A letter from Joan of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders (1222/1223, March)

Translated letter:

I Joan, countess of Flanders and Hainaut, make known to both future and present, that I have given to Walter of Courtrai, protonotary of Flanders, my clerk and faithful (subject), as an addition to his fief, which he holds from me, 25 quarter-acres (boneria) of uncultivated land in Soledingha, lying near the uncultivated land of the deacon and canons of Saint Pharailde, to be held as fief from me and my successors by him and his heirs in perpetuity. I have also granted to him that he may give that uncultivated land for annual rent to those to whom he wishes and make (them) his guests on the aforesaid uncultivated land. And it should be known that to those to whom he will give for annual rent the aforesaid uncultivated land, I will guarantee it to those same ones, while nonetheless they should pay to the same Walter or his heirs the annual rent which they will have to pay. So that this my gift to the same Walter and his heirs and to those who will hold the abovesaid uncultivated land from him for annual rent will endure as stable in perpetuity, I have conferred on the aforesaid Walter the present document, strengthened by the affixing of my seal. Granted at Gent, in the year of the lord 1222, in the month of March.(1)

Original letter:

Ego Johanna, Flandrie et Hainonie comitissa, notum facio tam futuris quam presentibus, quod Waltero de Curtraco, Flandrie prothonotario, clerico et fideli meo, dedi in incrementum feodi sui, quod de me tenet, viginti quinque bonaria wastine in Soledingha, jacentia juxta wastinam decani et canonicorum Sancte Pharaildis, de me et de successoribus meis ab ipso et ab heredibus suis in perpetuum tenenda in feodum. Concessi etiam ei, quod wastinam illam dare possit ad annuum censum illis, quibus volet et facere hospites suos de wastina predicta. Et sciendum quod illis quibus dabit ad censum annuum predictam wastinam, ipsis eam warandizabo, dum tamen solverant eidem Waltero vel heredibus suis censum annuum quem solvere debebunt. Ut autem hoc donum meum eidem Waltero et heredibus suis et illis qui sepedictam wastinam de ipso tenebunt ad censum annuum stabile permaneat in perpetuum, prefatoWaltero presentem contuli paginam, sigilli mei appensione munitam. Datum Gandavi, anno domini ,M°CC° vicesimo secundo, mense Martio.

Historical context:

The countess grants one of her men additional lands to the fief he holds from her and permission to rent them to others.

Scholarly notes:

1 The translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Printed source:

Johanna van Constantinopel, Gravin van Vlaanderen en Henegouwen ed. Theo Luykx, Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schoone Kunsten van Belgie, Klasse der Letteren, VIII.5 (1946), 549, ep.19.

Date:

1222/1223, March