A letter from Raymond, son of Ledgard

Translated letter:

I, Raymond, son of the late woman Ledgard, swear that from this hour forth I shall be faithful to Almodis, countess, who is [daughter] of countess Amelia, without fraud or evil artifice and without deception of said countess Almodis, by direct faith without trickery, as a man ought to be to his lord.  And I said Raymond shall not deceive/deprive said countess Almodis of her life or the members that are held in her body, nor of that city that is called Girona, nor of that town which is called Girondella, nor of that county which is called Girona, nor of that bishopric of St. Mary, see of Girona, nor of those abbacies that are in said bishopric with all their appurtenances, nor of those towns or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or undeveloped, which are in said county with all their appurtenances, nor of those cities or bishoprics or abbacies or towns or lands or parias* from parts of Spain which count Raymond, my lord, son of the late countess Sancia, had given or will give in the future or owed to said countess Almodis, or to her sons whom said count Raymond has or will have had, nor the tutelage for the honor which said count Raymond will owe or hand over after his death to Almodis, said countess, nor the wealth or paria which is or will be in the future given in agreement from the Sarracens to said countess.  All that is written or named above, I said Raymond will not take or take any of from said countess Almodis, not I nor a man or men or woman or women by my counsel or by my artifice.  And I said Raymond will be an aid to said countess Almodis to hold and have and defend all the aforesaid against all men or man, women or woman, who would take or took all the aforesaid or any of it from said countess, for which said Almodis might call on me in the name of this oath by herself or her messengers or messenger; and I would not refuse to be called on to give this help to said countess without deception, to my knowledge.  And I said Raymond would give control to said countess Almodis as often as said countess Almodis ordered me of those towns of Todela or Fornellos or those fortresses which are in those towns or will be in the future, without deception.  And I would not refuse these said towns with or without wrong to said Almodis, nor let man or men, woman or women, refuse them by my counsel or artifice.  And if there is a man or woman who might take or refuse said towns to said Almodis, I the aforesaid Raymond will not have peace or association with them until said countess Almodis has recovered those said towns, without deception.  As is written above, I, said Raymond, will hold and keep this to said Almodis without deception, to my knowledge, by God and his saints, unless as much as said Almodis should release me, said Raymond, by grace without force before two or three of her men whom she orders that make that release together with her.

Original letter:

Iuro ego Reimundus, filius qui fui Ledgardis, femine, quia de ista hora in antea fidelis ero Adalmodis, comitissa, que est Amelie comitisse, sine fraude et malo ingenio et sine sua decepcione de prescripte Almodis, comitisse, per directam fidem sine suo enganno, sicut omo debet esse suo seniori. Et ego Remundus prescriptus non dezebre Adalmodis, co­mitissa iam dicta, de sua vita neque de suis membris que in corpus suum se tenent, neque de ipsa civitate quem dicunt Ierunda, neque de ipso castro quem dicunt Ierundella, neque de ipso comitatu quod dicunt Ierundensem, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancte Marie, sedis Ierunde, neque de ipsas abbathias quas in prescripto episcopatu sunt cum omnibus eorum pertinenciis, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, (r)ochas aut puios, condirectos vel discondirectos, qui in iam dicto comitatu sunt cum omnibus eorum pertinenciis, neque de ipsas civitates aut episcopatus aut abbathias aut castros aut terras aut parias de partibus Hispanie que Remundus comes, senior meus, filius qui fuit Sancie, comitisse, abet datum aut in antea dederit aut debitaverit Adalmodi, comitisse prescripte, aut filiis suis quos prescriptum Remundum comitem abet aut abuerit, neque de baiulia quod Remundus, comes predictus, debitaverit vel dimiserit post obitum suum de suum onore Almodi, comitisse prescripte, neque de avere aut paria qui est aut in antea erit in conventum dare de sarracenis ad iam dicte comitisse. Hec omnia suprascripta vel disnominata ego Remundus predictus no la tolre vel en(n) tolrei ad Almodi, comitisse predicte, nec ego, nec omo nec omines, nec femina nec feminas, per meum consilium neque per meum ingenium. Et ego Remundus iam dictus adiutor ero ad Almodis comitisse prescripte, ista omnia jam dicta ad tenere et ad abere et ad defendere contra cunctos omines aut ominem, feminas aut feminam, qui ad predicta comitissa tollere voluerint aut tulerint ista omnia predicta aut de [h]is omnibus supradictis, unde Adalmus iam dicta mihi Remundo comonuerit per nomen de isto Sacra­mento per se ipsam aut per suos misos vel misum ; et comonir no me n devedare et istum adiutorium sine enganno lo fare comitisse prescripte, me sciente. Et ego Remundus predictus podestadiva farei Almodis, comitisa iam dicta, per quantas vices mihi mandaverit de ipso castro de Todela sive de ipso castro de Fornnellos vel de ipsas fortedas qui in ipsos castros sunt aut in antea ibi erunt, sine enganno iam dicta Adalmodis, comitissa. Et istos castros predictos no ls vedare, ne ls devedare, cum forasfactum nec sine forasfactum, ad iam dicta Adalmodi nec ego, nec omo nec omines, nec femina nec feminas, per meum consilium neque per meum ingenium. Et si est omo aut femina qui tollat aut devetet predictos castros ad iam dicta Adalmodis, ego prescriptus Remundus finem nec societatem cum eis non abuero usque Adalmodis, comitisse iam dicte, abeat recuperatos istos iam dictos castros, sine suo enganno. Sicut superius scriptum est, ego, predicte Remunde, si o tenre et o atendre ad iam dicta Adalmodis sine suo enganno, me scieute, per Deum et sanctis suis, nisi quantum predicta Adalmodis mihi, Remundo iam dicto, absolverit per grado sine forcia aput duos vel tres de suos omines cui illa mandet quod faciant ipsum absolvimentum simul cum illa in unum.

Historical context:

Oath of Raymond to Almodis for the towns of Todela and Fornells.

Scholarly notes:

* parias are tributes between lords.

Printed source:

LFM 1.456-57, #435.  

Date: