A letter from Adelaide

Translated letter:

In the 1080th year from the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ, 8th day of the month of March, 3rd indiction, to the monastery of the holy martyrs of  Solutor,  Adventor and Octavius, constructed outside and near the city of Turin, not very far from the gate which is called Susa, to which the most reverend Obert is known to be ordained abbot.  I, Adaleide, by the will of God countess and daughter of marquis Manfred of good memory, who am professed by my birth to live according to Salic law … [who] conferred anything of his/her own to holy and venerable places or monasteries … according to the word of the Doctor, will receive a hundredfold in this world; moreover, what is better, will possess eternal life.  Therefore I, the above Adaleide, countess, give and offer from the present day to that monastery, for the mercy and remedy of my soul and of the souls of the late marquis Manfred, my father, and former countess Bertha my mother, and the late Peter, also marquis, and the late Amadeus, count, my sons, and other relatives, and my kinsmen by name, half of a court which is called Carpice, with half the chapel constructed on … the Carpice road, in honor of the holy mother of God, Mary, with all the things pertaining to that half of the said court, whence the other half of said court with all the things pertaining to it … is known to pertain to that monastery of St. Solutor; with proprietary right and that half of said court … with all [that] to … which by just measure over the whole thousand yokes/iuga,*  and if more things in my jurisdiction should be found contained in that measure, that will be included in the power of said monastery by this charter of offering.   Who indeed this half … with all the things pertaining to it … with its open spaces, its arable lands and meadow, and … Castellar woods with … fisheries, and port on the river Po, and with banks and chasms and … mountains and plains, divided and undivided islands, together with boundaries, accretions, ways of entry and … acqueducts, wells, with all jurisdiction … and things pertaining or in its purview; to this half of this court, with its higher and lower parts as is read above; and contained below, from this day, to that monastery … and by the present charter of offering, as this is read below … I confirm, that the monks may do so, who now … are in it and those who from me will be in future, for their use and common fraternity, as proprietor … and they will wish … so if the bishops of this city or any person small or large … or woman should presume to take away or disturb this half of the power of these monks from said court, with the things pertaining to it either in whole or in part, then that half of said court of Calpice with all the things pertaining to it will revert to my power.  Of countess Adelaide and my descendents who will be at the time, not in possession, but in governance, to the defense … which, or by what, a bishop, cobishop, or any person who might wish to disturb this or take it from the power of these monks, wishes they should possess quietly and pacifically without any opposition from them, over said monks of said monastery, and then afterwards said monks may act, who will be at that time, for their use and consumption as is contained above and below.  Moreover by the knife, straw, …  of earth, and branch of the tree,** I make legitimate transfer and investiture to this monastery, and expelled myself from it, and guaranteed … and left to their power to have.  So that the monks who are now … ordained there and who will be in the future, from me, for the use and consumption of that monastery, as it read above by proprietary name … whatever they wish without any condition or demand  from me and my heirs and future heirs.  If any one truly … I believe, so I, above countess Adelaide, let it not be, or any of my heirs and future heirs, or whatever other opposed person, [we]  should attempt to go against this charter of offering, or seek to break it by any trick, then let us incur from that part against which we brought the suit, a fine which is the punishment of the best gold, a hundred ounces, two hundred weight of silver, and what we demand we shall not be able to attain.  But the present charter of offering may remain firm for all times and persist undisturbed, with the stipulation supported that on me, above countess Adelaide, and my heirs and future heirs, it rests to defend from every man that half of said court and said chapel for the above monastery, as is set forth above, which if we can not defend it or if we sought to take it away by any trick from this  monastery, then we would restore to said monastery  double this half of said court and its chapel with all things pertaining to it, or if it were otherwise improved or [increased] in value in a similar place … and with parchment and ink I raised from earth, I gave to notary Leo of the holy palace and to write … I offered to be strengthened by witnesses confirming below.  Enacted at this monastery of St. Saviour … which is happily beside the chapel of this lord abbot:  the sign of the hand of this lady countess Adelaide [I] who asked that this charter of offering be made as above:  sign of the hands of lord Frederick, count, and Henry, and Amedeus, witnesses living by Salic law.  Sign of the hands of Gozelin, who is called Melioret, and Ribald, and Adam, witnesses.  I, the above Leo, called Bonus, notary of the holy palace, the scribe of this charter of offering, completed it as handed to me, and gave it.

Original letter:

Anno ab Incarnatione Domini nostri Iesu Christi MLXXXVIII die mensis Martij, Indict.3 Monasterio Sanctorum Martyrum Solutoris, Adventoris, atque Octavij constructo foris, & prope Civitatem Taurini, non multum longe de porta, quae dicitur Secusina, cui Reverendiss. Obertus Abbas, ordinatus esse videtur.  Ego Adalegida Dei nutu Comitissa Filiaque, bonae memoriae Manfredi Marchionis, quae professa sum ex natione mea, lege vivere Salica ... in sanctis, & venerabilibus locis, seu Monasterijs ex suis aliquid contulerit ... iuxta Doctoris vocem, in saeculo hoc, centuplum accipiet; insuper quod melius est, vitam possidebit aeternam.  Ideoque Ego qui supra Adalegida Comitissa, Dono, & offero a praesenti die, in eodem Monasterio, pro mercede, & remedio animae meae, & animarum quondam Manfredi Marchionis Genitoris mei, & quondam Bertae Comitissae Genitricis meae, seu quondam Petri, itemque Marchionis, sive quondam Amedei Comitis Filiorum meorum, atque caeterorum Parentum, & propinquorum meorum nominative, medietatem de Corte una, quae vocatur Calpix, cum medietate de Capella una, constructa in .... Vico Calpice, in honore sanctae Dei Genitricis Mariae, cum omnibus rebus ad ipsam medietatem de praedicta Corte pertinentibus, unde reliqua medietas, de praedicta Corte cum omnibus rebus, ad eam pertinentibus .... illo Monasterio sancti Solutoris pertinere videtur; proprietario iure, & est ipsa medietas de praedicta Corte .... omnibus ad ....quae Mensura iusta, super totam iugias mille, & si amplius de meis Iuris rebus .... inventum fuerit, quam in supra mensura legitur, per hanc Cartam offersionis, in potestatem praedicti Monasterij ... comprehensum fuerit.  Quis autem istam medietatem, ... omnibus rebus ad eam pertinentibus ... cum areis, seu terris arabilibus, & pratis seu ... sylvis Castellareis cum ... piscationibus, seu porto, in fluvio Padi, atque cum ripis, rupinis aliq ... montibus & planis, insulis divisis, & indivisis, una cum finibus, accressionibus, & ingressibus & ..... aquaarum ductibus, ac puteis, cum omni Iure .... & pertinentiis, vel aspicientibus rebus; ad istam medietatem de ista Corte, seu cum superioribus, & inferioribus earum, qualiter supra legitur; ac subter continetur, ab hac die, ad istum Monasterium .... & per praesentem Cartulam offersionis, ut hic subter legitur .... confirmo, ut ita faciant Monachi, qui nunc in ipso ... sunt, & illi qui de me, in antea fuerunt, ad utilitatem, atque communem Fraternitatem eorum, proprietario ... & voluerint .... ut si Episcopi ipsius Civitatis, vel aliqua persona parva, vel magna .... vel foemina istam medietatem, de praedicta Corte, cum rebus ad eam pertinentibus ... potestatis istorum Monachorum, auferre, vel inquietare praesumpserit, sive de toto, vel in parte, ut tunc revertatur medietas de praedicta Corte Calpicae, cum omnibus rebus ad eam pertinentibus in potestate mea.  Adalgidae Comitissae, atque descendentium meorum, qui pro tempore fuerint, non in proprietate, sed in gubernatione, ad defensionem .... quae, vel qua, Episcopus, Coepiscopus, vel aliqua persona, qui hoc inquietare, vel ex potestate istorum Monachorum auferre voluerit, velit, volit quiete, ac pacifice sine ulla eorum contradictione, supra dictis Monachis de praedicto Monasterio, debere possidere promittat, & tunc postea faciant supradicti Monachi, qui tunc temporis fuerunt, ad usum, & sumptum eorum, ut superius, & subter continetur.  Insuper per Cultellum, fistucam ... & terrae, atque ramum arboris, isto Monasterio legitimam facio traditionem, & investituram, & me exinde foris expuli, Vuarpivique, .... & ad potestatem habendam reliqui.  Ita ut faciant Monachi qui nunc ... Monasterio ordinati sunt, & illi qui de me, in antea fuerint ad usum, & sumptum istius Monasterij, sicut supra legitur proprietario nomine .... quidquid voluerint, sine omni mea, & haeredum, ac prohaeredum meorum conditione, vel repetitione, Si quis vero quod ....  Credo, si ego supra Adalegida Comitissa, quod absit, aut ullus de haeredibus, ac prohaeredibus meis, seu quaelibet alia opposita persona, contra hanc Cartam offersionis, ire quandoque tentaverimus, aut eam per quodvis ingenium, infringere quaesiverimus, tunc inferamus ad illam partem, contra quam inde litem intulerimus, Mulcta, quod est poena auri optimi, uncias Centum, argenti pondera ducentum, & quod repetierimus; vindicare non valeamus.  Sed praesens autem Carta offersionis, diuturnis temporibus firma permaneat, atque persistat inconvulsa, cum stipulatione subnixa, & ad me, qui supra Adalegida Comitissa, meisque haeredibus, ac prohaeredibus meis, ad infra scriptum Monasterium istam medietatem de praedicta Corte, & praedicta Capella, cum omnibus rebus ad ipsam medietatem de praedicta Corte pertinentibus, qualiter supra legitur institutum, ab omni homine defensare, qui si defendere non potuerimus, aut si haec ipso Monasterio, per quodvis ingenium subtrahere quaesiverimus, tunc in duplum, istam medietatem de praedicta Corte, & Capella sua, cum omnibus rebus ad ipsam pertinentibus, ad ipsum Monasterium restituamus, si aut pro tempore fuerit meliorata, aut valuerit sub aestimatione in consimili loco ....  & pergameno cum atramentario, de terra levavi Leoni Notario Sacri Palatij tradidi, & scribere .... subter confirmandis testibus obtuli roborandam.  Actum infra istum Monasterium sancti Solutoris .... quae est iuxta Capellam istius Domini Abbatis feliciter:  Signum Manus istae Dominae Adalegidae Comitissae, quae hanc cartam offersionis fieri rogavi ut supra:  Signum Manuum Domini Frederici Comitis, & Henrici, & Amedei, lege viventes Salica testes.  Signum Manuum Gozelini, qui Melioret vocatur, & Ribaldi, atque Adam testes.  Ego qui supra Leo, qui vocatus Bonus, Notarius Sacri Palatij, scriptor huius cartae offersionis, postea traditam complevi, & dedi.

Historical context:

The countess makes a donation to a monastery for the souls of her parents, her dead sons, and other unnamed relatives.

Scholarly notes:

* Measure of land that a yoke of oxen can plow in one day.

** These are traditional symbolic objects handed over at the transfer of property.  I am grateful to Adam Kosto for this explanation.

Printed source:

Samuel Guichenon, L’Histoire Généalogique de la maison royale de Savoye  v.2 Preuves, p.21.

Date: