A Letter from Guy of Lusignan and Sibylla

Translated letter:

Let it be known to present and future that I Guy, by the grace of God eighth king of the Latins in the holy city of Jerusalem, with the consent and will of lady Sibylla, my wife, venerable queen of that kingdom, grant and confirm to you, count Joscelin, my seneschal, and to your heirs in perpetuity all the inheritances and rents given and granted to you by lord Baldwin, sixth king of the Latins in Jerusalem, and confirmed by his privilege, and all the mortgages, purchases, acquisitions which that same lord Baldwin confirmed to you by the authority of his privileges.  I grant also and confirm to you and your heirs in perpetuity a certain village named Cabor with all its appurtenances, peasants, villages, lands, cultivated and uncultivated, plains, mountains, which you bought from us for five thousand besants,  for which you are held to give the service of one knight to me and my heirs, and a certain house in Acre, which belongs to the fief of Chabor.  Besides, I absolve you, count Joscelin, and your heirs, altogether from the charter which lady Agnes countess, mother of lady Sibylla, my wife, venerable queen of Jerusalem, committed to your loyalty, which we know that you faithfully carried out according to the order of that lady countess Agnes, on the condition that neither you nor your heirs are held to give back to me or my heirs the reckoning of that said charter for anything else.  Further I also grant to you count Joscelin and your heirs in perpetuity freedom of all your sugar which you have or should have in your village Lanahiam, so that from that sugar and the honey of that sugar you and your heirs can have and sell that sugar and the honey of that sugar in Acre as it pleases you, altogether without any giving up of right, and also to bring [it] to Acre and take it away from Acre when you wish.  Moreover I grant to you, count Joscelin, that if you die before your daughters come to marriage age you may place and establish your daughters and all your land at your death in whatever hand and care you wish, except for my service.  And that this my grant and confirmation to you and your heirs may remain in force and indissoluble for eternity, I have had the present page protected by the subscribed witnesses and my seal.  The witnesses of this thing are:  lord Heraclius, venerable patriarch of Jerusalem, lord Joscius, archbishop of Tyre; lord Monacus, archbishop of Caesarea; lord Letard, archbishop of Nazareth; lord Bernard, bishop of Lidda; lord Ralph, bishop of Bethlehem; lord Odo, bishop of Beirut; lord Gerard, master of the militia of the house of the Temple; lord prince Reynald; Americus, constable of the king; Milo, butler of the king; Peter of Creseca; Goscelin Yrcus; Anselinus Baqbini; Galfred Tortus; William of Molembec.  This was done in this 1186th year from the incarnation of the lord, 4th indiction.  Given at Acre by the hand of Peter,chancellor of the lord king and archdeacon of Lidda, 12th kalends of November.

Original letter:

Notum sit omnibus presentibus atque futuris, quod ego Guido per dei graciam in sancta civitate Ierusalem Latinorum rex octavus assensu et voluntate domine Sybille, uxoris mee, eiusdem regni venerabilis regine, concedo et confirmo tibi comiti Ioscelino, senescalco meo, et heredibus tuis in perpetuum omnes hereditates et redditus universos a domino Balduino Ierusalem Latinorum rege sexto tibi datos et concessos et privilegio suo confirmatos, omnes eciam impignorationes, empciones, adquisitiones, quas idem dominus Balduinus privilegiorum suorum auctoritate tibi confirmavit. Concedo eciam et confirmo tibi et heredibus tuis in perpetuum quoddam casale Cabor nuncupatum cum omnibus pertinenciis suis, villanis, gastinis, terris quoque cultis et incultis, planis, montanis, quod a nobis quinque milibus bisantiorum comparasti, pro quo servicium unius militis mihi et meis heredibus facere teneris, et quandam domum in Accon, que ad feudum de Chabor pertinet. Insuper te ipsum, comitem Ioscelinum, et heredes tuos penitus absolvo a testamento, quod domina Agnes comitissa, mater domine Sybille, uxoris mee, Ierosolimorum venerabilis regine, tue fidelitati comisit, quod secundum iussionem ipsius domine Agnetis comitisse te scimus fideliter complesse, ea tamen posita conditione, quod nec tu nec heredes tui mihi aut meis heredibus de cetero iam dicti testamenti rationem reddere teneamini. Adhuc eciam concedo tibi, comiti Ioscelino, et heredibus tuis in perpetuum libertatem de toto zucaro tuo, quod habes seu habere debes apud casale tuum Lanahiam, ita quod de ipso zucaro et de eiusdem zucari melle tu et heredes tui ipsum zucarum et eiusdem zucari mel in Accon habere et vendere, cum vobis placuerit, possitis sine aliqua penitus iuris exhibitione et etiam in Accon adducere, cum volueritis, et ab Accon educere. Preterea concedo tibi, comiti Ioscelino, quod, si decesseris, antequam filie tue ad annos nubiles perveniant, in decessu tuo filias tuas et universam terram tuam, sub qualicunque manu et custodia volueris, salvo meo servitio ponas atque constituas. Et ut hec concessio et confirmatio mea tibi et here­dibus tuis rata permaneat in eternum, et indissoluta, presentem paginam testibus subscriptis et sigillo meo muniri feci. Huius rei testes sunt: dominus Eraclius, Ierusalem venerabilis patriarcha; dominus Ioscius, Tyrensis archiepiscopus; dominus Monacus, Cesariensis archiepiscopus; dominus Letardus, de Nazareth archiepiscopus; dominus Bernardus, Lyddensis episcopus; dominus Radulfus, Bethleemita episcopus; dominus Odo Beritensis episcopus; dominus Girardus, milicie domus Templi magister; dominus princeps Rainaldus; Haymericus, constabularius regis; Milo, regis pincerna; Petrus de Creseca; Goscelinus Yrcus; Anselinus Babini; Gaufridus Tortus; Guillelmus de Molembec. Factum est hoc anno ab incarnatione domini m° c° lxxx0 vi° indictione iiii. Data Accon per manum Petri domini regis cancellarii Liddensisque archidiachoni xii kal. novembris.

Historical context:

Guy and Sibylla confirm to Joscelin goods conferred on him by king Baldwin IV as well as the village Cabor with the house situated at Acre and control of the sugar and honey from the village of Lanahiam.

Printed source:

Tabulae Ordinis Theutonici ex Tabularii Regii Berolinensis Codice Potissimum, ed. Ernestus Strehlke (Berlin:  Weidmann, 1869), 20, #22.  RRH #654.

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