A letter from Melisende, queen of Jerusalem (1152, September 23)

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual Trinity of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, amen. The standard to be imitated of an ancient institution was not carelessly obtained in earlier times, and the old tradition of the holy fathers was observed no less appropriately, but beneficially transmitted by its examples to us and our successors so that however often the series of whatever things done is composed, lest with the space of times or years running their course it slide equally from the memory of men, it is given over to be preserved by memorial letters and pages for its more certain notice and more firm efficacy. Therefore we, desiring to inhere in all things to all their traces, I Melisende, by divine generous mercy queen of Jerusalem, wish to make it fixed and certain to all men, present and future, that that claim which I made on the church of the Holy Sepulchre and the canons of that place, at the suggestion of one, over the serfs of Bethsuria, namely Selmen, son of Maadi, Habderahmen, Selim, Hasem Nasen, Mekeden, Seleemen, Sade, Brahin, Kannet, Nasser, Ariz, Mahmut, Zaferdemsis, Resselem, Tameh, Rosec, Sahe, Salem son of Sade, and all the others and the land of that village, I dismiss freely and without contention, with the consent and granting of my sons, namely king Baldwin and Amalric, count of Jaffa, and with the advice and approval of good men. So that the canons may have, hold, and possess in perpetuity, without any contradiction or claim from me or any of my heirs, the said serfs, over whom this charge was brought, with all their descendants, as they are known to have had, held, and possessed, more freely and without contention from the time of the illustrious duke Godfrey, I grant freely and without contention and the forenamed land by our gift. To this donation and grant we added the Syrians of Calandria, Cosmas, Semhan, Samuel, Ihanna, Meferreg, Gerges, for whom they gave us the stall formerly of William Bastard, and the places they had in two tables of money-changers, to complete a new street in Jerusalem, and the Syrians of Ramle, namely Bolferag, Jacob, Brahim, Isaac, over whom we made the claim against the canons, and that vineyard which lady Geltidis, wife of lord Rohard, gave said canons for the salvation of her soul when she was about to die, and we confirm that they would have, hold, and possess perenially all the aforesaid Syrians with all their progeny to come and said vineyard according to the form above. That all this, which we have noted above, in the order we proposed, having removed any disturbance, interpellation, or cavilling of all persons, secular or ecclesiastic, may remain fixed, firm, and undisturbed for the church of the Lord’s Sepulchre, it pleased us to write the cirograph of the present little page for the canons of that church and, so any occasion of further charge be removed, to strengthen that cirograph with the placing of our seals. Witnesses of this thing, whose names are subscribed below are: Rohard and his nephew Ralph, John of Valencienes, Babinus, Fulk, Salem, Bencelinus, Tosetus, who were all of the land concerned. And others who follow, namely: Rorches of Nazareth, Ermenald, Helias his brother, Nicholas, chamberlain, Odo of Turcame, Ralph the falconer, Herbert of Rethel, who were all present at this our granting. In the year 1152 from the incarnation of the Lord, indiction 15.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, amen. Imitanda antique institutionis norma temporibus quondam transactis non negligenter obtinuit, et vetusta sanctorum tradicio patrum nichilominus convenienter observavit, sed et observandum exemplis suis ad nos usque succedentibus salubriter transmisit ut, quociens cuiuslibet rei geste series contexitur, ne temporum spatiis annorumve labentibus curriculis pariter a memoria hominum laberetur, ad sui noticiam cerciorem suique efficatiem firmiorem literarum apicibus paginisque conservandum traderetur memorialibus. Eorum igitur omnium vestigiis nos per omnia inherere cupientes, ego Milesendis, divina largiente clementia Iherosolimorum regina, omnibus hominibus, tam presentibus quam eorum posteris, ratum certumque fieri volo quod illam calumpniam, quam ecclesie Sancti Sepulcri eiusdemque loci canonicis, quorumdam suggestione, super villanis de Bethsurie, videlicet Selmen filio Maadi, Hapderahmen, Selim, Hasem, Nasen, Melpedem, Seleemen, Sade, Brahin, Kannet, Nazer, Ariz, Mahmut, Zafer, Demsis, Resselem, Tameh, Rosee, Sahe, Salem filio Sade, et reliquis omnibus terraque eiusdem casalis feceram, assensu et concessione filiorum meorum, regis scilicet Balduini et Amalrici, Ioppnsium comitis, etiam concilio et laudamento bonorum virorum, libere et quiete dimitto; ita scilicet ut canonici absque omni contradictione seu reclamatione mea vel alicuius heredum meorum predictos villanos, super quibus calumpnia agitata fuerat, cum eorum omnium posteritatibus et prenominatam terram donatione et concessione nostra libere et quiete in perpetuum habeant, teneant et possideant, sicut a tempore illustrissimi ducis Godofridi liberius et quietius habuisse, tenuisse et possedisse noscuntur. Huic donationi et concessioni Surianos de Calandria, Cosmas, Seimahian, Samuel, Ihanna, Meferreg, Gerges, pro quibus stationem, que quondam Willelmi Bastardi fuerat, et partes, quas habebant in duabus mensis nummulariorum, nobis ad perficiendam ruam novuam in lherusalem de suo concesserunt, et Surianos de Ramethes, scilicet Bolferag, Iacob, Brahim, Ysaac, super quibus eisdem canonicis quandoque calumpniam movimus, et vineam illam, quam domina Geltidis, uxor domini Rohardi, de hoc seculo migratura pro salute anime sue eisdem canonicis dedit, addicientes adiungimus, et, ut omnes habeant, teneant, possideant, confirmamus. Ut hec igitur omnia, que prenotavimus, eo ordine quo proposuimus, remota omnium personarum, tam secularium quam ecclesiasticarum, inquietacione interpellatione, cavillatione, ecclesie Dominici Sepulcri fixa, firma et inconvulsa permaneant, placuit nobis eidem ecclesie canonicis presentis paginule cirographum scribere, et, ut de cetero tocius calumpnie auferatur occasio, ipsum cyrographum nostrorum appositione sigillorum roborare. Huius rei testes habentur, quorum nomina subscripta videntur: Rohardus scilicet et nepos eius, Radulphus. Iohannes de Valentienes. Babinus. Fulco. Salem. Bencelinus. Thosetus, qui omnes considerande terre, de qua calumpnia fuerat, convenerunt. Et alii qui secuntur, scilicet: Roches de Nazareth. Ermenaudus. Helias, frater eius. Nicholaus, camerarius. Odo de Turcarme. Radulphus li Fanchenirs. Herbertus de Regiteste, qui huic nostre interfuerunt concessioni. Anno ab incarnatione Domini MCLII , indictione xv.

Historical context:

Melisende, queen of Jerusalem, with the consent of her sons, king Baldwin III and Amalric, count of Jaffa, dismisses the claim which she made against the canons of the Holy Sepulchre over the serfs of the village of Bethsuria , and restores said serfs and others to the canons, for which they concede to the queen the stalls and their part in 2 money-changing tables, so she can construct a new street in the city of Jerusalem. Baldwin confirms the settlement in two charters (Roziere #52, #55). Rohard's wife's name is given as Gislia in Baldwin's charter #52. The names in the list follow Roziere’s corrections. A cirograph is a multiple copy of a document made to be split so each party can have an authentic one.

Printed source:

Roziere, Eugène de,  Cartulaire de l’Eglise du St. Sepulchre (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1849), 87-89, #48, RRH #278.

Date:

1152, September 23