A letter from Almodis and Raymond Berenguer

Translated letter:

This is the agreement which was made between lord Raymond count of Barcelona and lady Almodis countess and the children of said count Raymond, and viscount Raymond Bernard and viscountess Ermengard his wife and their children, for the whole honor of Razès and of Carcassonne [and of Narbonne] and of Minerve and of Toulouse, that was count Peter Raymond’s and his son Roger’s.  Said viscount and viscountess agreed with said count and countess that if said viscount and [vis]countess died without children from legitimate marriage, or if those children similarly died without children from legitimate union, this whole said honor that was count Peter Raymond’s and his son Roger’s would revert to said count Raymond and countess Almodis or the children of said count Raymond.  Also said count and countess agree that if said count Raymond dies without a child from legitimate marriage, or the children of said count Raymond die without children from legitimate marriage, similarly this whole said honor that was count Peter Raymond’s and his son Roger’s would revert to said viscount Raymond and to said viscountess Ermengard or to their children.  They also agree between them that from this whole said honor one may not give or encumber anything to any man or woman, unless between them, one to the other, except to their men; nor can one of the abovenamed encumber anything from said honor unless between them one to the other; and if encumbered in this way from said honor, anyone of these named above may redeem the mortgage, make and hold this in mortgage only until the other to who should hold this mortgage redeems it.  This was done in the presence of abbot Matfred and William of Montpellier, and Sicar Salomon and Ugo Urstafred, and Dalmacio Bernard of Petratalliata, and Imbert-Gaucebert, and Guillerm-Raymond, seneschal, and Raymond Inard, and Miro Mironis and Willerm Adalbert of Judigas, and Guicard Lupo, and Rainouard of Menedes and Rostaing of Posquières, and William Belarot, and Renard Salamon, and Peter Gerald, cleric, and Bernard Redivi and Peter William of Montpellier and lord Guifred, archbishop of Narbonne, and Berengar Miro, bishop and many other good men who saw this whole written and heard it.

Original letter:

Haec est conveniencia, que est facta inter dominum Raymundum comitem Barchinone, & dominam Adalmoden comitissam, & infantes predicti Raymundi comitis, & Raymundum Bernardi vicecomitem & Ermengardem vicecomitissam uxorem ejus, & infantes illorum, de tota ipsa honore de Redes, & de Carcases, [& de Narbones], & de Menerbes, & de Tolosano, qui fuit Petri-Raymundi comitis & de Rodgario filio suo.  Conveniunt namque predicti vicecomes & vicecomitissa ad predictos comitem & comitissam, ut si predicti vicecomes & [vice]comitissa moriuntur sine infantes de legitimo conjugio, aut si ipsi infantes simili modo moriuntur sine infantes de legitimo conjugio, revertatur totam istam supradictam honorem qui fuit jamdicti Petri-Raymundi comitis & de filio suo Rodgario ad Raymundum jamdictum comitem & ad Almodem comitissam aut ad infantes predicti comitis Raymundi.  Item conveniunt namque predicti comes & comitissa ut, si predictus comes Raymundus moritur sine infante de legitimo conjugio, aut si infantes jamdicti Raymundi comitis moriuntur sine infantes de legitimo conjugio, similiter revertatur totam istam supradictam honorem qui fuit Petri-Raymundi comitis & de Rodgario filio suo ad jamdictum Raymundum vicecomitem & ad jamdictam Ermengardem vicecomitissam aut ad infantes illorum.  Item conveniunt inter se, ut de tota ista supradicta honore unus non donet nec incombret ullam rem ad nullum hominem neque ad feminam, nisi inter se unus ad alterum, exceptus ad homines illorum; nec unus de istis supradictis non impignoret ullam rem de istam supradictam honorem, nisi inter se unus ad alterum; & hoc quod modo est impignoratum de supradicta honore, qualiscumque de istis supradictis valeat redimere ipsa pignora, faciat, & teneat tantum hoc in pignora, donec alter cui ipsa pignora debet esse redimat eam.  Fuit hoc factum in presencia Matfredi abbatis, & Guillelmi de Montepistlarii, & Sicarii Salamonis, & Ugoni Urstafredi, & Dalmacii Bernardi de Petratalliata, & Ymberti-Gauceberti, & Guillermi-Raymundi senescalcus, & Raymundi-Inardi, & Miro- Mironis & Guillermi-Adalberti de Judigas, & Guicardi Lupi, & Renouardi de Menedes, & Roctangno de Poscheras, & Guillelmi Belarot, & Renardi Salamonis, & Petri Geraldi, clerici, & Bernardi Redivi,  & Petri Guillelmi de Montpestler, & domni Guifredi , archiepiscopi de Narbona, & Berengarii- Mironis episcopi, & aliorum multorum bonorum hominum, qui hoc totum quod suprascriptum est viderunt & audierunt.

Historical context:

Presumably in return for the sale to them of Carcassonne and Razès, the count and countess of Barcelona grant Ermengard and her husband the lands they have sold, the inheritance from Ermengard’s father and brother, with certain exceptions.  If either couple died without surviving children, the lands would revert to the other. 

Printed source:

Histoire Générale de Languedoc 5.558-60, 284.2, CCXXXIX; also in Liber Feudorum Maior, ed. Francisco Rosell (Barcelona, 1945), 2.299-300, #816.

Date: