A letter from Floris of Holland (1248, August 11)

Translated letter:

I Floris of Holland, brother of the renowned man William chosen as king of the Romans, make known to all who will view the present letters that if the arrears of the renowned lady M. countess of Flanders from Zeeland will have been found through sound reckoning to increase the sum of six thousand pounds in the money of Flanders, from which six thousand pounds I have deposited sureties to her, I am bound to render fully the whole sum of the excess to the aforesaid countess in terms noted below, namely half by the next feast of the apostles Peter and Paul and the other half by the next subsequent feast of those same apostles; and I have promised that I will do this by faith pledged and by bodily oath of sacrament, and I oblige to this myself and all my property and that of my (people), and I oblige even to this in place of and in the name of the renowned lord William king of the Romans, my aforesaid brother, all his property and that of his (people), placing all his property and that of his (people) and mine and that of my (people) in surrender to the aforesaid lady countess, so that she may seize them and cause them to be seized without wrongdoing and offense, wherever those things will have been able to be found, until at her direct word satisfaction will have been made to her through sound reckoning concerning the aforesaid excess sum and concerning the expenses and damages which she might incur from delinquency of payment. Granted in the year of the Lord 1248, on the morrow of the blessed Lawrence.(1)

Original letter:

Ego Florentius de Hollandia, frater illustris viri Willelmi Romanorum in regem electi, notum facio omnibus presentes litteras inspecturis quod, si arrieragia illustris domine M. comitisse Flandrie de Zelandia per bonam computationem inventa fuerint excrescere summam sex milium librarum Flandrensis monete, de quibus sex milibus libris ipsi fideiussores constitui, ego teneor totam summam superexcrescentem ad plenum reddere predicte comitisse in terminis subnotatis, medietatem scilicet in festo apostolorum Petri et Pauli proximo futuro et aliam medietatem in festo eorundem apostolorum proximo subsequenti; et hoc promisi me facturum fide interposita et corporali prestito sacramento, et ad hoc etiam me obligo et omnia bona mea et meorum, et obligo etiam ad hoc vice et nomine illustris domini Willelmi regis Romanorum fratris mei supradicti omnia bona sua et suorum, ponens omnia bona sua et suorum, mea et meorum in abandonium predicte domine comitisse ut ea capiat et capi faciat sine forefacto et offensa, ubicumque ea poterunt inveniri, donec ei de summa predicta superexcrescente per bonam computationem et de sumptibus et dampnis que ex defectu solutionis incurreret, ad simplex dictum suum fuerit satisfactum. Datum anno Domini M° CC° quadragesimo octavo, in crastino beati Laurentii.

Historical context:

Floris confirms that he will pay the contess more than the amount he promised in ep.769 (August 11, 1248) if the reckoning shows that he owes her more.

Scholarly notes:

1 This translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Printed source:

Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland tot 1299, ed. A.C.F.Koch (Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoo, 1970), 2.422, ep.770.

Date:

1248, August 11