A letter from Almodis and Raymond

Translated letter:

This is the agreement which was made between lord Raymond, count of Barcelona, and lady Almodis, countess, and Arnall Miro and his wife lady Arsind.  Indeed said count and countess give to Arnall and his wife the town of Casseres as a fief with its castellany, its boundaries and appurtenances, excepting the half of that domain which lord Arnall had there when he sold said town to them, which said count and countess retain for their use.  And said Arnall and his wife agree that they may send a castellan into that town whom they wish and choose, and other castellans who now have that town through Arnall should be men of that castellan and have that town and fief through him and swear fidelity to him and power over said town.  And all these castellan will swear fidelity to said count and said countess and to their sons, they and their wives and sons; and they will swear that when said count and countess wished and asked, through themselves or their messengers, they would give them power over said town without deception.  And said count and countess will set guard duty in that town when they wish, and may make war and peace against men and women when they wish.  And when any of these castellans should die, or what they held through them should in whatever way come vacant according to the will of said count and countess, that Arnall and his wife would send castellans into said castle whom they had chosen, who would similarly swear fidelity and the aforesaid oath to them, without deception.  And all the said castellans would be men of that Arnall and his wife and swear fidelity and power over said castle when they wished, and aid against all men and women, except lord count Raymond and lady countess Almodis and their sons; and after the death of that Arnall and his wife, said castle would remain with its boundaries and appurtenances in the power of said count and countess solidly and freely to do whatever they wished.  And said count and countess should determine to said Arnall and his said wife all the complaints which they have and had and can have in whatever way from them, from lands as well as from all other things.  And in those hostilities and mounted expeditions in which lord Arnall will be with the count and countess, all the castellans of this town would be with their men in the service of the count and countess and when that lord Arnall will not be with them in those troops and mounted expeditions, all these other castellans would be with Raymond Miro, who now receives that castellany in the service of the count and countess.  Which is enacted 4 kalends of August in the 7th year of the reign of king Philip.  Raymond, count.  Almodis, countess.  Sign+ of Arnall.  Sign+ of Arsind, his wife, who [we] confirm this. Sign+ of Bernard Amati.  Sign+ of Gerbert.  Sign+ of Raymond Miro.  Sign+ of William Bernard.  Sign+ of Raymond, his son.  Sign+ of Bernard Isarn.  Sign+ of Bernard Raymond.  Sign+ of Berengar Isarn.  Sign+ of Bernard Trasvari.  Sign+ of Miro Gonball.  Sign+ of Bertrand.  Sign+ of Miro Isarn.   Sign+ of Hugo Arnall.  Peter, deacon, wrote and subscribed + the sheet of this document with letters placed above on the day and year noted.

Original letter:

. Hec est conveniencia que facta est inter domnum Raimundum, comitem Barchinonensem, et domnam Adalmodem comitissam et inter dom­num Arnallum Mironis et uxorem eius domnam Arsindam. Donant, namque, predictus comes et comitissa ad eundem Arnallum et ad uxorem eius ipsum castrum de Castro Serris per fevum cum sua castellania cum suis terminis et pertinenciis, excepta medietate de ipsa dominicatura quam domnus Arnallus ibi habebat quando vendidit eis praedictum castrum, quam iam dicti comes et comitissa retinent ad suum opus. Et predictus Arnallus et uxor eius conveniunt eis ut mittant castellanum in ipso castro quem ipsi voluerint et elegerint, et alii castellani, qui modo habent ipsum castrum per eundem Arnallum, sint homines ipsius castellani et habeant ipsum castrum et fevum per eum et iurent ei fidelitatem et potestatem de predicto castro. Et omnes isti castellani iurent fidelitatem ad predictum comitem et ad prefatam comitissam et ad filios eorum et ipsi et uxores eorum et filii eorum ; et iurent ut, quando supradicti comes et comitissa voluerint et requisierint, per se ipsos aut per suos nuncios dent eis potestatem de predicto castro sine suo engan. Et prefati comes et comitissa habeant staticam in ipso castro quando voluerint, et faciant inde guerram et pacem contra cunctos homines et feminas quando vo­luerint. Et quando aliquis ex istis castellanis obierit, aut hoc quod ipsi per eos tenuerint per quemcumque modum in operturam venerit secundum voluntatem prefati comitis et comitise, mittat idem Arnallus et uxor eius castellanos in prefato castro quos ipsi elegerint, qui simili modo iurent eis fidelitatem et sacramentum supradictum, sine suo engan. Et omnes predicti castellani sint homines ipsius Arnalli et uxoris eius, et iurent eis fidelitatem et potestatem de predicto castro quando volue­rint, et adiutorium contra cunctos homines et feminas, excepto domno Raimundo comite et domna Almode comitissa et filii eorum; et post obitum ipsius Arnalli et uxoris eius, remaneat prefatum castrum cum suis terminis et pertinenciis in potestate prefati comitis et comitisse solide et libere ad faciendum quodcumque voluerint. Et supradicti comes et co­mitissa definiunt ad prefatum Arnallum et iam dictam uxorem eius omnes querelas quas habent et habuerunt et per quemcumque modum habere possuut ex eis, tam ex terris quam ex omnibus rebus aliis. Et in ipsas ostes et cavalcadas in quibus domnus Arnallus fuerit cum comite et comitissa, omnes istius castri castellani cum suis hominibus sint cum eo in servicio comitis et comitisse et, quando idem dominus Arnallus non fuerit cum eis in ipsas ostes et in ipsas cavalgadas, omnes isti alii castellani sint ibi cum Raimundo Mironis, qui modo accipit ipsum castellum in servicio comitis et comitisse. Quod est actum IIII kalendas augusti anno VII regni regis Philippi. Raimundus, comes. Almodis, comitissa. Sig+num Arnalli. Sig+num Arsindis, uxoris eius, qui hoc confirmamus. Sig+num Bernardi Amati. Sig+num Girberti. Sig+num Raimundi Mironis. Sig+num Guillermi Bernardi. Sig+num Raimundi, filii sui. Sig+num Bernard Isarni. Sig+num Bernardi Raimundi. Sig+num Berengarii Isarni. Sig+num Bernardi Trasvarii. Sig+num Mironis Gonballi. Sig+num Bertrandi. Sig+num Mironis Isarni. Sig+num Ugonis Arnalli. Petrus. diaconus, huius scedulam scripture scripsit et subescripsit + cum litteris suprapositis in duobus locis die et anno quo supra. 

Historical context:

The count and countess award the town of Casseres as a fief to Arnall Miro and his wife, which they had sold to the count and countess (see #152), with obligations of fidelity and service.

Printed source:

LFM 1.151-52, #151.

Date: