire quod petitur per iniuriam videremur. Per presens igitur privilegium notum facimus universis imperii fidelibus tam presentibus quam futuris quod Margareta comitissa Flandrie et Hanonie, dilecta fidelis nostra, per R. venerabilem priorem Sancti Salui, et Genlayn, nuncios suos ad nostram presentiam destinatos, maiestati nostre humiliter supplicavit ut ipsam de feudis comitatus Namucensis et partis Flandrie citra Scaldum versus Hanoniam et Berbantiam cum Quatuor Ministeriis et Terra de Halost[.] et insulis, cum omnibus iuribus, honoribus, iusticiis et pertinentiis suis que in demanio in demanium et que in servitio in servicium, que quondam Iohanna comitissa Flandrie, soror sua maior natu, a nobis et imperio iuste tenuit quoad vixit, et ipsa nunc iuste tenet et possidet, investire nomine feudi de nostra gratia dignaremur. Nos autem, licet moris sit imperii ut huiusmodi supplicantes personaliter ad pedes nostras se conferant pro debito et consueto nobis Sacramento prestando, volentes super hoc cum comitissa prefata gratiam facere specialem, recepto in curia nostra nobis presentibus a Gualterio procuratore suo, quod constitit satis plene pro parte sua fidelitatis et ligii homagii debito iuramento, attendentes quoque fidem puram et devotionem sinceram quam predicta comitissa et antecessores sui nobis et progenito[r]ibus nostris, divis augustis memorie recolende, exhibuerunt hactenus et eadem exhibere poterit inantea gratiora, de predictis feudis, comitatus videlicet Namucensis et partis Flandrie citra Scaldum versus Hanoniam et Berbantiam cum Quatuor Ministeriis et Terra de Halost et insulis, cum omnibus iuribus, honoribus, iusticiis et pertinenciis suis que in demanio in demanium et que in servitio in servicium, prout memorata quondam comitissa Iohanna ea iuste tenuit quoad vixit, et sicut eadem comitissa nunc iuste tenet et possidet, investimus ipsam de nostre gratia maiestatis, ita tamen ut ipsa et heredes sui predicta omnia semper a nobis et imperio immediate teneant et etiam recognoscant, debita quoque et consueta servitia exinde nobis et successoribus nostris in imperio facere teneantur et de dominio nostra ullo umquam tempore ea subtrahere non intendant, in fide, serviciis et devocione nostra et imperii perseverent, salva in omnibus et per omnia in predictis nostra imperiali iusticia. Statuimus itaque et imperiali sancimus edicto quatinus nulla persona alta vel humilis, ecclesiastica vel secularis, nullus dux, marchio, comes seu vicecomes contra presentis privilegii nostri tenorem ausu temerario venire presumat; quod qui presumpserit, preter indignationem nostri culminis quam incurret, quatuor milia marcharum argenti pro pena componet, medietate camere nostre, reliqua medietate passis iniuriam applicanda. Ad huius autem investiture nostre memoriam et robur perpetuo valiturum presens privilegium fieri et bulla aurea typario nostre maiestatis impressa iussimus communiri. Huius rei testes sunt: Conrradus karissimus filius noster, Romanorum in regem electus semper augustus et regni Ierusolimitani legitimus successor, Ratisponensis episcopus, imperialis aule cancellarius, Frisingenensis episcopus, Pactauiensis episcopus, H. Pabergensis electus, O. dux Marauie et B. dux Karinthie, dilecti principes, B. Panormitanus archiepiscopus, Riccardus comes Caserte, B. marchio Montis Ferrati, M. marchio Lancsa, magister P. de Vinea et magister T de Suessa, magne curie nostre iudices, dilecti fideles nostri, et alii quamplures. Signum domini nostri Friderici secundi, Dei gratia invictissimi (M) Romanorum imperatoris semper augusti, Ihervsalem et Sicilie regis. Acta sunt hec anno dominice incarnationis millesimo ducentesimo quadragesimo quinto/ mense iulii, indictionis tercie, imperante domino Friderico secundo, Dei gratia invictissimo Romanorum imperatore semper augusto, Ierusalem' et Sicilie rege, imperii eius anno vicesimo quinto, regni Ierusalem vicesimo primo regni vero Sicilie quadragesimo septimo; feliciter. Amen. Datum aput Taurinum anno, mense et indictione pretitulatis.

Historical context:

Frederick recognizes Margaret as Countess of Flanders with the same holdings and rights of her predecessor, her sister Joan.

Scholarly notes:

1 The translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Printed source:

Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland tot 1299, ed. A.C.F.Koch (Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoo, 1970), 2.258-60, ep.668.

Date:

1245, July