A Letter from Bertha

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Conrad … august emperor, in the sixth year of his imperium, with God’s favor, seventh day of the month of March, first indiction, to the monastery of the holy Trinity and of saints Justin and Maurice, situated within the city of Susa.  We, bishop Alric of the holy church of Asti, and Oldric, who is Manfred, marquis, brothers, sons of the late Manfred, similarly a marquis, and countess Bertha, daughter of the late Otbert also marquis, and spouse of that Manfred, [we] who are all professed to live by Salic law, with that spouse consenting to me and confirming below, we therefore name ourselves offerers and donators of that monastery.  Whoever conferred anything of his own things to God or holy places, according to the word of the author[ity] will receive a hundredfold in this world, moreover, what is better, will possess eternal life.  Thus we, the above brothers and the countess give and offer or grant from the present day … for the mercy and remedy of our soul, and for our parents, and for the souls of our grandparents, brothers and sisters, paternal and maternal uncles, … and all the faithful deceased, mercy.  And there are two courts with castle and chapel constructed in one of them and with all things pertaining to them in our jurisdiction that [one]set [in]..., the other Priola set in the county of Diano.  The above court, Mocchie, with all things pertaining to it in our jurisdiction is by just measure, between empty plots and …, five hundred acres (iugeras) and if more is known to be in that court under our jurisdiction.  The already mentioned court Priola, with its castle and open land, chapel consecrated to the honor of St. Desiderius, is by just measure, between empty plots, castle and other plots and vines with its open land and other things, a thousand acres and if more is held in our jurisdiction in the above court, as the narrow passage of a tower of gamologne (?)  with a weighing platform holds it in, with a deep (vivo?) moat from the dry wall to the stream that is called Vestema.  Moreover we give and offer, we the above brothers and countess, to that monastery two properties with all things pertaining to them in our jurisdiction above, one set in Genola, the other in Carassone, as are kept up and worked by Albert of Genola and Mark of Carassone, overseers.  Also we grant to that monastery to use and pasture in all our pastures and woods as above that go from the shore of the sea to the river Stura, for the domesticated pigs of the monastery and the people living in the court of Priola, as it is permitted to them to pasture, so that we may have no [right] of pasture for us or our heirs.  But for those pigs, as read above, the abbot of that monastery may have the pasturing-fee and every income from them on the part of the said monastery, and may do whatever he wishes.  Thus we give and offer, and by the present charter of offering confirm the possession of these courts with said castle and chapel and with all things pertaining to it, and said properties, also said pasturing of our above named jurisdiction, together with accesses and entries, higher and lower, that are read above, wholly from this day to that monastery of the holy Trinity and the saint martyrs Justin and Maurice … of Christ for the mercy and remedy of our soul and those of our parents and other relatives, and all the faithful deceased.  Moreover by the little knife, the knotted straw, the glove and piece of earth and the branch of a tree,* we make legal transfer and investiture on the part of that monastery.  And we expell ourselves from it, guarantee it and make ourselves absent from the property of that monastery … so that the monks may do with that monastery for their use and consumption, and the property of that monastery whatever they wish without any opposition from us and our heirs … or claim.  If indeed in the future, which we do not believe will happen, we the above offerers, let it not be, or any of our heirs and future heirs, either ... [or] in person attempt to oppose this charter of offering or to break it by any trick, then we would incur on that part, against which we brought the suit, a punishment which is a fine of 100 ounces of the best gold, two hundred weight of silver, and that we could not make good what we claimed, but that the present charter of offering … may remain firm for [all] time, and persist untroubled with stipulation removed.  And this offering as is read above in its entirety may be defended from any person by us, the above offerers and our heirs and future heirs on the part of that monastery or the part of one to whom the monastery has given it.  Which if we cannot defend it or if we sought to remove anything by trick from the part of that monastery, then we would restore in duplicate that offering to the part of that monastery to which it was given, as it had appreciated in time or was valued by estimation in similar places.  And we have raised the parchment with ink from the earth, and given this page of the charter of offering to Giselbert, notary of the sacred palace, to be written and asked him to do it, in which we have offered confirming by requested witnesses below.

Enacted in the city of Turin, in the castle, which is above the gate of Seusina, happily.

PD Alric, by the grace of God bishop subscribed.

Sign of the underwritten Oldric, who is marquis Manfred and countess Bertha, spouses, who asked this charter of offering to be made and the said marquis her husband consented, as above. Sign by the hands of Salicon and Ateluf and Albert, witnesses living by Salic law. Sign by the hands of Ademan and Ubert, witnesses living by Roman law. Sign by the hands of Leo and Girbald, witnesses.  I, the above Giselbert, notary of the sacred palace, writer of this charter of offering, having been given it, completed it and dated it. 

Original letter:

In nomine Domini Dei et Salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi Chunradus ......... imperator augustus, anno imperii eius, Deo propitio, sexto, septimo die mensis marcii, indictione prima, monasterio sancte Trinitatis et sanctorum Iusti et Mauri situm infra civitatem Segusia. Nos Alricus episcopus sancte Astensis ecclesie et Odelricus, qui et Maginfredus, marchio iermanis, filii quondam itemque Maginfredi similiter marchionis, seu Berta cometissa filia quondam Autberti itemque marchionis et conius eidem Maginfredi, qui professi sumus omnes lege vivere Salicha; ipso namque iugale meo mihi consentiente et subter confirmante offertores et donatores ipsius monasterii propterea diximus. Quisquis ad Deum vel in sanctis locis ex suis aliquid contullerit rebus, iuxta auctoris vocem in hoc seculo centuplum accipiet, insuper, quod melius est, vitam possidebit eternam. Ideoque nos eorum supra iermanis, et cometissa donamus et offerimus, sive concedimus a presenti die ... mercede et remedium anime nostre, et genitoribus sive genitricibus nostris, atque pro animas aviorum aviaramque, fratribus sororibusque, patruis, avunculoromque ... pro omnibus fidelibus defunctis mercede. Et sunt cortes duas cum castro et capella in una ex eas constructis et cum omnibus rebus ad eas pertinentibus iuris nostris, que ... posita, alia Petra Auriola in comitatu Dianensis posita. Suprascripta vero corte Mauce cum omnibus rebus ed ea pertinentibus iuris nostri qui supra est per mensura iusta inter sedimina et ... iugeras quingenti et si amplius in ipsa corte iuris nostris ha­bere videtur. Iam dicta autem corte Petra Auriola cum prefatis castro et area, capella in honore sancti Desiderii consecrata, est per mensura iusta inter sedimina, castro et aliis sediminibus et vites cum areis suarum ceterisque rebus iugeras mille et si amplius iuris nostri qui supra in ipsa corte habetur , sicut detinet sera turris gamologne staderie potiolo, vivo fossato de muro sicco usque in rivo qui dicitur Vestema. Insuper donamus et offerimus nos eorum supra germanis et cometissa eidem monasterii mansos duos cum omnibus rebus ad eos pertinentibus iuris nostri qui supra, positos unum in Gennecula, alium in Carasione sicut sunt rectis et laboratis per Albertus de Genecula et Marcus de Carasione massariis. Etiam et concedimus eidem monasterio ad utendum, et pascandam in omnibus pascuis et silvis nostri qui supra de litus maris usque in fluvio Stura positis, porcis indominicatis eidem monasterio et ab hominibus abitantibus eidem cortis Petra Auriola, ut liceat eis pascare, ita ut nullum pascatis nos neque nostris heredibus habeamus. Sed de illis porcis, que supra leguntur, abbas eiusdem monasterio pascaticum, et omne redditum de eis habeat a parte prefato monasterio, et quicquid voluerit faciat. Que autem istas cortes cum iam dicto castro et capella et cum omnibus rebus ad eas pertinentibus, sive prefatos mansos, etiam dictum pascuum iuris nostri supra nominandi una cum accessionibus et ingressoras, seu cum superioribus et inferioribus suis, qua supra leguntur, in integrum ab hac die in eodem monasterio sancteTrinitatis et sanctorum Iusti et Mauri martyr .... Christi pro mercede et remedium anime nostre nostrorumque genitores et genitrices, ceterorumque parentum nostrorum, seu omnium fidelium defunctorum donamus et offerimus, et per presentem cartam offersionis in eo habendum confirmamus. Insuper per cultellum, fistuca nodata, vuantonem et vuasonem terre atque ramum arboris a parte ipsius monasterio exinde legitimam facimus tradicionem et vestituram. Et nos exinde foris expulimus, vuarpivimus et absente fecimus, et ad proprietatem eiusdem monasterii ... ita ut faciant monachi de eodem mo­nasterio ad eorum usu et sumptu, seu ad proprietatem eius­dem monasterii quicquid voluerint sine omni nostra et eredum ac ... ororum contradictione vel repeticione. Si quis vero, quod futurum esse non credimus, si nos coram supra offertores , quod absit, aut ullus de heredibus ac proheredibus, seu quel ....... in persona contra hanc cartam offersionis ire quandoque temptaverimus aut eam per quovis ingenium infrangere quesierimus, tunc inferamus ad illam partem , contra quam exinde litem intulerimus, multa quod est pena auro optimo oncias C, argenti ponderas ducenti, et quod repecierimus vendicare non valeamus, sed presens hanc carta offersionis  ... temporibus firma permaneat, atque persistat inconvulsa cum stipulatione subnixe. Et ad nos, eorum supra offertores, nostrisque heredibus ac proheredibus a parte ipsius monasterii, aut cui pars ipsius monasterii dederit, ista offersio qualiter supra legitur in integrum ab omni homine sit defensata. Quod si defendere non potuerimus, aut si parti eiusdem monasterii exinde aliquid per covis ingenio subtrahere quesierimus, tunc in duplum eadem offersio parti ipsius mo­nasterii est cui pars ipsius monasterii dederit, restituamus, sicut pro tempore fuerit meliorata, aut valuerit sub estimacione in consimiles locas.  Et bergamena cum hactramentario de terra elevavimus, hanc enim carte offersionis paginam Gisleberti notarii sacri palatii tradivimus ad scribendum et ei fieri rogavimus, in qua subter confirmantes testibusque roborantes obtulimus.

Actum infra quitate (civitate) Taurino intus castro, que est desuper porta Seusina posito, feliciter.

P D [with sign below] Alricus gratia Dei episcopus subscripsit.

Signum ++ suprascriptorum Odelrici, qui et Maginfredi marchioni et  Berte cometisse iugalibus, qui hanc cartam offersionis fieri rogaverunt et iam dictus marchio eandem coniugem suam consensit, ut supra.

Signum +++ manibus Saliconi et Atelulfi seu Alberti lege viventes Salicha, testes.

Signum ++ manibus Ademani et Uberti lege viventes Romana , testes.

Signum ++ manibus Leoni et Girbaldi, testes.

Ego qui supra Gislebertus notarius sacri palacii scriptor huius carte offersionis post tradita complevi et dedi.

Historical context:

The countess with her husband and his brother donate two courts with castle and chapel to the monastery of Sts. Justin and Maurice with substantial lands and various rights.

Scholarly notes:

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

Printed source:

Muletti, Memorie storico-diplomatiche appartenenti alla città ed ai marchesi di Saluzzo (Saluzzo:  lobetti-Bodoni, 1829), 1.181-84.

Date: