A letter from Bernard Ato V (after 1129)

Translated letter:

I. In the name of the Lord, in the year of the lord’s Incarnation 1120 (sic), I William of Montpellier give you [Bernard] Raymond count of Melgueil with my daughter in heredity 7000 sous. In such agreement that if you, count Raymond outlive my daughter Guillelma and do not have a child from her, you may hold these 7000 sous for your life and after your death they will revert to me William of Montpellier if I should be alive, or to my child who will then have Montpellier. If however you engender a child from my daughter, and you outlive my daughter and that child dies before she makes a will or is able to make one, you would have those 7000 sous by similar pact, if you were still alive. But if my daughter outlived you and did not have a child from you, those 7000 sous would return to my daughter in their entirety. If indeed she had a child from you and after you died she married another man, 4000 of the sous would be kept for the child and 3000 sous would go back to my daughter. That child that my daughter had from you would have the 4000 sous in such a way that if it died before making a will or being able to, those 4000 sous would go back to my daughter in their entirety, if she were still alive. If however she were dead and had a child from the other husband, they would go to that child. If however that child which she had from the other husband had died, the 4000 sous would revert to me William of Montpellier if I were still alive or to my child who then held Montpellier. And I [Bernard] Raymond count of Melgueil in good will receive these 7000 sous with the aforesaid agreement and with this charter I give you, William of Montpellier and your daughter Guillelma the Melgueil mint [x] as pledge that you would hold that mint as long as you or those who might seek it to your advantage, until you have drawn these 7000 sous from it by the aforesaid agreements. Witnesses are Pons of Montelauro, Hugh of Chateauneuf, Odo of Corno, Peter of Lillos, Pons of Lillos, Rostand of Arzac, Gerbert of Melgueil, Peter Siguer, William Aymon, William Malcavatus, William of Mavala, Bernard Berengar, Berengar Lambert, Lambert of La Pallada. II With the wisdom of God, etc., just so to my most beloved and cherished, I [Bernard] Raymond count of Melgueil give you Guillelma otherwise my wife on your betrothal the castle of Balazuc with all its territory and all that I have there or anyone [has] through me, and Manosque with all its territory and all that I have there and anyone [has] through me, and whatever I have in the whole parish of St Maurice of Balazuc, and the castle of Moulis with all its territory and whatever I have in the parish of St. John of Moulis, and the whole fief in which Berengar of Villesque is vicar and Grabels with all its territory and whatever I have in the whole parish of St. John of Grabels, and all I have in the whole parish of Juvigny and Chateauneuf with its territory, and Substantion and whatever I have in the whole parish of St. Felix of Substantion, and Saella with its territory. All these aforesaid with their territories I [Bernard] Raymond give to you Guillelma my wife on your betrothal, and as long as you shall live you will hold this and after your death to the child or children you wll have from me, if however you have no child or children it will revert to relatives. Moreover I give half of all the moveables I possess. S[ign] of count [Bernard] Raymond who had this written and asked witnesses to confirm it. I [Bernard] Raymond count of Melgueil made the donation of this betrothal with this charter in the month of January, in the year of the Incarnation 1120, in the reign of king Louis, bishop Walter pontiff. Witnesses, Pons of Montelauro, Hugh of Chateauneuf, Odo of Cornon, Peter of Obillan, etc.

Original letter:

I. In nomine Domini, Anno dominicae Incarnationis MCXX (sic), ego Guillelmus de Montepessulano dono tibi [Bernardo] Raimundo Melgoriensi comiti cum filia mea in haereditate VIIM solidos. In tali vero convenientia, quod si tu [Bernarde] Raimunde comes filiam meam Guillelmam supervixeris & infantem ex ea non habueris, istos VII M solidos in vita tua teneas & post mortem tuam ad me Guillelmus de Montepessulano si vivus fuero revertantur vel ad ipsum infantem meum qui tunc Montempessulum habebit. Si autem infantem ex filia mea genueris, tu & ipse filiam meam supervixeritis, & ipse infans moritur antequam testamentum faciat vel facere potuisset, eosdem VII M solidos simili pacto habeas, si superstes fueris. Sed si filia mea te supervixerit & infantem de te non habuerit, isti VII M solidos filiae meae in integrum reddantur. Si vero de te infantem habuerit & te mortuo altero viro nupserit, IV M solidos infanti conserventur & filiae meae Guillelmae III M solidos reddantur. Istos vero IVM solidos ipse infans quem filia mea de te habuerit eos tali modo habeat, quod si moritur priusquam testamentum vel faciat vel facere potuisset & ipsi IV M solidos filiae meae in integrum reddantur, si superstes fuerit. Si autem mortua fuerit & infantem ex alio viro habuerit, ipsi infanti reddantur. Si autem ille infans quem de alio viro habuerit mortuus fuerit, ad me Guillelmus de Montepessulano si vivus fuero vel ad infantem meum qui tunc Montempessulanum habuerit isti IV M solidos revertantur. Et ego [Bernardus] Raimundus comes Melgoriensis bona voluntate hos VII M solidos recipio cum eadem praedicta convenientia & cum hac carta dono tibi Guillelmus de Montepessulano & filiae tuae Guillelmae in pignore Melgoriensem monetam, ut tamdiu vos vel ipsi qui id ad vestrum proficuum quaesierint eandem monetam teneatis, donec istos VII M solidos ex ea tractos habeatis cum praedictis convenientiis. Testes sunt Poncius de Montelauro, Ugo de Castro-novo, Oto de Corno, Petrus de Lillos, Poncius de Lillos, Rostagnus d’Arzac, Girbertus de Melgorio, Petrus Siguerius, Guillelmus Aimoinus, Guillelmus Malcavatus, Guillelmus de Malvala, Bernardus Berengarius, Berengarius Lambertus, Lambertus de la Pallada.

II. — Cum Dei sapientia, &c., proinde dilectissime mihique amantissime, ego [Bernardus] Raimundus Melgoriensis comes dono tibi Guillelmae alias uxori meae in sponsalitio tuo castrum de Balasuco cum omni suo terminio & quod totum ibi habeo vel aliquis per me, & Mannous cum omni suo terminio & totum quod ibi habeo vel aliquis per me, & quidquid in tota parochia Sancti Mauricii de Balasuco habeo, & castrum de Murlis cum omni suo terminio & quodcumque habeo in parochia Sancti Johannis de Murlis, & totum honorem in quo Berengarius de Vallauques vicarius habet, & Grabels cum suo terminio & quodcumque habeo in tota parochia Sancti Johannis de Grabels, & totum quod habeo in tota parochia de Juviniaco & Castrum-novum cum suo terminio, & Substantionem & quidquid habeo in tota parochia Sancti Felicis de Substantione, & Saellam cum suo terminio. Haec si omnia supradicta cum suis terminis dono ego [Bernardus] Raimundus Guillelmae uxori meae in sponsalitio suo, ut quamdiu vixeris hoc teneas, & post mortem tuam ad infantem vel infantes quem vel quos habueris ex me, sin autem infantem vel infantes non habueris, ad propinquos revertatur. Praeterea dono omnem medietatem mobilium quae ego possideo. S. [Bernardi] Raimundi comitis qui haec scribere fecit & testes firmare rogavit. Ego [Bernardus] Raimundus comes Melgorensis hujus sponsalitii donationem cum hac carta feci in mense januarii, anno Incarnationis M CXX, regnante Ludovico rege, Galtero episcopo pontificante. Testes Pontius de Montelauro, Ugo de Castro-novo, Otto de Cornone, Petrus d’Obillan, &c.

Historical context:

Contract of marriage between Bernard Ato V, count of Melgueil, and Guillelma of Montpellier, in which Guillelma’s father details the dowry he gives with his daughter and Bernard details the dower he gives his future wife. Bernard uses the name Raymond in this contract. Since Bernard succeeded his father in 1129, this contract could not have been made before then.

Printed source:

Devic and Vaissette, Histoire Générale de Languedoc (Toulouse: Privat, 1875) 5.886-88, #472.

Date:

after 1129