A Letter from Baldwin IV and Sibylla

Translated letter:

Let it be known to all future as well as present that I Baldwin by the grace of God sixth king of the Latins in the city of Jerusalem give and grant to you Joscelin my uncle and seneschal and to your heirs with the grant and will of Guy, count of Jaffa and Ascalon and my sister Sibylla, his wife their countess, a thousand besants at the chain of Acre to be received annually by the customary terms of the chain and a certain village which is called Jesce (Yanuh-Jat) situated in the mountains of Acre to be possessed with all its appurtenances by hereditary right, except that Alemandina holds half of Jesce and its appurtenances in dowery, but after her death it will revert to you and your heirs.  All these I have given to you in exchange for Maron, which I had given you before with all its appurtenances and villages by such agreement that you and your heirs would do the service for all these to me and my heirs that you would have owed for Maron before, except the assizes that are in the land of Maron.  I grant to you and your heirs besides this a certain house at Chateau-neuf which  you bought for 150 besants from John Bogalet, scribe, which I had formerly given him.  I also give and grant to you and your heirs John the dragoman/interpreter of Chateau-neuf with all his heirs, things, and individual possessions which he possessed from me.  So that the page of my gift and grant may be held in force and indissoluble in eternity by you and your heirs, I have ordered the present charter to be protected by the subscribed witnesses and my seal.  This was done in the 1183rd year from the incarnation of the lord, 15th indiction.  Witnesses of this thing are Guy, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, Aimery, constable, Baldwin of Ibelin, Balian, his brother, Galfred Tortus, Gotsvinus (Godwin?) Boccus, William of Molembec.  Given by the hand of William, archbishop of Tyre and chancellor of the king, 14th kalends of April.  

Original letter:

Notum sit omnibus tam futuris quam presentibus, quod ego Balduinus per dei graciam in civitate Ierusalem sancta Latinorum rex sextus dono et concedo tibi Ioscelino avunculo et senescalco meo et heredibus tuis concessu et voluntate Guidonis Ioppes et Ascalonis comitis et Sibille sororis mee, uxoris sue, earundem comitisse, mille bisancios ad cathenam Accon per consuetos cathene terminos annuatim recipiendos et quoddam casale, quod dicitur Iesce, in montanis Accon situm cum omnibus suis pertinenciis iure hereditario possidendum, excepto quod Alemandina eiusdem Iesse et pertinenciarum suarum medietatem tenet in dotem, sed totum post eius decessum ad te et heredes tuos revertetur. Hec autem omnia tibi donavi pro commutatione Maron, quam tibi cum omnibus suis pertinenciis et casalibus antea donaveram tali tenore, quod pro hiis omnibus idem mihi et heredibus meis tu et heredes tui faciatis servicium, quod pro Maron antea facere debueratis, exceptis assisis, qui sunt in terra Maroni. Concedo tibi preterea et heredibus tuis quandam domum apud Castellum Novum, quam a Iohanne Bogalet scriba emisti cl bisantiis, cui ipsam domum antea donaveram. Dono eciam et concedo tibi et heredibus tuis Iohannem drugemannum Castelli Novi cum omnibus suis heredibus, rebus et possessionibus singulis, quas de me possidebat. Ut igitur huius donationis et concessionis mee pagina rata tibi et heredibus tuis teneatur in eternum et indissoluta, presentem cartam testibus subscriptis et sigillo meo muniri precepi. Factum est hoc anno ab incarnatione domini m° c° lxxx° iii° indictione xv°. Huius rei sunt testes Guido Ioppes et Ascalonis comes; Aimericus constabularius; Balduinus de Ybelin; Balianus frater eius; Gaufridus Tortus; Gotsvinus Boccus; Guillelmus de Molembecca. Datum Accon per manum Guillelmi Ty­rensis archiepiscopi regisque cancellarii xiiii kal. aprilis.

Historical context:

Baldwin IV, king of Jerusalem, with the consent of Sibylla and her husband, grants to his seneschal Joscelin 1000 besants annually from the chain of Acre and the village Jesce (Yabnuh-Jat) in exchange for Maron and the house at Chateau-neuf and the dragoman/interpreter Jolian with his family.  

Printed source:

Tabulae Ordinis Theutonici ex Tabularii Regii Berolinensis Codice Potissimum, ed. Ernestus Strehlke (Berlin:  Weidmann, 1869), 16, #17.  RRH, #625.

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