A letter from Bernard of Canet

Translated letter:

In the year 1126 of the Incarnation of the lord, 2 nones of April, in the reign of king Louis, this oath was taken by which the castellans of Carcassonne swore to viscount Bernard Ato and his wife and their sons, the names of which castellans are written below.  From this hour forward, I Bernard of Canet swear to you my lords Bernard Ato, viscount and your wife Cecilia and her sons Roger and Raymond and Bernard, life and limbs which hold themselves in/to your bodies, and I swear fidelity to you and I swear the city Carcassonne to you with its fortifications which are there today and will be built there in the future, and with all its suburbs, that I shall not take it from you or anything from it, nor man nor woman, etc.  And if men or women should take it from you or anything from it, I shall not have peace or association with him or her to your harm and I shall be a loyal and righteous aid to you in my power without deceit, and if I should  be able to recover it, I would give it back into your power without reward, without deception, without redemption of your gift etc. of honor, and following this, I shall keep that oath to you all the days of my life without deception.  As is written above, I shall hold the whole from you and attend [to it] with righteous faith without deception by God and these holy Gospels.  By the same agreement swore Count Willerm and Nicholas, and Bernard Pelapol and his brother Raymond Pelapol, and Arnald Pelapol and Peter Pelapol and Bernard of Tresmals and Amoroso and William Calvet, Peter of Laurano and his brother Arnald, and Bernad Pos of Aquaviva and William Roger of Aragon and Roger from Le Poujols and Peter of Galengs.

Original letter:

Anno dominicae Incarnationis MCXXVI, II nonas aprilis, regnante Lodovico rege, fuit factum sacramentale hoc cum quo juraverunt castellani Carcassonae Bernardo-Atoni vicecomiti uxorique ac filiis eorum, quorum castellanorum nomina subterius sic scripta habentur. — De ista hora in antea juro ego Bernardus de Caneto vobis senioribus meis Bernardo-Atoni vicecomiti & uxori vestrae Caeciliae & filiis ejus Rogerio & Raimundo atque Bernardo vitam & membra vestra qui in corporibus vestris se tenent, & juro vobis fidelitatem & juro vobis civitatem Carcassonam cum ipsis fortesiis, quae ibi hodie sunt & in antea ibi factae erunt, & cum totis suburbiis illius, quod non tollam vobis illam neque aliquid de ea, nec homo nec foemina, &c. Et si homines vel foeminae illam aut aliquid de ea vobis abstulerint, cum illo aut cum illa aut cum illis finem vel societatem non habuero ad ullum vestrum damnum & fidelis atque rectus adjutor fuero vobis pro posse meo sine vestro inganno, &c si eam recuperare potuero, in vestra potestate reddidero sine lucro & sine vestra deceptione & sine redemptione vestri muneris &c ho­noris, &c in sequenti istud sacramentum vobis tenuero omnibus diebus vitae meae sine deceptione vestra. Sicut superius scriptum est, sic vobis totum tenuero &c attendero recta fide sine inganno per Deum & haec sancta Evangelia. — Per eamdem convenientiam juraverunt Villermus Comes & Nichola, & Bernardus Pe­lapol & frater ejus Raimundus Pelapol, & Arnaldus Pelapol & Petrus Pelapol & Bernardus de Tresmals & Amorosus & Willelmus Calveti, Petrus de Laurano & Arnaldus frater ejus, & Bernardus Poncii de Aquaviva & Willelmus Rogerii de Aragona & Rogerius de ipso Podio & Petrus de Galengs.

Historical context:

After they had recovered Carcassonne in 1124, from which they had been expelled in 1120, probably with the connivance of the count of Barcelona,* Bernard and Cecilia gave properties of the traitors to those who had remained faithful.  The recipients of those properties swore fidelity to them.

Scholarly notes:

*  See Fredric L. Cheyette, Ermengard of Narbonne and the World of the Troubadours (Cornell University, 2001), 197.

Printed source:

Histoire générale de Languedoc, 5. 924-25, #489.11, CCCXCVIII.

Date: