A letter from Marie of Montpellier (1204, March 1)
Sender
Marie of MontpellierReceiver
People of MontpellierTranslated letter:
Charter of Peter, king of Aragon, about the city of Montpellier, the castrum of Latis, etc. never to be separated from the rule of Montpellier In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the year of his incarnation 1204, kalends of March, I Peter, by the grace of God king of Aragon, count of Barcelona, lord of Montpellier, for me and for my wife Marie, and for all our successors, I give, grant and concede, and firmly promise to you, 12 upright men chosen to counsel the community of Montpellier, present and future, and to the whole community of Montpellier, that the castrum and town of Montpellier, the castrum and town of Latis, and Castro-novo, and all the castra and towns which I received in dowry with the aforesaid Marie, the queen my wife, are and will always remain under one rule and seignory, and pertain to the rule of the town of Montpellier always inseparably, so that neither we nor our successors can separate any of the aforesaid from us and from the power and rule of the town of Montpellier at any time, or anyone of ours by title of sale, donation, exchange, pledge, or feudal gift, or any other kind of alienation. I wish moreover and grant that you accept in the oath of those sworn of Montpellier, present and future, the men of Latis and Castronovo. I also promise you and agree by stipulation that I shall not hand over the castrum of Montpellier and the castrum of Latis, and Castro-novo, or have them givwen over nor allow them to be given by anyone. It should be known that the income of the town of Montpellier, of the castrum and town of Latis, and of Castro-novo, after the pledge by Latis from the bond of the pledge, in which it is obligated to you twelve upright men and to the community of Montpellier, is received, we can pledge only to the men of Montpelliers or of those places, only what they grant in payment. I give, moreover, and grant to you and to the whole community of Montpellier, that you twelve upright men elected to counsel the community of Montpellier, present and future, have full power of establishing, dividing and correcting all those things which seem to you to pertain to the utility of the community of Montpelliers, and that the town of Montpellier be walled and fortified by your and your successors’ knowledge and determination, yet while our rule and jurisdiction and that of our court of Montpellier remains and endures. I promise also to you and to the whole community of Montpellier that those whom we have sent into exile at the time that the land of Montpelliers came to me, and that I send in the present, I shall put to flight in whatever way I can, and shall always send them as far as I can, and that they or any of them will never return to Montpellier, nor into my whole land, nor shall they have any love or trust with me. I also know and recognize with this present writing that the lord of Montpellier never had, nor ought to have, tribute from the men of Montpellier, so that they oblige themselves or their property to others for the lord, unless they wish to pledge themselves for him through love. I also promise you and agree that all the foresaid I have had commended, confirmed, and established by the aforesaid queen my wife. To this point, I also promise you and agree by stipulation that I have not said or done anything by renunciation of the written and unwritten law and all auxiliary law, nor will anything be said or done that opposes what is contained above or any of it, nor will I or my successors or anyone acting for us contravene this or any part of it at any place or time; but we make the whole firm and to remain fixed always. I shall hold all these fully and observe them in perpetuity, and I have Bernard swear for me. And I Bernard, by the order of my lord king as written above, having physically touched the holy Gospels, I swear that he will observe all the aforesaid. Witnesses of all these are: P. de Bizanchis, R. Benedicti, Lucas Pulverelli, P. Lobeti, Berengarius Amici, Johannes Luciani, Austorgus de Orllaco, Regordus, G. de Grabels, Bertrandus Egidius, R. de Caturcio, G. de Conchis, G. Petri, B. Gandalrici, Jacobus Lumbardi, Randulphus Bonefacius, G. Berengarius, P. Luciani, Jo. de Orllaco, G. Boccados, Ugo de Porta, G. de Cavannaco, Guillelmus Bidocius, Poncius Vitalis, Poncius Ricardi, Symon de Camponovo, G. Borrelli, G. Capde-de-bove, B. Capde-de-bove, dominus G. Magalonensis prepositus, G. de Barbastenx, Jo. de Latis, and Hugo Lawrence, notary who wrote this. And I, Marie, by that same grace queen of Aragon, countess of Barcelona, and lady of Montpellier, commend and confirm all and each of the things contained above in this charter, and wish them to be fixed in perpetuity in the same manner and agreement; and in order that they be more fully observed by me and in no way violated, I make swear on my soul P. of Stagno, and, to give full faith to all of these, I order this page to be fortified by my seal. Which was enacted on the day before the ides of March, in the year and month as above, in the castrum of Cocolibero, in the chamber of that lady queen, before the lord king. Witnesses called and summoned: P. de Porta, J. de Montebelliardo, Anselmus de Massilia, youth, J. de Orlac, G. Clemens, B. Otho, Ugo de Rofiaco, B. Gui, G. Poncius, G. Barbavaira, B. Riquet, S. de Lunello, P. Amalrici, Ugo de Manso, P. Brunus, G. de Porta, Rostagnus de Monte-Arbedono, and the priest R., public notary of Cocolibero, who wrote this by order of the lady queen. This was transcribed.1
Original letter:
Charta Petri regis Aragonun, de villa Montispessuli, castro de Latis etc., a dominio Montispessuli nunquam separandis. IN nomine Domini nostri Jeshu Xpisti, anno ejusdem incarnationis M. cc. iv°, kalendas marcii,— ego Petrus, Dei gratia rex Aragonmn, comes Barchinone, dominus Montispessuli, per me et per Mariam reginam uxorem meam, et per universos successores nostros, dono, laudo et concedo, et firmiter expromitto vobis xii. probis hominibus electis ad consulendam communitatem Montispessuli, presentibus et futuris, et toti universitati Montispessuli, quod castrum et villa Montispessuli, castrum et villa de Latis, et Castrum-novum, et omnia castra et ville que, cum predicta Maria regina uxore mea, in dotem accepi, sint semper et maneant sub una dominatione et seinnhorivo, et ad dominationem ville Montispessuli inseparabiliter semper pertineant et maneant, ita quod nullum predictorum nos vel successores nostri a nobis et a potestativo et dominatione ville Montispessuli nullo tempore separemus, vel aliquis nostrum titulo venditionis, donationis, permutationis, pignoris seu donationis in feudum, vel quolibet alio genere alienationis. — Volo preterea et concedo quod recipiatis in Sacramento juratorum Montispessuli, presentium et futurorum, homines de Latis et de Castro-novo. — Item promitto et convenio vobis per stipulationem quod castrum Montispessuli, et castrum de Latis, et Castrum-novum nulli persone potenti tradam vel tradi faciam nec ab aliquo tradi patiar. Sciendum tamen est quod redditus ville Montispessuli, castri et ville de Latis, et Castri-novi, postquam pignus de Latis a vinculo pignoris, in quo vobis duodecim probis hominibus et universitati Montispessuli obligatur, receptum fuerit, possumus impignorare hominibus tantum Montispessuli vel ipsorum locorum, ita tamen quod in solutum cedant. — Dono preterea et concedo vobis, et toti universitati Montispessuli, quod vos xii. probi homines electi ad consulendam communitatem Montispessuli, presentes et futuri, habeatis plenam potestatem statuendi, distringendi et corrigendi ea omnia que visa vobis fuerint pertinere ad utilitatem communitatis Montispessuli, et quod villa Montispessuli muretur et muniatur per vestram et successorum vestrorum notitiam et stabilimentum, manente tamen et durante dominatione et jurisdictione nostra et curie nostre Montispessuli. — Promitto etiam vobis et toti universitati Montispessuli, quod illos quos fecimus exules, tempore quo terra Montispessuli ad me pervenit, et de presenti facio, modis quibus potero fugabo, et quam procul potero semper fugari faciam, et quod ipsi vel aliquis eorum nunquam redeant in Montepessulo, nec in tota terra mea, nec amorem, nec fiduciam mecum unquam habebunt. — Item scio et cognosco, cum hac presenti scriptura, quod dominus Montispessuli nunquam habuit, nec habere debet firmantiam in hominibus Montispessuli; ita quod pro domino aliis se vel res suas obligent, nisi per amorem pro eo vellent fidejubere. — Item promitto et convenio vobis quod omnia predicta faciam laudari, confirmari et rata haberi a predicta regina uxore mea. — Adhuc etiam promitto et convenio vobis, per stipulationem, facta a me renuntiatione juris scripti et non scripti et totius juris auxilii, nichil me dixisse vel fecisse, nec etiam dicturum vel facturum, quod his que superius continentur vel alicui eorum obviet, nec contra hoc vel aliquid horum, ullo loco vel tempore, ego vel successores nostri veniemus nec aliquis per nos; sed ita totum firmum, ratum semper manere faciemus. — Hec omnia plenarie tenebo et observabo in perpetuum, et facio Bernardinum pro me jurare. — Et ego Bernardinus, mandato domini mei regis prescripti, tactis corporaliter sacrosanctis Evangeliis, juro quod ipse omnia predicta observabit. — Horum omnium testes sunt: P. de Bizanchis, R. Benedicti, Lucas Pulverelli, P. Lobeti, Berengarius Amici, Johannes Luciani, Austorgus de Orllaco, Regordus, G. de Grabels, Bertrandus Egidius, R. de Caturcio, G. de Conchis, G. Petri, B. Gandalrici, Jacobus Lumbardi, Randulphus Bonefacius, G. Berengarius, P. Luciani, Jo. de Orllaco, G. Boccados, Ugo de Porta, G. de Cavannaco, Guillelmus Bidocius, Poncius Vitalis, Poncius Ricardi, Symon de Camponovo, G. Borrelli, G. Capde-de-bove, B. Capde-de-bove, dominus G. Magalonensis prepositus, G. de Barbastenx, Jo. de Latis, et Ugo Laurentii notarius qui hoc scripsit. Et ego Maria, eadem gratia regina Aragonie, comitissa Barchinone et Montispessuli domina, omnia et singula que superius in hac carta continentur laudo et confirmo, eodem modo et pacto, et rata in perpetuum haberi volo; et, ut a me plenius observentur et in nullo violentur, facio jurare super animam meam P. de Stagno, et, ad plenam horum omnium fidem faciendam, hanc paginam sigillo meo muniri precipio. — Quod est actum pridie idus marcii, anno et mense quibus supra, in castro de Cocolibero, in camera ejusdem domine regine, coram domino rege. Testes vocati et rogati: P. de Porta, J. de Montebelliardo, Anselmus de Massilia juvenis, J. de Orlac, G. Clemens, B. Otho, Ugo de Rofiaco, B. Gui, G. Poncius, G. Barbavaira, B. Riquet, S. de Lunello, P. Amalrici, Ugo de Manso, P. Brunus, G. de Porta, Rostagnus de Monte-Arbedono, et R. presbiter, publicus notarius de Cocolibero, qui mandato domine regine scripsit. Hoc est translatum.Historical context:
This charter records a promise made by Peter of Aragon and confirmed by his wife Marie of Montpellier that the territories of Montpellier, Latis, and Castro-novo will never be separated or alienated. A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at its center.