A letter from Matilda of Tuscany, countess of Tuscany, duchess of Lorraine (1106)

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and indivisible trinity, Matilda by the grace of God if she is anything. Some time ago while we were dealing with much business at Nogara in the county of Verona to do justice with god’s grace, brother Luthar came to us, prior of the court of Malara, on the part of lord John venerable abbot of the holy Saviour of Pavia, to lodge a complaint about unjust opposition from our men of Revere. He asked our mercy and gently beseeched that we not suffer any injustice to the church of the holy Saviour, namely what our foresaid men of Revere claimed, that they could pasture their pigs justly and by custom without any rent and maintain them with acorns and other grazing. To which worthy prayers we assented and diligently making ourselves acquainted with the matter by the reporting of our liegemen, at last we found with much corroborating testimony, that in that wood which is bound by the road of St. Michael from Trognone to Arnaria and from Arnaria to the tree plantation of Frassini, violence as we said above that was unjustly visited on the said court of Melara by our men. We wish to make known, therefore, to all our liegemen, present and future, that said violence is removed from the court of Melara, and it is firmly ordered that no one of our men dare to maintain his pigs within the above written confines of said wood without consent of that prior who is currently in the court of Melara. To the memory of those who come after and perpetual memorial of our soul and of our parents, at Custello, where this business was aired and much discussed in the presence of lord Ugo, venerable bishop of Mantua, and Ubald, judge of Carpineto and many of our liegemen, we ordered this to be written, supported by our authority and strengthened by the testimony of many. If anyone attempts to contravene this page of our ordinance, and wishes to harm said court justly or injustly because of what we have done for the salvation of our soul, let him know that he incurs our wrath and must pay 50 pounds of silver as penalty of our edict, half to said church of the holy Saviour, half to our chamber, with this document remaining always in force. So that it be truly believed and held firmly in future times, we have signed it with the subscription of our own hand. I, judge Ubald was present and signed. Matilda, by the grace of God if she is anything, signed. Enacted in the year of the lord's incarnation, 1106, 5th ides of January, at Custello by the hand of archpriest and chaplain Fruger. Witnesses were ...

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue trinitatis. Matilda dei gratia, si quid est. Dum olim in comitatu Veronensi apud Nogariam de multis negociis, quae pre manibus habebamus, comitante dei gratia iusticiam faceremus, venit ad nos frater Liutharius, prior curtis Melarie, ex parte do[mi]ni Iohannis sancti Salvatoris de Papia venerabilis abbatis, querimoniam faciens de quibusdam controversiis a nostris hominibus de Reveri referebant, se per totam silvam curtis Melarie iuste ac usualiter absque omni redditu debere porcos suos pascere et glandibus et ceteris pascuis retinere. Cuius dignis precibus annuentes et rem diligentius relatione nostrorum fidelium cognoscentes, tandem invenimus multorum congruo testimonio, quod in illa silva, que terminatur a via sancti Michaelis de Capite Trognoni usque in Arnariam, et ab Arnaria usque ad corrigium de Capite Fraxini, violentia, qualiter supradiximus, iniuste fuerat predicte curti Melarie a nostris illata. Notum igitur fieri volumus omnibus nostris fidelibus tam presentibus quam futuris predictam violentiam a curte Melarie removisse, et ne aliquis nostrorum intra predicte silve suprascripta confinia absque consensu illius prioris, qui pro tempore aderit in curte Melarie, porcos suos audeat retinere, firmiter precepisse. Ad memoriam itaque posterorum et nostre anime ac parentum nostrorum memoriale perpetuum, apud Custellum, ubi hoc negocium in presentia do[mi]ni Ugonis venerabilis Mantuani episcopi et Ubaldi iudicis de Carpineto multorumque nostrorum fidelium plurimum ventilatum est atque discussum, iussimus super hac re fieri presens videlicet scriptum, nostra autoritate suffultum multorumque etiam testimonio roboratum. Si quis autem contra hanc nostre institutionis paginam venire temptaverit et de hoc, quod fecimus pro remedio anime nostre, predictam curtem sive iuste sive iniuste molestare voluerit, sciat se nostram iram incurrere et banni nostri poenam quinquaginta libras argenti debere persolvere, medietatem prefate ecclesie sancti Salvatoris, medietatem vero camere nostre, hoc tamen scripto in suo semper robore permanente. Quod ut verius credatur et futuris temporibus firmius habeatur, proprie manus subscriptione firmavimus. Ego Ubaldus iudex interfui et subscripsi. Matilda dei gratia, si quid est, subscripsi. Actum anno dominice incarnationis millesimo CVI, Vto idus ian[uarii], apud Custellum per manum Frugerii archipresbiteri et capellani. Testes vero interfuerunt: Guibertus filius Gandulfi, Albericus de Nonantula, Girardus et Ugicio de Herbera, Bosolinus filius Guizoli, Sasso de Bibianello, Ugo massarius et Dibiertus de Reveri, Iohannes riparius, Paulus canevarius, Albertus de Melaria, Albinus, Stephanus, Petrus, Paganus et reliqui plures.

Historical context:

Matilda awards the people of Melara, which belongs to the abbey of San Salvatore in Pavia, the right to control the fattening of pigs in the forest of Melara, a right claimed by the marquis’s people of Revere. Melara was part of Matilda's dower lands from her first husband Lothar and his father. A similar right is granted to the monastery of St. Benedict Po in Die Urkunden 135.  Penelope Nash, Empress Adelheid and Countess Matilda, translates "si quid est," in Matilda's signature "is who she is," 194.

Manuscript source:

Milano, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Biblioteca, Fondo Negri da Oleggio

Printed source:

Die Urkunden und Briefe der Markgräfin Mathilde von Tuszien, ed. Elke Goez and Werner Goez (Hanover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 1998), 93

Date:

1106, January 9