A letter to the monastery of Caramagna

Translated letter:

In the thousand seventy forth year from the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ, sixth kalends of March, twelfth indiction, to the monastery of the church of St. Mary of Caramagna where now lady Elisabeth, most honorable abbess, is ordained to rule the monastery.    I, Imilia, daughter of former marquess Manfred, professed from my birth to live by Salic law,  present, speak to the those of the present as the offerer and donator to that monastery.  If anyone should confer something of their own things to holy and venerable places, he will receive hundredfold according to the voice of the author and will possess eternal life.  Therefore I, Imilia [as] above, give and confer from the present day to that monastery of St. Mary for the mercy of my soul two properties with houses, plots, arable land, meadows, grasses, and ... of waters and in all things pertaining to those which I am known to have in my jurisdiction in the place and territory with boundaries at Sommariva that are rightly worked by free men, one is rightly worked by macolinum [thresher?] and is over all twenty acres [iugeas] and if more things in my jurisdiction should be found gathered in that place and territory, pertaining to those properties, as read in the above measure by this charter of offering for the mercy of my soul in the jurisdiction of the above-written monastery, let it retain the power by right to that property.  That the above-written property with all the said things pertaining to them in my jurisdiction in that place and territory as read above together with said accesses and entries, with its higher and lower parts of those thing as read above, entirely from this day I give and confirm to that monastery of St. Mary for the mercy of my soul and by the present charter of offering confirm that they hold it.  Moreover by the little knife, knotted straw, glove and piece of earth and by the branch of a tree I make legitimate transfer and investiture on the part of that monastery and I have driven myself out, guaranteed, and made myself absent; I relinquish the property to said monastery to hold from the present day on the part of that monastery to the possession of that monastery and to whose part they give whatever they wish without any contradiction or claim by me or my heirs or my posterity.  If anyone indeed in the future which I do not believe or I, that Imilia, let it not be ... or any of my heirs or posterity or whatever person, [we] might attempt to go against this charter of offering or seek to overturn it by fraud, then let him/us bear ... to that part against which we brought suit a large fine which is a hundred ounces of the best gold, two hundred weight of silver, and we renew what we are not able to reclaim but let the present charter of offering remain and persist firm and undisturbed with the stipulation confirmed by me, the above Imilia, together with my heirs and posterity  to said monastery and to whomever on the part of that monastery they give from said property with all the said things pertaining to it, as is read above, to defend in perpetuity from every man. And if we cannot defend it or if we seek to break [the charter] by any fraud, then we would restore doubly the offering that is read above to that monastery as it might have improved in time or assessment in a similar place, and I have raised/embossed the parchment with ink from the earth, given to Peter, notary of the holy palace, and asked to write in which was offered as above, strengthened with witnesses confirming.  Enacted happily in the said town of Sommariva.  
Sign + of the hand of the abovewritten Imilia who asked for this charter of offering to be done as above for the mercy of her soul.  Sign +++ of the hands of Lambert and Walter and also Lambert, witnesses living by Salic law.  Sign ++++ of the hands of Guido and Bernard and Peter and Obert, witnesses.  And I, Peter, notary of the holy palace, writer of this charter of offering, completed it gave it as delivered.

Original letter:

