A letter from Adelaide

Translated letter:

The notification about money/coinage of Vienne which was made between Leudegar, archbishop of Vienne and marchioness Adelaide with her sons.  For a long time that money remained on the decena* standard in weight and measure.  Now at the time of marquis Odo, her husband, thieves and counterfeiters in the town that is called Aiguebelle, corrupted, disfigured, and falsified it, unknown to said marquis, who immediately that he heard the complaint of said archbishop of Vienne ordered that it be done no longer, nor was it done while he was alive.  After his death, other thieves arose and the earlier ones followed and again they falsified it, until said archbishop Leudegar came to Italy to said marchioness lady Adelaide.  Who, similarly, as she heard it, ordered that it be done no longer.  Still as should be known to all, Trapezita who had been excommunicated by lord pope Leo was struck with paralysis in all his limbs; destroyed, he ended an impious life with a worthy death.  Now, however, unknown to said lady marchioness Adelaide, others have arisen and followed the said evils, but through the mediation of lord Adraldo, abbot of Breme and Artaldo, provost of our church (of Vienne), said evils have been broken up, and so they are committed no more; lady Adelaide with her sons Peter and Amedeus and Odo has promised to God and St. Maurice in the hand of lord Leudegar, archbishop that Vienne money will no longer be falsified, nor will there be true or false except what is made/coined in Vienne.  And this she did for love of God and St. Maurice with her associates, by whose benefice she was honored, and for the soul of her lord marquis Odo, and for her salvation and that of her sons, who approve this and confirm it, namely the first born Peter and Amedeus and Odo.  Lord Adrald, abbot of Breme, approves this as well as Artald, provost of the church of Vienne, with his other faithful, of whom these are the names … given/dated by the hand of Boso in place of the lord chancellor and first keeper of the archives,** 11 kalends of December, luna 16, Wednesday (feria 4), under Henry II*** (sic) king, not yet emperor, son of Caesar and emperor, son-in-law of this lady marchioness.  Received by the hand of lord archbishop Leudegar, 12th indiction.

Original letter:

Noticia Viennensis monete, que facta est inter Leudegarium Viennensem archiepiscopum et Adelaidam marchionissam cum filiis suis.  Longa post tempora stetit ipsa moneta in pondere et mensura decena. Nunc tempore Oddonis marchionis viri sui, latrones et falsarii in burgo qui dicitur Aquabella, corruperunt eam et confuderunt et falsaverunt, ignorante supradicto marchione, qui statim ut audivit clamorem supradicti archiepiscopi Viennensis precepit, ne amplius fieret, neque factum est eo vivente. Post mortem vero eius insurrexerunt et alii latrones et sequuti sunt priores et iterum falsaverunt eam, quousque predictus archiepiscopus Leudegarius venit in Italiam ad predictam marchionissam domnam Adelaidam. Que similiter, ut audivit, ne amplius fieret precepit. Tamen ut omnibus notum fiat, Trapezita a dno Leone papa excomunicatus paralysi percussus membris omnibus dissolutus impiam vitam digna morte finivit: Modo autem, ignorante supradicta dona Adelaida marchionissa, alii exorti sunt et predicta mala sequuntur, sed mediante dono Adraldo Bremettensium abbate et Artaldo ecclesie nostre (Viennensis) preposito, dimittuntur supradicta mala, et ne amplius fiant promittit domna Adelaida cum filiis suis Petro et Amedeo et Oddone Deo et sancto Mauritio in manu domni Laudegerii archiepiscopi Viennensis moneta am­plius non falsetur, neque fiat neque vera neque falsa, illa ex­cepta que in Vienna fuerit facta. Et hoc fecit pro amore Dei et sancti Mauricii  cum sociis suis, de cuius beneficio honorata est, et pro anima senioris sui Oddonis marchionis et pro sua et filiorum suorum salute, qui hoc laudant et confirmant, vide­licet Petrus primogenitus et Amedeus et Oddo. Laudat hoc domnus Adraldus abbas Bremettensis et Artaldus prepositus ecclesie Viennensis cum ceteris fidelibus suis, quorum ista sunt nomina … data per manus Bosonis ad vicem domni cancellarii et primiscrinii  xi kal. decembris luna xvi feria iv Henrico II rege nondum imperatore, Cesaris et imperatoris filio, huius domne marchionisse genero. Recepta per manus domni archiepiscopi Leudegarii, indictione xii.

Historical context:

This is the record of an agreement  Adelaide made with Leudegar, archbishop of Vienne, not to allow false money of Vienne to be coined in her territory, a long-standing problem.   It is undated, but Muletti argues for  1073.

Scholarly notes:

• * Alan Stahl explains that fineness of silver-based medieval pennies was generally expressed in terms of deniers of fineness, of which a coin of 12 deniers would be pure silver, 6 deniers half-silver and half copper (akin to the system of 24 carats of fineness for gold). So a coin on a decena standard would be 10 deniers fine, i.e. 10/12 or 83 1/3 per cent silver.   
• ** Muletti defines “primiscrinii” as primo custode dell’archivio 1.272, n.1.  
• *** Henry IV was king at this time and son-in-law of countess Adelaide.

Printed source:

Muletti, Memorie storico-diplomatiche appartenenti alla città ed ai marchesi di Saluzzo, 1. 271-72.

Date: