A letter from Cecilia and Bernard Ato

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord.  I Willerm of Minerve give to you Bernard-Ato viscount and your wife Cecilia and your children that castle of Laurano and I give you the castle of Olargues; these two castles I give you with their fortifications which are there today and will be built within their boundaries with all their appurtenances and attributes and with all that pertains anywhere to those castles, as those castles with all their appurtenances came to me from my parents and pertain or ought to pertain as allod or by whatever other name, etc.

 And I, said Bernard-Ato viscount and my wife Cecilia viscountess  give to you said Willerm of Minerve the named castle of Laurano and all that we have acquired and gained from you there and we give you in fief as much as we have acquired and gained there before from Arnald of Laurano and his nephews, namely Peter of Laurano and his brother Arnald, so that you may have [as] written above and you and your posterity may hold it from us in fief and you swear that to us with righteous faith without deceit; by that agreement you and your posterity may have [it] from that child of ours who will have and hold Carcassonne through us or in our name and from his posterity for all time.  And we agree and grant to you that we have that castle of Laurano sworn to you by [Peter] and his brother Arnald and their cousins, children of said Arnald their uncle; and if we cannot do so, we will be loyal aids to you and we will help you to fight them with and without you until it is done to you without deception.  By that agreement, we give you in fief said castle of Olargues, namely as we have acquired and gained it from you, so that you and your posterity may have and hold it from us in fief and you swear that to us without deception; by that agreement, you and your posterity may have and hold it in fief from that child of ours who will have and hold Ambialet through us and in our name and from his posterity for all time.  And we agree and grant to you that we that we shall have that castle of Olargues sworn to you by Engelbert of Olargues without deceiving you, and if we cannot, we would be loyal to you and help you to war against him with you and without you, until it is done to you without deception.  And for this, we send you in pledge the castle of Poixairac and the castle of Lavineria and all that we have in them:  but after said oathes are taken to you, those castles, namely Poixaric and Lavineria will be removed from that pledge and altogether free.

 I the said viscount Bernard-Ato and I viscountess Cecilia pledge to you said Wilherm in place of oath by our faith and we take you under our protection and in our oath, that we do to you all that is written above and expect without deception that we will have the whole sworn to you by our sons Roger and Raymond without deceiving you.  Again we give you in fief in the city of Carcassonne that property that Amelio Anruga of Valle Sigeri had, which abuts Altano in the property of John, son of Lombarda, etc.

This charter was made on the nones of March, in the reign of king Louis.  Sign of lord Bernard-Ato viscount and his wife Cecilia viscountess and their sons Raymond and Roger, who signed this charter.  Sign of William of Minerve who signed this charter.  Sign of Wilherm of Olonzac.  Sign of Raymond of Lavineria and his brother Hermengald.  Sign of Peter of Pipio.  Sign of Bernard Amato.  Sign of Arnald of Pelapol.  Sign of Bernard of Tresmalz.  Wilherm wrote this at the order and request of said lord Wilherm of Minerve and at the order of lord Bernard-Ato viscount and his wife Cecilia viscountess, in the year 1126 of the lord’s Incarnation.

Original letter:

 In nomine Domini. Ego Wilhermus de Minerba dono vobis Bernardo-Atonis vicecomiti & uxori vestrae Caeciliae & infantibus vestris ipsum castellum de Laurano & dono vobis ipsum castellum de Olarge : haec duo castella dono vobis cum ipsis suis forteciis quae ibi hodie sunt & in eorum terminiis factae fuerint & cum omnibus pertinentiis vel adjacentiis eorum & cum omnibus ad ipsa castella ubique pertinentibus, sicut ipsa castella cum omnibus sibi pertinentibus ex parte parentum meorum mihi acciderunt & pertinent vel pertinere debent per alodium sive per aliam qualemcumque vocem, &c. Et ego praenominatus Bernardus-Atonis vicecomes & uxor mea Caecilia vicecomitissa donamus vobis ad fevum tibi supradicto Wilhermo de Minerba praenominatum castellum de Laurano & totum quantum de te ibi adquisitum & gadaignatum habemus, & donamus tibi ad fevum totum quantum ibi antea adquisitum vel gadaignatum habebamus de Arnaldo de Laurano & de nepotibus ejus, Petro scilicet de Laurano & fratre ejus Arnaldo, ut hoc totum superius scriptum habeas & tu & posteritas tua & teneas de nobis ad fevum & juretis illud nobis recta fide sine inganno; per eamdem convenientiam ha­beas tu & posteritas tua de ipso infante nostro qui Carcassonam per nos vel per nostram vocem habuerit vel tenuerit & de posteritate illius omni tempore. Et convenimus & laudamus tibi ut ipsum castellum de Laurano faciamus tibi jurari ab [Petro] & fratre ejus Arnaldo & a consobrinis eorum filiis suprascripti Arnaldi avunculi eorum; & si facere non poterimus, simus tibi fideles adjutores & adjuvemus te tantum eos guerrejare tecum & sine te usque fiat tibi sine inganno. Per eamdem convenientiam donamus tibi ad fevum praedictum castellum de Olarge, quantum scilicet de tibi adquisitum vel gadaignatum habemus, ut tu & posteritas tua habeatis de nobis & teneatis ad fevum & juretis illud nobis sine inganno; per eamdem convenientiam tu & posteritas tua habeatis & teneatis illud ad fevum de ipso infante nostro qui Ambiletum habuerit & tenuerit per nos vel per nostram vocem & de posteritate ejus omni tem­pore. Et convenimus & laudamus tibi ut ipsum castellum de Olarge faciamus tibi jurari ab Engelberto de Olarge sine tuo inganno, & si facere non poterimus, si­mus tibi fideles & adjuvemus te illum tantum guerrejare tecum & sine te, us­que fiat tibi sine tuo inganno. Et propter hoc mittimus tibi in pignore castellum de Poixairic & castellum de Lavineria & totum quantum in eis habemus : sed postquam praedicta sacramenta tibi erunt facta, ipsa castella scilicet Poixaric & Lavineria sint de ipso pignore expedita & omnino delibera. Ego item praedictus Bernardus-Atonis vicecomes & ego Caecilia vicecomitissa in loco sacramenti plivimus tibi praedicto Wilhermo per nostras fides & suscipimus te in nostro causimento & in nostro Sacramento, ut totum sicut superius scriptum est tibi faciamus & attendamus sine inganno & ut faciamus tibi totum jurari a filiis nostris Rogerio & Raymundo sine tuo inganno. Donamus iterum vobis ad fevum in civitate Carcassonae ipsum mansum qui fuit Amelii Anruga de Valle Sigerii, qui affrontat de Altano in manso Johannis filii Lombardae, &c. Facta carta ista nonis martii, regnante Lodovico rege. S. domini Bernardi-Atonis vicecomitis & uxoris ejus Caeciliae vicecomitissae & filiorum illorum Raymundi & Rogerii, qui sic istam cartam firmaverunt. S. Guilhelmi de Minerva qui sic istam cartam firmavit. S. Wilhermi de Olonzaco. S. Raimundi de Lavineria & Hermengaudi fratris ejus.  S. Petri de Pipionis.  S. Bernardi Amati.  S. Arnaldi de Pelapol.  S. Bernardi de Tresmalz.  Wilhermus scripsit hoc jussione & precatu domini praedicti Wilhermi de Minerva & jussione domini Bernardi-Atonis vicecomitis & conjugis Caeciliae vicecomitissae, anno MCXXVI Incarnationis dominicae.

Historical context:

Willerm of Minerve gives his castles of Laurano and Olargues to the count and countess and receives them back in fief, with their pledges of two castles to be held by him until they have obtained the promised oathes to Willerm from others who might have claims to them.  The document begins with Willerm's statement, but the bulk of it is from Bernard and Cecilia.

Printed source:

Histoire générale de Languedoc, 5.941-3, 494.1, CCCCIV.  

Date: