A letter from Guisla, daughter of Sancia

Translated letter:

I Guisla, daughter of the late woman Sancia, swear that from this hour forward I shall be faithful to Almodis, countess, daughter of Amelia, countess, without fraud and evil artifice and any deception of said countess Almodis, by direct faith without deception, as a man should be to his lord.  And I said Guisla shall not deceive/deprive Almodis, said countess, of her life or of the members which are held in her body, nor of that city which they call Girona, nor of that town which they call Girondela, nor of those fortifications that are in said city or will be, nor of that county which they call Gironda, nor of that bishopric of St. Mary, in the see of Girona, with all its appurtenances, nor of those abbacies which are in said county 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, her lord, son of the late Sancia, countess, has given or will give henceforth or should to Almodis, said countess, or to her sons which she has or will have from said count Raymond, nor of that tutelage which Raymond, said count, should or will have surrendered after his death for his honor to Almodis, said countess, nor of wealth or paria which is and will be given from Sarracens to said countess Almodis.  All these above-written or named, I said Guisla will not take or take anything of from Almodis, said countess, not I nor man or men, woman or women, by my counsel or by my artifice.  And I said Guisla will be an aid to said countess Almodis to hold and have and defend all these said things against all men or man, women or woman, who might wish to take or took all the aforesaid or anything of all the aforesaid from said countess Almodis, for which said Almodis would call on me, said Guisla, by name or in the name of this oath by herself or by her messengers or messenger;  and I would not refuse to be called upon and would give this aid without deception to my knowledge of said countess.  And I Guisla would give said powers as often as said countess Almodis commanded me, for that town of Ostoles with all the buildings that are there or will be there, and for that fortification that is near said town of Ostoles with the buildings that are there or will be henceforth, similarly for that town that they call Puio Adder with that fortification with all the buildings that are there or will be there, without deception to said countess Almodis.  And these aforesaid towns of which I, said Guisla, swear to give power to Almodis, said countess, I shall not refuse or forbid them, with or without wrongdoing, to said Almodis, not I nor a man or men, woman or women by my counsel nor by my artifice.  And if there is a man or woman who might take them or refuse them to her, I said Guisla will not have peace or assiciation with them [male or female], until said Almodis has recovered those said towns, without deception.  As is written above, I said Guisla will hold and keep to said countess Almodis without deception, to my knowledge, by God and his saints, except as much as you, said Almodis, release me, said Guisla, from by favor, without force, before two or three of her men whom she would order that they make the same release together with her.

Original letter:

Iuro ego Guisla, filia que fui Sancia, femine, quia de ista ora in antea fidelis ero ad Almodis, comitissa, filia que est Amelie, comitisse, sine fraude et malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione de prescripta Almodis, comitissa, per directam fidem sine suo enganno, sicut homo debet esse suo seniori. Et ego Guisla suprascripta dezebrei Almodis, comitissa iam dicta, de sua vita neque de suis membris quod in corpore suo se tenent, neque de ipsa civitate que dicunt Gerunda, neque de ipso castro quod dicunt Gerundela, neque de ipsas fortedas que in predicta civitate sunt aut erunt, neque de ipso comitatu quem dicunt Gerundensem, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancte Marie, sedis Geruude, cum omnibus suis pertinenciis, neque de ipsas abbacias que in predicto comitatu sunt cum om­nibus illorum pertinenciis, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, rochas aut puios, condirectos vel discondirectos, qui in predicto comitatu sunt, cum omnibus illorum pertinenciis, neque de ipsas civitates aut episcopatos aut abbacias aut castros aut terras aut parias de partibus Ispanie quod Reimundus, comes, senior eius, filius qui fuit Sancie, comitisse, habet datum aut in antea dederit aut debitaverit Adalmodi, comitisse prescripte, aut ad filiis suis, quos de prescripto Raimundo, comite, habet aut habuerit, neque de baiulia quod Reimundus, comes predictus, debitaverit vel dimiserit post obitum suum de suum honorem ad Adalinodem, comitissam prescriptam, neque de avere aut paria que est aut que in antea erit inconventum dare de sarracenis ad suprascriptam Almodem, comitissam. Ista omnia suprascripta vel prenominata ego Guisla iam dicta no la tolrei, ne le n tolrei ad Adalmodem, comitissam predictam, nec ego, nec homo nec homines, femina vel feminas, per meum consilium, neque per meum ingenium. Et ego Guisla iam dicta adiutor ero ad Adalmodem, comitissam predictam, ista omnia iam dicta a tenere et ad abere et ad defendere contra cunctos homines aut hominem, feminas vel feminam, qui ad predictam Adalmodem, comitissam, tollere voluerint aut tulerint ista prescripta omnia aut de his omnibus suprascriptis, unde Adalmus suprascripta me, Guisla predicta, comonuerit per nomen aut in nomine de isto sacramento per se ipsa aut per suos missos vel missum; et comonir no me n devedare, et istum adiutorium, sine engan lo farei de prescripta comitissa, me sciente. Et ego Guisla iam dicta potestativa farei per quantas vices mihi mandaverit Adalmodis, comitissa prescripta, de ipso castro de Ostoles cum omnibus (h)edificiis quod ibi sunt vel in antea erunt, et de ipsa forteda que est iuxta predictum castrum de Ostoles cum suis (h)edificiis que ibi sunt vel in antea erunt, similiter et de ipso castro quod dicunt Puio Adder cum ipsa forteda et cum suis omnibus (h)edificiis quod ibi sunt aut in antea erunt, sine engan de predicta Almodis, comitissa. Et istos castros suprascriptos, unde ego Gui[s]la suprascripta iuro potestatem dare ad Adalmodem, comitissam predictam, no ls vedarei, no ls desvedarei, cum forsfacto nec sine forsfacto, ad iam dictam Almodis nec ego, nec homo nec homines, femina nec feminas, per meum consilium neque per meum ingenium. Et si est homo aut femina qui eos ei tollat aut devetet, ego prescripta Guisla finem nec societatem cum eis nec cum eas non habuero usque iam dicta Almodis abeat recuperatos istos castros predictos, sine suo engan. Sicut superius scriptum est, ego prescripta Guisla si o tenrei et o atendrei ad Adalmodem, comitisam iam dictam, sine suo enganno, me sciente, per Deum et sanctis suis, nisi quantum predicta Almodis me, Gui[s]la iam dicta, absolverit per grato, sine forcia, apud duos vel tres de suos homines cui illa mandet quod faciant ipsum absolvimentum simul cum illa in unum.

Historical context:

Oath taken by Guisla to the countess for the towns of Ostoles and Puio Adder.

Scholarly notes:

* parias are tributes between lords.

Printed source:

LFM 1.512-13, #482.

Date: