A letter from Artaud of Miro

Translated letter:

This is the agreement which the count of Pallars made with lord Raymond, count of Barcelona, and lady Almodis, countess.  Said Artaud, count, contracted with said count Raymond and said countess Almodis, that he would give 6 towns which are in Pallars, with their boundaries and all appurtenances, to Lucia, sister of the already named Almodis, countess.  And Artaud would make said gift to said Lucia with the approval of said count Raymond and said countess Almodis, as seemed best, for the good and honor of said Lucia and of them, without deception.  Also, said count Artaud agreed with said count Raymond and countess, that of the said 6 towns, he would release and hand over two towns, namely St. Ingracia and Toralas, with their boundaries and appurtenances, into the power of count Raymond and countess Almodis, so that those men whom said count Raymond and the countess ordered to receive them, in such a way said count Raymond and countess Almodis would have licence to order said two towns according to their will.  And the other four towns which remain of the said 6, that is, Salas and Petra Media and Revert and Belvidin, said Artaud agreed with said count Raymond and countess Almodis that he would assure said Lucia authority over the said 4* towns, with all their boundaries and appurtenances, without deception; and he would commend to said Lucia those castellans who hold them and held them, and they would accept said 4 towns by the hand of said Lucia; and they would do such fidelity and oaths to said Lucia, as a man should do to his lord from whom he would hold their towns.  And said Artaud agreed that those castellans who hold or held said 4 towns be men of said count Raymond and said countess Almodis, and enter into pledges with said 4 towns and all their boundaries and appurtenances that pertain to said towns, in the power of said count Raymond and countess Almodis, in such a way that said count Artaud would hold said Lucia while he was alive as a man ought to hold his wife whom he has legally accepted.  And said count Artaud would not put aside said Lucia, while she was alive, for any reason, if she were not leprous; and said count Artaud would not make any charge or obstacle to said Lucia, so that she ought to put him aside.  And again, said count Artaud agreed with said count Raymond and countess Almodis and said Lucia that of the said 6 towns or their boundaries and appurtenances, he would not take them away from said Lucia nor take anything from them, not he, nor a man or woman by his counsel or his artifice.  And if there were a man or woman who took from her, or had taken all the aforesaid or something from all the aforesaid, said Artaud would help enough with hostility and war in faith, without deception, until said Lucia had recovered all that she had lost.  And again, said Artaud agreed with said count Raymond and countess Almodis, that he would commend all his men who held his fief and honor by the hand already of said Artaud to said Lucia, and they would do fidelity to said Lucia with the approval of the aforesaid count Raymond and countess Almodis.  And said count Artaud agreed to said count Raymond and countess Almodis, that he would give every other honor of his to said Lucia in such a way that, if said Artaud should die, said Lucia would hold and have said honor while she was alive, without hindrance from any man or woman, if she did not take another husband; and after the death of said Lucia, said honor would remain with that child that she would have from said Artaud.  And again, said count Artaud agreed to said count Raymond and countess Almodis that he would keep and carry out all other agreements with said count Raymond and countess Almodis that he had agreements to do with them.  Also, said count Artaud agreed with said count Raymond and countess Almodis that those castellans who hold or held those aforesaid four towns, namely Salas and Petra Media and Revert and Belvidin, would swear faith to said count Raymond and countess Almodis.  And moreover they would swear to them that [if] aforesaid count Artaud did not keep or hold all those agreements completely which he had made with said count Raymond and countess Almodis, said castellans, with their said towns and all boundaries and appurtenances, would be forfeit to the power of said count Raymond and countess Almodis; and if one of them should die, said count Artaud would similarly keep and do that aforesaid agreement with the one who was alive between count Raymond and countess Almodis.  Also said count Artaud agreed to said count Raymond and countess Almodis that what he pledged above to them, he would swear by oath that he would fully agree to and keep without deception of said count Raymond and countess Almodis.

Original letter:

Hec est conveniencia quam facit comes Paliarensis ad domnum Raimundum, comitem Barchinonensem, et ad domnam Almodem, comitissa. Convenit, namque, predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum Raimundum, comitem, et ad iam dictam Almodem, comitissam, ut donet vi castros quod sunt in Palars, cum eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, Lucie, soror que est iam dicte Almodis, comitisse. Et predictum donum faciat iam dictus Artallus ad iam dictam Luciam ad laudamentum de supra dictum comitem Raimundum et de iam dicta Almodis, comitissa, sicut illi melius viderint ad bene et honore de Lucia iam dicta et ad illorum, sine engan. Item, convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad supra dictos comitem Raimundum et comitissam, ut de supra dictis vi castris, liberet et tradat duos castros, scilicet, Sancta Ingracia et Toralas, cum illorum terminos et pertinenciis, in potestate comitis Raimundi et comitisse Almodi, ut de illis hominibus quibus predictus comes Raimundus et comitissa mandaverint recipere eos, tali modo ut predictus comes Raimundus et comitissa Almodis habeant licenciam stabilire predictos duos castros secundum illorum voluntatem. Et alios quatuor castros quod remanent de supra dictis vi, id sunt, Salas et Petra Media et Revert et Belvidin, convenit predictus Artallus ad predictos comitem Raimundum et comitissam Almodem ut faciat postestativam predictam Luciam de predictos iii castros, cum illorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, sine engan ; et faciat comendare ad iam dictam Luciam illos castellanos qui eos tenent vel tenuerint, et accipiant predictos iiii castros per manum iam dicte Lucie; et faciant fidancias et sacramentos tales ad predicta<m> Luciam, qualis homo debet facere ad summ senior<e>m de cui tenetur suorum castros. Et illos castellanos qui tenent vel tenuerint predictos iiii castros, convenit predictus Artaldus ut sint homines de predicto Raimundo, comiti, et de iam dicta Almodi, comitissa, et intrent in pignora cum predictis iiii castris et eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus que pertinent ad predictos castros, in potestatem predicti comitis Raimundi et Almodi, comitisse, tali modo, ut predictus Artallus, comes, teneat iam dictam Luciam, dum vivus fuerit, sicut homo debet tenere suam uxorem quam legaliter accepit. Et predictus Artallus, comes, non dimittat predictam Luciam, dum viva fuerit, per ullam occasionem, si leprosa non fuerit; et predictus Artallus, comes, non faciat ullam calumpniam neque impossibilitatem ad iam dictam Luciam, ut ipsa eum dimittere debeat. Et iterum, convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum comitem Raimundum et comitissam Almodem et ad Luciam dictam quod de supradictos vi castros, neque de illorum terminis et pertinenciis, non tollat eos ad iam dictam Luciam nec aliquid inde tollat ei nec ipse, nec homo, nec femina per suum consilium neque per suum ingenium. Et si fuerit ullus homo vel femina qui tollat ei, aut tulerint predicta omnia, aut ali­quid de predictis omnibus, predictus Artallus tantum adiuvet ei ad rancorare et ad guerreiare per fidem, sine engan, usquequo recuperatum habeat predicta Lucia hoc totum quod perditum habuerit. Et iterum, convenit predictus Artallus ad predictum comitem Raimundum et ad comitissam Almodem ut comendet totos suos homines qui tenent suum fevum et suum honorem per manum iam dicti Artalli ad predictam Luciam, et faciant fidancias ad predictam Luciam ad laudamentum de comite Raimundo iam dicto et de comitissa Almodi. Et convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum comitem Raimundum et ad Almodem, comitissam, ut omnem aliam suam honorem donet ad predictam Luciam, tali modo, quod, si predictus Artallus obierit, predicta Lucia teneat et habeat predictum honorem, dum viva fuerit, sine impedimento alicuius hominis vel femine, si maritum alterum non acceperit; et post obitum predicte Lucie, remaneat predictum honorem ad illum infantem quod habuerit de predicto Artallo. Et iterum, convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum comitem Raimundum et ad comitissam Almodem ut attendat et faciat omnes alias conveniencias ad predictos comitem Raimundum et comitis­sam Adalmodem que habuit eis conventas facere. Item, etiam convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum comitem Raimundum et ad comitissam Almodem ut ipsos castellanos qui tenent vel tenuerint supra dictos quatuor castros, scilicet, Salas et Petra Media et Revert et Belvidin, (et) iurent fidelitatem ad comitem predictum Raimundum et ad comitissam Adalmodem. Et insuper iurent ad illos quod [si] supra dictus Artallus, comes, non attenderit et non tenuerit omnes illas conveniencias integriter que habet conventas ad comitem predictum Raimundum et ad Almodem, comitissam, predicti castellani, cum predictis castris et illorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, incurrant in potestatem iam dictis comitis Raimundi et comitisse Almodi; et si unus ex his defuerit, similiter attendat et faciat predictus Artallus, comes, supra scriptas conveniencias ad illum qui vivus fuerit ex comite Raimundo vel ex comitissa Almodis. Item, convenit predictus Artallus, comes, ad predictum comitem Raimundum et comitissam Almodem ut hoc [quod] superius impignorat eis, afidet per sacramentum quod integriter conveniat et attendat sine engan de predictis comite Raimundo et comitissa Adalmodis.

Historical context:

The marriage contract between Artaud of Miro, count of Pallars, and the count and countess of Barcelona, brother-in-law and sister of the bride, countess Lucia, for six towns in the county of Pallars.

Scholarly notes:

*The text gives 3, but that is clearly an error.

Printed source:

LFM 1.52-54. #37.

Date: