A Letter from Sibylla

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual trinity of the father and son and holy spirit Amen.  Let the universe of all present and future know and remember that I Sibylla, daughter of Amalric, excellent king of Jerusalem by the grace of God, and countess of Jaffa and Ascalon, for the salvation and remediation of my soul and of my illustrious husband lord William, count, grant, confirm, and give to count Roderic and certain brothers of that order having the intention and profession and those succeeding them in the future as well as the present from generation to generation:  the tower of girls in the city of Ascalon and the garden set under that tower, and other towers in the walls of that city situated between said tower and the church of St. Mary, and another towards the sea on the other side of that tower of girls, and 100 besants of rent to be received each year at the gate in perpetuity by hereditary right in four installments.  The first payment is on the octave of the Lord’s Birth, the second at Easter, the third at the birth of St. John the Baptist, the fourth on the feast of St. Remigius in the kalends of October.  That I give and confirm these things written above to count Roderic and his brothers of the same order and those professed [to it] as written to be held and possessed in perpetuity freely and peacefully without any impediment and opposition and so that the page of this gift and confirmation may remain in force and stable in perpetuity, I have had it protected and confirmed by the impression of my seal with the subscribed witnesses.  These are the witnesses of this thing:  Reynald, prince of Antioch, and Baldwin his brother, Joscelin count and royal seneschal, William Rufus, viscount, Lord Baldwin of Ramleh, Gerald of Rumeilei,1, Joscelin of Semmosach, William of Tyre.  This was done in the 1177th year from the incarnation of the lord, 10th indiction, in the patriarchate of Amalric of the church of the Holy Resurrection of Christ,  and the rule of Baldwin, sixth king of Jerusalem.

Original letter:

In Nomine Sancte & individue Trinitatis Patris & Filii & Spiritus Sancti Amen.  Presentium omnium & futurorum memoriter noscat universitas, quod ego Sibilla egregii Amalrici regis Iherusalem filia Dei gratia Ioppes & Ascalonis Comitissa pro salute, & remedio animae meae & incliti viri mei Domini Willelmi Comitis, concedo, confirmo, & dono Rodrico Comiti, & ceteris fratribus eiusdem Ordinis propositum & professionem tenentibus tam futuris quam presentibus a generatione in generationem sibi succedentibus.  Turrem puellarum in Urbe Ascalone, & Iardinum eidem Turri suppositum, & alias turres in menibus eiusdem Urbis inter predictam turrem & Ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae sitas, & alteram versus mare, in alio eiusdem turris puellarum latere, & C. bisantios redditus ad portam singulis annis perpetuo hereditario iure iiij terminis accipiendos.  Primus itque terminus est in octavis Natalis Domini, Secundus in Pascha, tercius in Nativitate Sancti Iohannis Baptistae, quartus in faesto SANCTI REMIGII Kal. Octobris.  Haec itaque praescripta Rodrico Comiti & fratribus suis eiusdem Ordinis & professionis ut prescriptum est libere, & quiete, absque omni impedimento, & contradictione tenenda perpetuo & habenda dono, & confirmo, & ut doni huius & confirmationis pagina rata & stabilis perpetuo maneat, sigilli mei impressione cum testibus subscriptis eam munire feci, & confirmare.  Sunt igitur rei huius testes. Rainaldus princeps Antiochenus, & Balduinus frater eius. Iocelinus Comes regius Senescallus, Guillelmus Rufus Vicecomes, D~nus Balduinus de Rames, Geraldus de Rumeilei, Iocelinus de Semunsac, Guillielmus Tyriensis.  Factum est hoc Anno ab Incarnatione Domini Mo Co Lo Xxo Vijo  Indictione X Amalrico Sancte Resurrectionis Christi Ecclesiae Patriarcha, & Balduino Rege Iherusalem Vj, regnante.

Historical context:

Charter of Sibylla, as Countess of Jaffa and Ascalon, in which she gives and confirms to Roderic and the brothers of the same order towers and a garden in the city of Ascalon and the annual rent of one hundred besants.

Scholarly notes:

1.  The editor notes that the name is sometimes spelt Rumminhi, Ruinhaco, Raminni, or Remille.

Printed source:

Paoli, Sebastiano Codice diplomatico del Sacro militare Ordine Gerosolimitano, oggi di Malta (Lucca, 1733-37).  No.63, p. 63.   RRH #553.

Date: