A letter to Abbot Peter (1163, October 2)

Translated letter:

In the year of the lord’s Nativity 1163, 6 nones of October, in the reign of king Louis, this charter was written which lady Ermengard viscountess of Narbonne made for the church of St. Mary of Lent. I therefore the aforesaid Ermengard for myself and for all my successors in perpetuity give, approve, affirm to the said church of St. Mary and to you Peter abbot of that church and your successors and all those serving God there everything that you acquired or was given to your church by Poncia of Coumiac and her husband Bernard of Moleriis, namely half that castrum of Coumiac with all its appurtenances and every dominion pertaining to said half and whatever you might acquire in the future in the territory of that castrum, except the body of that castrum [the castle?], retaining to me Ermengarde and all my successors in said half the authority and the billeting, which billeting the lord of Narbonne ought to have in the whole castrum, namely of ten soldiers each year, and having similarly retained [legal] jurisdictions which pertain to that authority, and similarly retained to me and my successors expedition or cavalry in the whole castrum and of all the men dwelling there. And this donation I make for the remission of my sins and those of my relatives. And if any person, man or woman, should seize or remove anything in said fief from you the aforesaid or your successors, I the aforesaid Ermengard and all my successors will be the maintainers and defenders to you and your successors in perpetuity. The witnesses giving proof of this thing, whose names are written here for the living are Arnold of Montescot, master of the militia, Gaucelinus of Azillan, master of the Hospital of Jerusalem, Peter viscount of Minerve, Peter Raymond vicar of Narbonne, William of Durban, William of Poitiers, Bremund of Sejan, Berengar of Ouveilhan. Asked by the aforesaid lady Ermengard viscountess and all the said witnesses, William of Serignan, succentor of the church of Capestang wrote [this].

Original letter:

IN anno dominicae Nativitatis MCLXIII, VI nonas octobris, regnante Lodoyco rege, scripta fuit haec carta quam domina Ermeniardis vicecomitissa Narbonensis fecit ecclesiae Sanctae Mariae de Quadraginta. Ego igitur praedicta Ermeniardis per me & per omnes meos successores in perpetuum dono, laudo, affirmo praedictae ecclesiae Sanctae Mariae & tibi Petro abbati ejusdem ecclesiae & successoribus tuis & omnibus ibidem Deo servientibus totum quidquid vos acquisistis aut ecclesiae vestrae datum fuit a Poncia de Coemeraco & marito ejus Bernardo de Moleriis, scilicet medietatem ipsius castri de Coemeraco cum omnibus suis pertinentiis & omni dominatu ad praedictam medietatem pertinente & quidquid in territorio ejusdem castri acquirere in futurum poteritis, excepto corpore ipsius castri, retento mihi Ermenardi & omnibus successoribus meis in praedicta medietate potestativo & alberga, quam albergam dominus Narbonae habere debet in toto castro scilicet decem militum annis singulis, & retentis similiter justitiis, quae ad potestatem pertinent, & similiter retenta mihi & successoribus meis expeditione seu cavalgada in toto castro & omnium hominum ibidem commorantium. Et hanc donationem facio in remissione peccatorum meorum & parentum meorum. Et si aliqua persona hominum vel feminae vobis praedictis vel vestris successoribus de omni honore praedicto aliquid amparaverit vel abstulerit, ego praedicta Ermeniardis & omnes mei successores erimus inde vobis vestrisque successoribus manutensores & defensores in perpetuum. Hujus rei sunt testes evidentes quorum nomina ipsis viventibus hic sunt scripta, Arnaldus DE MONTEESCOT, magister miliciae, Gaucelinus de Azilano, magister Hospitalis Hyerusalem , Petrus de Minerba vicecomes, Petrus Raimundi de Narbona vicarius, Guillelmus de Durbanno, Guillelmus DE PEITEUS, Bremundus de Sejano, Berengarius de Ovelano. A predicta domina Ermeniardi vicecomitissa & ab omnibus praedictis testibus rogatus Guillelmus de Serignano, succentor ecclesiae Capitistagni, scripsit.

Scholarly notes:

Ermengard approves a donation to the church of St. Mary of half the terrritory shared with Poncia of Coumiac and her husband, but reserves to herself the castle and billeting within it.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a castle at the center.

Printed source:

Devic and Vaissette, Histoire Generale de Languedoc (Toulouse: Privat, 1875) 5.1273-74, #654.2.

Date:

1163, October 2