Anno ab incarnacione domini nostri Ihi Xpi millesimo septuagesimo quarto sexto kalendas marcii indictione duodecima monasterio sancte marie caramagensis ecclesie ubi nunc domina elisabed onestissima abatipsa preordinata esse uidetur ad regendum monasterium. Ego imilia filia quondam magnifredi marchionis que professa sum ex nacione mea lege uiuere salicha ofertrix et donatrix ipsius monasterii presens presentibus disi. Si quis in sanctis ac in uenerabilibus locis ex suis aliquid contullerit rebus iusta actoris uocem centuplum accipiet uitamque possidebit eternam. ideoque ego que supra imilia dono et confero a presente die in eandem monasterio sancte marie pro mercede anime mee nominatiue mansos duos cum casis sediminibus terris arabilibus pratis ierbis siue . .. aquarum et in omnibus rebus ad ipsos pertinentes iuris mei quos abere uisa sum in loco et territorio siue finibus summariua et sicuti sunt; recte laborate per liberos omines unus est recte laborate per macolinum et est super totum iugeas uiginti  et si amplius de meis iuris rebus in eandem loco et teritorio ut legitur ad ipsos mansos pertinente inuentum fuerit quam ut supra mensura legitur per anc cartam ofersionis pro mercede anime mee in iure suprascripto monasterio persistad potestatem proprietario iure. Quod autem suprascripto manso cum predictis omnibus rebus ad ipsos pertinentes iuris mei in eundem loco et territorio ut supra legitur per iamdictos una cum accessionibus et ingressibus seu cum superioribus et inferioribus earum rerum qualiter superius legitur in integrum ab ac die in eandem monasterio sancte marie pro mercede anime mee dono et confero et per presentem cartam offersionis ibidem abendum confirmo. insuper per cultellum fiestucam nodatam uaiantonem et uuasontem adque per ramum arboris ad partem ipsius monasterii exinde legitimam facio traditionem et inuestituram et me exinde foris expulli uuarpiui et apsente feci predicto mona­sterio proprietatem abendum relinco faciendum ex inde a presenti die partibus ipsius monasterii ad proprietatem illius monasterii aud cui pars eiusdem dederint quidquid uoluerint sine omni mea et eredum ac pro eredumque meorum contradicione uel repeticione . Si quis uero quod futurum esse non credo si ego ipsa imilia quod apsit          ... ulliuis de eredibus ac pro eredibus meis seu quelibet oposita persona contra anc cartam ofersionis ire quandoque tentauerimus aud eam per couis ingenium supraere quesierimus tunc infera ... ad illam partem contra quam exinde litem intullerimus multa que est pena auri optimi uncias cen­tum argenti pondera ducenti et quid repecierimus uendicare non ualeamus sed presens cartam ofer­sionis firmam permanead atque persistad inconuulsa cum stipulacione supnixa et a me que supra imi­lia una cum meis eredibus ac pro eredibus prefato monasterio aud cui pars eiusdem monasterii dederint suprascripto manso cum uniuersis que predictis rebus ad ipsos pertinentes qualiter supe­rius legitur in infinitum ab omni omine defensare quod si defendere non potuerimus aud si predicto monasterio exinde aliquid per couis ingenium infrangere quesierimus tunc in duplum eadem ofersionem ut supra legitur prenominato monasterio restituamus sicut pro tempore fuerit meliorata aud ualuerit sub estimacione in consimile loco ebergamela cum tramentario de terra eleuaui petrus notarius sacri palacii tradidit et scribere rogauit in qua supter con firmantibus testibus optulit roborandam actum infra uicum predictum summariua feliciter.

Signum + manus suprascripto imilie que anc car­tam ofersionem pro mercede anime sue fieri roga­uit ut supra.

Signum +++ manuum lanberti et uualterii seu item lanberti uiuentes lege salica testes.

Signum ++++ manuum uuidonis et bernardi seu petri adque oberti testes.

Et ego qui supra petrus nodtarius sacri palacii scriptor uius carte ofersionis post tradita compleui et dedi.

Historical context:

Imilia gives properties in Sommariva to the monastery of Caramagna.  The document includes a legal formula of traditional symbolic objects handed over at the transfer of property (the little knife, etc.), found also in donations of her mother, Bertha degli Obertenghi, Adelaide of Turin and Susa, and Beatrice and Matilda of Tuscany.  Adam Kosto identified the formula for me.  The language of the document is grammatically inaccurate.

Printed source:

Historiae Patriae Monumenta, edita iussu Regis Caroli Alberti, Chartarum (Augustae taurinorum e regio typographeo, MDCCCXXXVI), 1.636-38, #379.  

Date: