A letter from Roger, count of Foix

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I, Roger, count of Foix,  and my brothers Peter Bernard and Raymond Roger, with no power compelling nor cleverness persuading, but of our own spontaneous will, with the advice and agreementof good and noble men, made an agreement and peace and harmony and a resolution with Bernard-Ato viscount and his wife Cecilia, viscountess, and their sons Roger and Raymond Trencavel and Bernard for all the complaints and suits that, justly or unjustly, we have had against them and they against us.  Therefore I, said Roger count of Foix and my brothers Peter and Raymond give up and discharge and surrender to you, said Bernard-Ato viscount and your wife Cecilia and your sons, Roger and Raymond and Bernard, that city of Carcassonne with its whole county and all that pertains to that city, men and women, lands, vineyards and castles, towns, places rustic and urban, cultivated and uncultivated, woods, unworked lands, pastures, waters, acqueducts and drains, monasteries, abbacies, churches, named and to be named and all things in all things, except Arzenc, with its boundaries and except Alairac with its boundaries and except Preixano with its boundaries and except Fontienne with its boundaries.  And of these four towns, we mortgage to you two of them, namely Arzenc and Alairac, with their men and women and all their boundaries with all that we have there and ought to have in any way, for three thousand fifty Toulousan solidos liquid and payable in tenths (exibiles & percurribiles decennos).   Also we give up and discharge to you Razès with its whole county, castles, towns, monasteries, churches, men and women, lands, vineyards, waters, pastures, roads, rustic places and everything in everything without  retaining anything.  Again we give up and discharge to you that castle which is called Chercorb, towns, castles, lands, vineyards, men and women and churches with their honors.  Also we discharge and give up to you that castle which they call Cueille with its honors of Cueille, towns, churches, lands, vineyards, woods, unworked lands, men and women and everything in everything.  As said above, so I Roger, count of Foix, and my brothers Peter and Raymond give up and discharge to you Bernard-Ato viscount and your wife Cecilia and your sons Roger and Raymond and Bernard all those above-written honors with full integrity without any retention with all word of our opposition without deception in perpetuity.  If indeed any man or woman or other person should oppose this statement and surrender and discharge and resolution by contradicting and breaking and seizing, he may not obtain what he seeks, but only restore as much again or compound it, and thus this charter should remain firm and stable for all time. Which was done on the day before the kalends of April, Tuesday after Easter, in the year 1125 of the lord’s Incarnation, in the reign of king Louis.  Sign of count Roger and his brothers Peter and Raymond who thus confirmed this charter.  Sign of Bernard of Durban.  Sign of Raymond William of Villamur.  Sign of Bertrand of Belpoi.  Sign of Peter Raymond of Ravad.  Sign of Raymond Sancio.  Sign of Raymond of Dux.  Sign of William of Tournebois.  Sign of William Jordan of Caramain.  Sign of Peter of Puilaurens.  Sign of Arnald of Pelapol.  Sign of Bernard of Tresmals.  Sign of Bernard of Miraval.  Sign of Udalger of Vilar.  Sign of Count William.  William Adulf wrote this at the order of said Roger count of Foix in said year and day.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini. Ego Rogerius comes Fuxensis & fratres mei Petrus Bernardi & Raimundus Rogerii, nullius cogente imperio nec suadente ingenio sed propria ac spontanea voluntate nostra, cum consilio & laudamento bonorum & nobilium hominum, fecimus finem & pacem & concordiam atque placitum cum Bernardo-Athonis vicecomite & cum uxore ejus Caecilia vicecomitissa filiisque eorum Rogerio & Raimundo Trencavelli atque Bernardo de omnibus clamoribus & quaerimoniis quas juste vel injuste nos habebamus adversus eos & ipsi adversum nos. Ego ergo jamdictus Rogerius comes Fuxensis & fratres mei Petrus & Raimun­dus derelinquimus & absolvimus atque desamparamus vobis jamdicto Bernardo- Atoni vicecomiti & uxori Caeciliae filiis­que vestris Rogerio & Raimundo atque Bernardo ipsam civitatem Carcassonae cum omni comitatu & cum omnibus quae ad ipsam civitatem pertinent, homines & foeminas, terras, vineas & castella, villas, loca rustica & urbana, culta & inculta, silvas, guarricas, pascua, aquas, aquarum ductus & reductus, monasteria, abbatias, ecclesias, dictum & dicendum & omnia in omnibus, excepto Arzencs cum suis terminis & excepto Alairaco cum suis terminis & excepto Preixano cum suis terminis & excepto Fonciano cum suis terminis. Et de istis quatuor villis impignoramus vobis duas, scilicet Arzencs & Alairacum cum ipsis hominibus & foeminis & cum omni bus terminis illarum, cum hoc toto quod nos ibi habemus & ullo modo habere debemus, propter tria millia quingentos solidos Tolosanos exibiles & percurribiles decennos. Item derelinquimus vobis & absolvimus Reddas cum omni suo comitatu Reddense, castella, villas, monasteria, ecclesias, homines & foeminas, terras, vineas, aquas, pascua, vias, loca rustica & omnia in omnibus sine ulla retinentia. Iterum vero derelinquimus vobis & absolvimus ipsum castellum quod dicitur Cheircorb, villas, castella, terras, vineas, homines & foeminas & ecclesias cum suis honoribus. Item absolvimus & derelinquimus vobis ipsum castellum quod vocant Coila cum ipsis suis honoribus de Choiles, villas, ec­clesias, terras, vineas, silvas, garricas, homines & foeminas & omnia in omni­bus. Sicut superius dictum est, sic ego Rogerius comes Fuxensis & fratres mei Petrus & Raymundus derelinquimus vo­bis & absolvimus Bernardo-Atonis vicecomiti & uxori vestrae Caeciliae filiisque vestris Rogerio &c Raimundo atque Ber­nardo istos suprascriptos omnes honores cum omni integritate absque ulla retinen­tia, cum omni voce oppositionis nostrae sine vestro inganno in perpetuum. Si quis vero homo aut foemina aut ulla persona contra istam finitionem & desamparationem & absolutionem & placitum contradicendo & irrumpendo vel amparando advenerit, quod petierit obtinere non possit, sed tantum & aliud tantum vel componendo restituat, & sic ista carta firma & stabilis permaneat omni tempore. Quae facta est pridie kalendas aprilis, die martis post Pascha, anno MCXXV Incarnationis dominicae, regnante Lodovico rege. S. Rogerii comitis & fratrum ejus Petri & Raimundi qui sic istam cartam firmaverunt. S. Bernardi de Durban. S. Raimundi Guillelmi de Villamur. S. Bertrandi de Belpoi. S. Petri Raimundi de Ravad. S. Raimundi Sancii. S. Raimundi de Dux. S. Guillelmi de Tornabox. S. Willelmi Jordani de Caramain. S. Petri de Poilaurencs. S. Arnaldi Pelapol. S. Ber­nard de Tresmals. S. Bernardi de Miravalle. S. Udalgerii de Vilar. S. Guillelmi Comitis. Guilielmus Adulfi scripsit jussione praedicti Rogerii comitis Fuxensis die & anno jamdicto.

Historical context:

The count of Foix and his brothers resolve their differences with Bernard-Ato and his family by surrendering to them all rights to Carcassonne and its territory, with the exception of four towns, two of which they mortgage to them.

Printed source:

Histoire générale de Languedoc, 5.926-28.490.1, CCCC. 

Date: