A letter from Agnes

Translated letter:

In the 1078th year from the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ, seventh kalends of November, second indiction, to the monastery of the holy mother of God and perpetual virgin Mary, in the place which is called Pinerolo, built near the church of St. Veran, where now the venerable father Arduin,is known to be abbot by the will of God; I, Agnes, daughter of the late count William of Poitiers and widow of the once most noble marquis Peter, who am professed from my birth to live by Salic law, spoke as offerer and donor to the aforesaid monastery.  Whoever conferred anything of his own to holy and venerable places, according to the word of the Author, will receive a hundredfold in this world, and moreover and what is better, will possess eternal life.  Therefore I Agnes  indeed for the mercy and remedy of the soul of my said husband and my own, and for the souls of the faithful, living and dead, I give and offer from the present day, after my death, to said monastery of St. Mary, my whole portion, which is half of this court of Pinerolo, with half of the castle and the defenses constructed in it, with churches, titles, chapels, built within the territory of that court, as otherwise whole or in part pertain to my portion and are of my jurisdiction, and with all the things, other buildings, homes, vacant areas, vineyards, with their open spaces, arable lands, meadows, pastures, greater and lesser woods, similarly with their open spaces, tolls, and other guard posts, and conditions, requiring jurisdiction, or with other territories in mountains and plains, all which are of my jurisdiction and pertaining to my portion of that court and its territories, as was said, villages, castle, churches, homes, buildings, vacant areas, vineyards, with their open spaces, arable lands, meadows, woods, and stalls, rocks, chasms, and swamps, mills, thrashers, fullers,* markets, curers (curationibus), tolls, Alps, mountains, cultivated and uncultivated plains, divided and undivided, together with boundaries, limits, accessions and uses of waters and acqueducts, with all jurisdiction in what is adjacent and pertaining through all places and names pertaining to my portion, which half of the said court Pinerolo with all its things, in that half of my jurisdiction given above, together with its accessions and entries, both higher and lower, as is read above, from this day to that monastery of St. Mary, from the present day after my death, I give, grant, and offer, and by the present charter of offering confirm in having there after my death.  Moreover by the little knife, the straw, the glove, and piece of earth and branch of tree, I make legitimate transfer and investiture to said monastery of St. Mary, and took myself out of it and made myself absent, and left the holding to the possession of that monastery after my death, and doing whatever that monastery or the part of it given  wills without any objection or claim from me and my heirs and future heirs, if indeed  anyone [should] which I do not believe will happen.   So if I, Agnes, let it not be, or any of my heirs and future heirs, or whatever opposing person [we] should attempt to go against this charter of offering, or seek to break it by any trick, then we shall incur a fine in that part against which we brought suit, which is the punishment of a thousand ounces of the best gold, two thousand weight of silver, and we are not able to make good our claim, but this present charter of offering  remains firm and persists for all time.  And I, indeed, Agnes, together with my heirs and future heirs promise to defend said monastery or the parts given to that monastery, about the said things as written above, from every man, and whatever we cannot defend, [if] we sought to take anything away from that monastery by any trick, then we would restore those things doubly to said monastery, as they had improved over time, or were valued by estimate in similar places, and I have raised the parchment with ink from earth, given the page to Gisebert, notary of said palace and asked him to write, confirming moreover, I offered it to be strengthened with witnesses.  Enacted happily in said place Pinerolo.  Sign of this hand, Agnes who asked for this charter of offering to be made and sent which charter lord Cunibert, bishop of Turin confirmed and the gift  of the churches of St. Donat and St. Maurice of said Agnes of Poitiers with good faith in my hand and corroborated it, and without any reward, out of reverence for St. Peter, prince of apostles, under whose jurisdiction the whole monastery of Pinerolo exists, approved said churches to [go  to] the side of the monastery, given, offered, and granted in perpetuity, without any contradiction.  Sign of the hands of Rogden and Walfred, witnesses living by Salic law; signs of the hands of Ameron, Aymon, Ubald, Opero, witnesses.  I Giselbert, notary of the holy palace. 

Original letter:

Anno ab Incarnatione Domini nostri Iesu Christi millesimo septuagesimo octavo, septimo Cal. Novembris, Indictione secunda; Monasterio sanctae Dei Genitric, & perpetuae Virginis Mariae, in loco qui Pinarolio vocatur, prope Ecclesiam sancti Verani contructo, ubi nunc venerabilis Pater Arduinus, Dei nutu Abbas esse videtur; Ego Agnes Filia quondam Guillelmi Pictaviensis Comitis, & Relicta olim nobilissimi Marchionis Petri, quae professsa sum ex natione mea, lege vivere Salica, Offertrix, & Donatrix in praedicto Monasterio proprio dixi; quisquis in sanctis, ac venerabilibus locis, ex suis aliquid contulerit rebus, iuxta Authoris vocem, in hoc saeculo centuplum accipiet, insuper & quod melius est, vitam possidebit aeternam.  Ideoque Ego quidem Agnes pro mercede, & remedio animae praedicti Viri mei, & meae, suis pro animabus, tam vivorum, quam defunctorum fidelium; Dono, & offero a praesenti die, post meum decessum, in praedicto Monasterio sanctae Mariae, integram meam portionem, quae est medietas de ista Corte Pinarolio, cum medietate de castro, & eius munitionibus in ea constructis, cum Ecclesiis, titulis, capellis, infra territorium ipsius Curiae aedificatis, sicut aut integre, aut in parte, ad ipsam meam portionem pertinent, & mei iuris sunt, atque cum rebus omnibus, alijs aedificijs, domibus, sediminibus, vineis, cum areis suis, terris arabilibus, pratis, pascuis, silvis maioribus, & minoribus, similiter cum areis suis, teloneis, aliisque excubijs, & conditionibus, iure inde exigendis, sive cum  alijs territorijs, in montibus, & planis, omnia quaeque ad ipsam meam portionem de ista Corte, & eius finibus pertinentia, & mei iuris sunt, ut dictum est, tam casis, castro, Ecclesijs, domibus, aedificijs, seminibus, vineis, cum areis suis, terris arabilibus, pratis, pascuis, silvis, ac stalatijs, rupis rupinis, ac paludibus, molendinis baptalerijs, fullatorijs, mercatis curationibus telonijs, Alpibus, montibus, planis cultis, & incultis, divisis, & individis, una cum finibus, terminibus, accessionibus, & usibus aquarum, aquarumque ductibus, cum omni iure adiacentibus, & pertinentibus per loca, & vocabula omnia, ad ipsam meam portionem pertinentia, quam medietatem de praedicta corte Pinarolio, cum omnibus rebus, ad ipsam medietatem iuris mei superius donatam, una cum accessionibus, & ingressibus, seu cum superioribus & inferioribus suis, qualilter superius legitur, ab hac die in eodem Monasterio sanctae Mariae, a praesenti die post meum decessum, dono, cedo & offero, & per praesentem cartam offersionis ibidem habendi confirmo post meum decessum.  Insuper per cultellum festucam, Vuantonem, Vsasonem terrae atque ramum arboris, in praedicto Monasterio sanctae Mariae, legitimam facio traditionem, & vestituram, & me exinde foras expuli, & absentem feci, & ad proprietatem ipsius Monasterij post meum decessum habendum reliqui faciendum, exinde ipsum Monasterium, aut cui pars ipsius Monasterij dederit, a praesenti die post meum decessum proprietario nomine quidquid voluerit, sine omni mea, & haeredum, ac prohaeredum meorum contradictione, vel repetitione; Si quis vero quod futurum esse non credo.  Si Ego quidem Agnes, quod absit, aut ullus de haeredibus ac prohaeredibus meis, seu quaelibet opposita persona contra hanc cartam offersionis, ire quandoque tentaverimus, aut eam per quodvis ingenium infringere quaesierimus, tunc inferamus ad illam partem, contra quam exinde litem intulerimus, mulctam, quae est poena auri optimi uncias mille, argenti pondera duo millia, & quod repetierimus vendicare non valeamus, sed praesens haec oblationis carta, diuturnis temporibus firma permaneat, atque persistat.  Et Ego quidem Agnes una cum meis haeredibus, ac prohaeredibus in praedicto Monasterio, aut cui pars ipsius Monasterij dederit, de praedictis rebus qualiter superius legitur, ab omni homine defensare promitto, quodque defendere non potuerimus, ab eodem Monasterio exinde aliquid per quodvis ingenium subtrahere quaesiverimus, tunc in duplum istas res, in praedicto Monasterio restituamus, sicut pro tempore fuerint melioratae, aut valuerint sub aestimatione in consimilibus locis, & Pergamena, cum atramentario de terra elevavi, paginam Giseberto Notario dicti Palatij tradidi, & scribere rogavi, insuper confirmans, testibus obtuli roborandam.  Actum in praedicto loco Pinarolio foeliciter.  Signum manus istius Agnes quae hanc cartulam oblationis fieri rogavit, eique relecta est, quam Cartam Dominus Cunibertus Taurinensis Episcopus, & Donum Ecclesiarum sancti Donati, sanctique Mauritij in manu mea iam Agnetis dictae Pictaviensis bona fide confirmavit, & corroboravit, & absque omni munere pro reverentia Beati Petri, Apostolorum Principis, sub cuius iure totum Monasterium Pinariolense consistit, praefatas Ecclesias ad partem Monasterij laudavit, donavit, & obtulit & in perpetuum, sine aliqua contradictione concessit.  Signa manuum Rogdeni, & Walfredi, lege viventium Salica testes; signa manuum Ameronis, Aymonis, Ubaldi, Operonis testes.  Ego Giselbertus, Notarius Sacri Palatij

Historical context:

The countess makes a donation to the abbey of Pinerolo.

Scholarly notes:

*  Fulling is a process in cloth-making.

Printed source:

Samuel Guichenon, L’Histoire Généalogique de la maison royale de Savoye  v.2 Preuves, p.23-24.

Date: