A letter from Margaret of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders (1252, January)

Translated letter:

Margaret, countess of Flanders and Hainaut, to all who will view the present letters, greeting. May all your society know that, since we have learned on the report of the master, brothers and sisters of the hospital of St. John in Bruges that the nobleman of good memory, Ferdinand, count, and Joan, his wife, countess of Flanders and Hainaut, our dearest sister and lady, conferred on the aforesaid hospital 10 quarter-acres both of marshland and uncultivated land, lying together near the parish of Eclo, although they did not have letters concerning the said conferral because they had lost the same ones, as they said, and we had taken possession of said uncultivated land and marshland, as if ours, which we were able to do, since they were not sufficiently protected in the aforesaid conferral by letters or by feudal hold [tenura] – we, for the sake of God and piety of deeds, which occur in the mentioned hospital both for the ill lying in bed in that same (place) and for other deserving poor, and so that they might keep two beds of ill [people] on behalf of us in perpetuity in the same hospital and make a pittance on the day of our anniversary, which they are obligated to celebrate after our death each year in the future, we concede and give to the aforesaid hospital the said 10 quarter-acres both of marshland and uncultivated land as pure and perpetual alms to be possessed by the same in perpetuity as the 10 quarter-acres themselves extend in length and in width and they have already maintained the quarter-acres themselves for about 25 years, as they say. Moreover so that our aforesaid conferral and donation may obtain the strength of certainty, we have delivered to the said hospital the present letters strengthened by protection of our seal. Dated in the year of the Lord 1251, in the month of January.(1)

Original letter:

Margareta, Flandrie et Haynoie comitissa, universis presentes litteras inspecturis salutem. Noverit universitas vestra, quod — cum nos ex relatione magistri, fratrum et sororum hospitalis sancti Johannis in Brugis didicerimus, quod bone memorie vir nobilis Fernandus, comes, et Johanna, uxor sua, Flandrie et Haynoie comitissa, nostra soror karissima ac domina, hospitali prefato contulerint decem bonaria tam mori quam wastine, iacentia inunum iuxta parrochiam de Eclo, licet de dicta collatione litteras non haberent, quia ipsas perdiderant, ut dicebant, et nos sai- sivissemus dictam wastinam et morum, tamquam nostram, quodfacere poteramus, cum non essent sufficienter muniti de collatione predicta litteris vel tenura — nos, intuitu Dei et operum pietatis, que fiunt in hospitali memorato tam infirmis lecto decumbentibus in eodem quam aliis pauperibus emeritis, necnon ut duos lectos infirmorum pro nobis imperpetuum in eodem hospitali tenerent et pitantiam facerent in die anniversarii nostri, quod celebrare tenentur post obitum nostrum annis singulis in futurum, hospitali prefato dicta decem bonaria tam mori quam wastine in puram et perpetuam elemosinam concedimus et donamus ab eodem imperpetuum possidenda, prout ipsa decem bonaria in longum se extendunt et in latum et ipsa bonaria iam manutenuerunt per viginti et quinque annos vel ciricter, sicut dicunt. Ut autem predicta collatio et nostra donatio robur optineant firmitatis, presentes litteras dicto hospitali tradidimus, sigilli nostri munimine roboratas. Datum anno Domini millesimo ducentesimo quinquagesimo primo, mense Januario.

Historical context:

The countess redonates land to a hospital which her dead sister Joan and brother in law Ferdinand (Joan’s first husband) had originally donated, but since the hospital had lost the letters of donation Margaret had seized the land. She now accepts the hospital’s claim to land they had long held.

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), 619-20, ep.86.

Date:

1252, January