A letter from Adelaide of Turin and Susa (1062, October 20)

Translated letter:

In the year of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 1062, thirteenth kalends of November, first indiction. To the canonry in the church of the holy mother of God, the Virgin Mary, mother of the church, located within the city of Novara and likewise to the canonry of the church of St. Gaudenzio, confessor of Christ where his holy body rests buried, located just outside the same city. I Adelaide, countess, daughter of Manfred, marquis, of good memory, and widow of the late Otto, have professed to live from my birth under Salic law, the offerer and donor of those churches and canonries, because it is stated that whoever has conferred anything from his property on holy and venerable places will receive in this world a hundred-fold according to the word of Christ; moreover what is better is that he will possess eternal life. Therefore I, countess Adelaide, as above, from the present day for the reward of my soul, give and offer to the same churches and canonries, what is my portion, which is half of a court, a house with demesne land and my portion, which is also half of a castle and a chapel built there in honor of St. Stephen with their grounds with encircled wall and moat with houses and tenant dwellings, all things belonging to that portion of mine of the court and castle and chapel, with my rights that I am understood to possess in the place and estate "mosicio" and the hornbeam grove which in place and estate "uualungo" are adjacent and pertaining to them. And my aforesaid portion of the said court and castle and chapel with aforesaid moat and plots and vineyards with their grounds and arable lands and meadows is two hundred acres of grasslands and one hundred acres of greater and smaller woods. Likewise I, countess Adelaide, as above, through this charter of donation and for the reward of my soul, also give and offer all my jurisdiction and tax that seems to belong to me. Concerning the above-noted things for those churches and canonries may they remain in proprietary power by right and if anything further will be found of my rights to things in those same places and appurtenances, which as read above, through this charter of donation may they similarly remain for those churches and canonries by proprietary right, as was said that half of the said court and the same castle with aforesaid chapel with houses and tenant dwellings and all things belonging to the aforesaid court and castle and chapel, with plots and vineyards with their grounds and arable lands, meadows, pastures, forests, copse woods with their grounds, streams, cliffs and marshes, mills, fisheries cultivated and uncultivated, divided and undivided together with boundaries, borders, accesses and uses of waters and channels of waters with things adjacent and belonging to those things with every right, according to places and names together with every tax and jurisdiction concerning the above-noted things entirely, and moreover I give and offer for reward of my soul the above-noted half of said court and castle and aforesaid chapel and with houses and all things with my above-said rights together with their accesses and rights of entry, and with their superior and inferior things as read above together with said toll and jurisdiction entirely from this day to the same churches and rectories, and through the present charter I confirm holding with proprietary name the share of those churches. In addition by the small knife, knotted straw, glove and piece of earth and branch of tree(1) I make legitimate transfer and investiture for the party of the above noted churches. And I thereby have driven myself out, guaranteed and made myself absent and have relinquished making absent for the party of the aforesaid churches thereby from the present day the share of those churches or to whomever they will give the share of those churches, whatever they will wish with proprietary name by right without any contradiction or reclamation from me, my heirs or representatives of my heirs. But if, which I do not believe will occur, I, Adelaide, countess, God forbid, or any of my heirs or representatives of heirs or any person opposed will attempt at any time to go against this charter of donation or will seek to infringe it through any contrivance, then let us inflict on that party, against whom we have thenceforth brought suit, great penalty, which is two hundred ounces of pure gold, four hundred pounds of silver, and we will renew what we cannot vindicate, but let this present charter of donation remain firm for long duration and persist unshaken with stipulation supported that I, the above countess Adelaide and my heirs and representatives of heirs will defend entirely from any man the party of those churches or to whomever the party of those churches will give the above-noted donation as read above, which, if we will not be able to defend or if we thereby seek to withdraw anything from the party of those churches through any contrivance then we will restore twofold the same offering as is read above to the party of those churches as according to circumstance it will be improved or valued in judgment in similar places. Moreover I, Frank, notary of the sacred palace, have embossed this charter of donation on parchment with ink from the earth, (and) have sought to write and have delivered the document, by which confirming below, offered it to be strengthened by witnesses. Enacted happily within the castle at high river. Sign by the hand of above-noted lady Adelaide, countess, who requested that this charter of donation be made and to whom it was relinquished. Sign by the hands of Unzo and Obert or Odo, all witnesses living under Salic law. Sign by the hands of Ato and Odelrich or Walo and Abelonius, witnesses. I, as above, Frank, notary of the sacred palace, writer of this charter of donation, completed and gave it, subsequently delivered.(2)

Original letter:

Anno incarnacione domini nostri Ihu Xpi millesimo sexagesimo secundo terciodecimo calendas nouembris indicione prima. Ecclesia canonice sancte Dei genitricis Virginis Marie matris ecclesie sita infra ciuitate Nouaria. et ecclesie similiter canonice sancti Gaudencii Christi confessoris ubi eius sanctum umatum requiescit corpus sita foris prope eadem ciuitatem. Ego Adelegia comitissa filia bone memorie Mainfredi Marchionis. et relicta quondam Odonis que professa sum ex nacione mea lege uiuere salicha ofertrix. et donatrix ipsarum ecclesiarum et canonicarum propterea dixit quisquis in sanctis ac in uenerabilibus locis ex suis aliquid contulerit rebus iusta octoris uocem in oc seculo centuplum adcipiat insuper quod melius est uitam possidebit eternam, ideoque ego qui supra Adelegia comitissa dono et ofero in eadem ecclesias et canonicas a presenti die pro anima mea mercede itest meam porcionem que est medietas de curte una domus coltilis et meam porcionem que est item medietas de castro uno et capella una ibi edificata in onore sancti stefani cum areis suarum cum muro et fosato circumdato cum casis et masariciis uniuersis rebus ad ipsam meam porcionem de curte et castro seu capella pertinentibus iuris meis quas abere uisa sum in loco et fundo mosicio et in carpaneto quam in loco et fundo uualungo uel in earum adiacentiis et pertinenciis. Et est predicta mea porcio de iam dicta curte et castro seu capella cum iam dicto fosato insuper et sedimina et uites cum areis suarum seu teris arabilibus et pratis iugeris duo centum de gerbis et siluis maioribus ac minoribus iugeris centum. Similiter dono et ofero ego que supra Adelegia comitissa per anc cartulam ofersionis et pro anime mee mercedem item omnem meum districtum et toloneum quod mihi pertinere uidetur de suprascriptis rebus in earum ecclesiarum uel canonicarum persistant potestate proprietario iuri et si amplius de meo iuris rebus in eisdem locis et pertinenciis inuentum fuerit quam ut supra legitur per anc cartulam ofersionis in earum ecclesiarum et canonicarum similiter persistadt proprietario iuri ut dictum est ipsa medietas de iam dicta curte et de eodem castro cum predicta capella cum casis et masariciis universisque rebus a predictam curtem et castro seu capella pertinentibus tam sedimina et uites cum areis suarum. seu teris arabilis pratis pascuis siluis ac stalareis cum areis suarum ripis rupinis ac palutibus molendinis et piscationibus coltis et incoltis diuisis et indiuisis una cum finibus terminibus accessionibus et usibus aquarum aquarumque ductibus cum omni iure ac iacenciis et pertinenciis earum rerum per loca et uocabola una cum omni toloneo et districto de suprascriptis rebus in integrum que autem suprascripta medietas de iam dicta curte et castro et predicta capella seu casis et omnibus rebus iuris mei superius dictis una cum accessionibus et ingresoras earum. seu cum superioribus et inferioribus earum rerum qualiter superius legitur una cum iam dictum toloneum et districtum in integrum ab ac die in eadem ecclesiarum canonicarum dono et ofero pro anima mea mercede et per presentem cartulam proprietario nomine pars ipsarum ecclesiarum abendum confirmo. Insuper per cultellum fistucum notatum uuantonem et uuasonem tere et ramum arboris et parti suprascriptarum ecclesiarum legiptimam facio tradicionem et uestituram. et me exinde foris expulli uarpiui et absentem me fecit et parti predictarum ecclesiarum abendum reliqui faciendum exinde ex a presenti die pars ipsarum ecclesiarum. aut cui pars ipsarum ecclesiarum dederint quitquit uoluerint iure proprietario nomine sine omni mea et eredum ac proeredum meorum contradictione uel repeticione. Si quis uero . quod futurum esse non credo, si ego ipsa Adelegia comitissa quod absit. aut ullus de eredibus ac proeredibus meis seu quislibet oppositam personam contra anc cartulam ofersionis ire quandoque tentauerimus aut eam per couis ingenium infrangere quesierimus tunc inferamus ad illam partem contra quam exinde lictem intullerimus multa quod est pena auro optimo uncias duo centa argento ponderas quatuor centa et quod repecierimus et uindicare non ualeamus set presens anc cartulam ofersionis diuturnis temporibus firma permanead atque persistat inconuulsa cum stipulacionis subnixa. et ad me qui supra Adelegia comitissa meique eredes ac proeredes pars ipsarum ecclesiarum aut cui pars ipsarum ecclesiarum dederit suprascripta ofersio qualiter superius legitur in integrum ab omni ommine defensare qui si defendere non potuerimus aut si pars ipsarum ecclesiarum exinde aliquit per couis ingenium subtragere quesierimus tunc in dublum eadem ofersio ut supra legitur parti ipsarum ecclesiarum restituamus sicut pro tempore fuerit meliorata aut ualuerit sub estimatione in consimilibus locis. Anc enim cartam ofersionis. et bergamena cum actrementario de terra eleuaui paginam franco notario sacri palacii tradidit et scribere rogaui in qua subter confirmans testibus obtulit roborandam. Actum infra castro riva alta feliciter. Signum + manus suprascripte domnae Adelegie comitisse que anc cartam ofersionis fieri rogavit et ei relecta est. Signum +++ manuum Unzonis et oberti seu odonis omnes lege viventes salicha testes. Signum ++++ manuum Atonis et Odelrici seu Vualonis atque Abelonii testes. Ego qui supra franco notarius sacri palacii scriptor uius carte ofersionis post traditam complevi et dedi.

Historical context:

The countess Adelaide makes a donation to the church of St. Gaudenzio and of St. Mary of Novara of half of a court and a castle located in Mosezzo, along with other property.

Scholarly notes:

(1) These are traditional symbolic objects handed over at the transfer of property. I am grateful to Adam Kosto for this explanation. (2) The translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Manuscript source:

Da copia autentica del 17 58 esistente nei Regii Archivii di Corte.

Printed source:

Historia Patriae Monumenta, edita iussu Regis Caroli Alberti, Chartarum Tomus I (Augustae Taurinorum e Regio Typographeo, 1836), c.599-601, doc.354.

Date:

1062, October 20