A letter from Adelaide

Translated letter:

In the year of the Lord 1078 … first indiction, to the monastery of St. Eusebius of Saluzzo, where lord Peter is now known to be pre-ordained.  I, countess Adelaide, daughter of marquis Manfred, give and offer for the mercy and remedy of my soul and for the souls of my relatives one enclosed farm of open areas with buildings and vineyards with their lands and gardens as well as tenants which I am known to have in the place called Saluzzo.  It lies in a place on a near mountain which is called the ruined castle (destructum castrum) of said place and is run and worked by John and the priest Giselbert, all the things that are contained in that farm and are in my jurisdiction as it is surrounded on all sides by a road and I, countess Adelaide, give and offer for the mercy of my soul three pieces [of land], one of a field where the said church of St. Eusebius is built; another similarly of a field and a wood held together with its land; the third of a meadow in my jurisdiction which I am known to have within the territory of said court of Saluzzo.  They lie in a place which is called Cellareto.  The first piece of land in which said monastery of St. Eusebius was built to the praise of almighty God, is situated in said place Cellareto within the land of the mentioned church, and all other territory contained in it by just measure 12 jugera* which touches the road on one side, on the other three sides what I retain in my power.  The second piece of land which is field and wood with the land held near there is between the field and the land of said wood together 206 iugera, touching the road on two sides,  on the others what I retain in my power.  The third piece, which is a meadow situated in the Cellareto, is similarly by just measure 12 jugera, touching the road on one side, on another an irrigation channel, on the others what I retain in my power by proprietary jurisdiction.  Which things, that is said farm on said mountain with all the things that are contained in it that are in my jurisdiction as well as said three pieces of land that are in my jurisdiction, with their accesses and entries and highers and lowers, as is read above completely from this day I give, grant and confer on said monastery of St. Eusebius from the present day and by the present charter of offering I confirm having [it] there.  Moreover by the little knife, the knotted straw, the glove, the piece of earth and the branch of a tree** I make legitimate transfer and investiture to said monastery and expelled myself from it, guaranteed and made myself absent, and left it to be the property of that monastery to have it, thence a part of said monastery with proprietary name, to do whatever it wished without any opposition or reclaiming by me and my heirs and future heirs.  If indeed anyone in the future, which I do not believe, if I the above countess Adelaide, let it not be, or any of my heirs and future heirs or whatever person in opposition [we] should attempt to go against this charter of offering or seek to break it by any trick, then we would incur in that part against which we had brought suit a punishment which is a fine of fifty ounces of the best gold, one hundred pounds of silver and that we could not make good the claim we sought.  But let this present charter of offering remain firm for all times and persist.  And I, the above countess Adelaide together with my heirs and future heirs promise to defend said monastery or to whomever a part of that monastery gives said things in part or whole against any man.  If we could not defend it or we sought to take anything away from said things in that monastery, then we would restore doubly those things to that monastery, as they had improved or increased in value over time by the assessment in similar places.  And I raised the parchment page with ink from earth and gave it to Giselbert, notary of the sacred palace, and asked him to write, in which confirming below strengthened with witnesses he offered it.  Enacted happily in Romanisio.

Sign M of the hand of that Adelaide who had this charter of offering made and read to her. 

Signs MMM of the hands of Warner, Erembert, Peter, witnesses living by Salic law. 

Signs MMMM of the hands of Odo who is Grosso, Bernard who is Mascaro, Manfred, Magnard, witnesses. 

I, the above Giselbert, notary of the sacred palace, writer of this charter of offering, after it was handed over, completed and gave it.

Original letter:

Anno Domini M. LXX. VIII...................... indictione prima, monasterio sancti Eusebii de Salutiis, ubi nunc dominus Petrus preordinatus esse videtur. Ego Alegida comitissa filla Mainfredi marchionis dono et offero pro mercede anime mee et remedio et pro animabus parentum meorum idest clausum (2) unum de sediminibus cum edificiis et vineis cum areis suis atque ortis insimul tenentibus quod habere visa sum in loco qui Salucie vocatur. Iacet in loco qui dicitur in monte prupe destruction castrum predicti loci et est rectum et laboratum per Iohannem et Gislebertum presbiterum, omnia que in ipso clauso continentur et mei iuris sunt sicut cum via ex omni parte in circuitu percinctum est atque dono sive offero ego Adlegida co­mitissa pro mercede anime mee idest pecias tres unam de campo, ubi ecclesia sancti Eusebii predicta est edificata. Aliam similiter de campo et bosco insimul tenente cum area sua. Terciam de prato iuris mei quas habere videor infra territorium predicte cortis Salucie. Iacent in loco qui Cellareto vocatur. Prima pecia de terra in qua prefatum sancti Eusebii monasterium constructum ad laudem Dei omnipotentis fuit, in predicto loco Cellareto posita est inter aream ecclesie prelibate, et omne alium ter­ritorium in ea continentur per mensuram iusta iugera xii , cui coheret de una parte via , de aliis tribus partibus in mea reservo potestate. Secunda pecia de terra que est campo et bosco cum area sua insimul tenente est ibi prope et est inter campum et aream de predicto bosco insimul per totum iugera cc.vi, cui coheret de duabus partibus via, de aliis in mea reservo potestate. Tercia pecia quod est pratum de terra in eodem loco Cellareto posita, est similiter per mensuram iusta iugera xii, cui coheret de una parte via, de alia rigo, de aliis in mea reservo potestate proprietario iure. Quas autem istas res tam predictum clausum in prefato monte cum omnibus rebus que intra eum continentur que mei iuris sunt quam predictas pecias tres de terra iuris mei sunt supradictas una cum accessionibus et ingressibus seu cum superioribus et inferioribus suis qualiter superius legitur tntn [Muletti:  in integrum]  ab hac die in predicto monasterio sancti Eusebii a presenti die dono, concedo, confero et per presentem cartam offersionis ibidem habendum confirmo. Insuper per cultellum, festucam nodatam, vantonem, vasonem terre atque ramum arboris in predicto monasterio exinde legitimam facio tradicionem et vestituram et me exinde foras expuli, varpiri et ab­sentem feci et ad proprietatem ipsius monasterii habendum reliqui faciendum exinde pars predicti monasterii proprietario nomine quicquid voluerit sine omni mea et heredum ac proheredum meorum contradictione vel repetione. Si quis vero quod futurum esse non credo si ego qui supra Adlegida comitissa, quod absit, aut ullus de heredibus ac proheredibus meis seu quelibet opposita persona contra hoc cartam offersionis ire quandoque temptaverimus aut eam per quodvis ingenium infrangere quesierimus tunc inferamus ad illam partem contra quam exinde litem intulerimus mulctam que est pena auri optimi uncias quinquaginta argenti pondera centum et quod repecierimus vendicare non valeamus. Sed presens hec carta offersionis diuturnis temporibus firma permaneat atque persistat. Et ego qui supra Adlegida comitissa una cum meis heredibus ac proheredibus in predicto monasterio aut cui pars ipsius monasterii dederit predictas res in parte aut super totum per omni homine defensare promitto. Quod si defendere pon potuerimus aut si ab eodem monasterio de predictis rebus aliquid subtrahere quesierimus tunc in duplum istas res in ipsum monasterium restituamus sicuti pro tempore fuerint meliorate aut valuerint sub extimacione in consimilibus locis. Et pergamena cum atramentario de terra elevavi paginam Gisleberto notario sacri palacii tradidi et scribere rogavi, in qua subter confirmans testibusque obtulit roborandum.

Actum in loco Romanisia feliciter.

Signum M manus iste Adlegide que hoc cartam offersionis fieri rogavit eique relecta est.

Signa M M M manuum Vuarnerii, Eremberti, Petri lege viventes Salica testes.

Signa M M M M manuum Otonis qui et Grosso, Bernardi qui et Mascaro, Manfredi, Magnardi testes.

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

Historical context:

The countess grants the monastery of St. Eusebius of Saluzzo a farm and three pieces of land.

Scholarly notes:

* Iugera, the land area plowable by oxen in one day.

** These are traditional symbolic objects handed over at the transfer of property.  I am grateful to Adam Kosto for this explanation.  The formula occurs in documents of Bertha of the Obertenghi, Immilla of Turin, Beatrice and Matilda of Tuscany, and Adelaide of Burgundy.

Printed source:

Muletti, Memorie storico-diplomatiche appartenenti alla città ed ai marchesi di Saluzzo, 1.247-49. 

Date: