A letter from Raymond Berengar

Translated letter:

In the name of Christ.  I Raymond, by the grace of God count of Barcelona and marquis, am the donor to you, Almodis, countess.  By this document I give you, countess Almodis, the county of Girona, entirely with all its appurtenances, and with its domains, and that city which is called Girona with its town Girondela and with all the towers and walls and buildings which are in said city and will be.  And I give you all the towns and castles and fortifications which are in said county or will be and pertain to said county.  I also give you the bishopric of St. Mary in the see of Girona with all its appurtenances and with the abbacies which pertain to said county or bishopric.  I also give you all castles and all dominions and lands with all their boundaries and appurtenances which countess Ermessind held in the county of Osona and in the county of Barcelona, except the dominion over St. Baudilio.   I also give you that town which is called Cervaria and the town Tarrega and the town Grannana and the town Camasara and the town Cubels with all their boundaries and appurtenances and with their castellanies and all their buildings.  And I give you that moveable which is in the agreement to be given by castellanies each year.  Moreover, I give you that paria* which is given to me by Lerita, with what is agreed to be given also, and with those, God granting, what I and you can increase and add.  And I give you a hundred marks for each month from that paria which is given to me by Saragosa, with this condition that after we are able, God granting, to increase that named paria from Lerita enough so that a hundred marks are added and given to you from said paria of Lerita, such as come to me from Saragosa, you, said Almodis, will relinquish the hundred from Saragosa and receive those added hundred from Lerita.  I, therefore, said count Raymond, as all the aforesaid are included and contained within their boundaries and abutments with the whole said moveable, so I give and grant all these to you, said Almodis, as your own very full property and very firm allod, and I hand over from my right to your dominion and power, so that from this day and time, you may possess all the above securely and peacefully all the days of your life if you do not take a husband, and after your death all the aforesaid remain, in their integrity, with that son or male children born from me and you to whom you, said Almodis, leave all the aforesaid by letters or words [written or oral].  Which if said sons or son should not reach full age, or if they do and do not leave children from legitimate union, after their death and yours, all the above will revert to my son who will hold Barcelona.  And if after your death, you do not leave male sons or a male son engendered by me, and only leave a daughter from me and you, my son, or he who will hold Barcelona, will give said daughter for all the above things fifty thousand solidos, worth a thousand ounces of best gold, and all the aforesaid, given by me to you, will revert entirely to said son or to the one who will hold Barcelona.  And if you, said Almodis, after your death, do not leave a son or daughter born from me and you, all said things will revert to my son who holds Barcelona, and if that son is dead, they will revert ot that count who holds Barcelona.  I, therefore, said count Raymond, in the third year after I joined myself to you, give you all the above to be held firmly by you as is written above.  If any man or woman should go against this donation to break it, he/she could not get what he sought, but would pay you double all the aforesaid with any improvement; and afterwards this donation would be firm for all time.  This document of donation was made on the 2nd ides of November in the 26th year of the reign of king Henry.  I Raymond, count, made this donation and signed it with my own hand and asked witnesses to sign.  Sign+ of  Arnall Miro of Tost. Sign+ of Amato Eldric. Sign+ of Bernard Amato. Sign+ of Gerall Guitard. Sign+ of Adalbert Guitard. Sign+ of Berengar Raymond. Sign+ of Dalmaz Isarn. Sign+ of Bernard Audegar. Sign+ of Ray­mond Sancio. Sign+ of Raymond Bernard of Guardia. Sign+ of Ermemir of Castro Talad. Sign+num of Raymond Remundi Ermemir. Sign+ of William Berengar. Sign+num of Bernard Raymond. Sign+ of Raymond Bernard. Sign+ of Berengar Olibe. Sign+ of Seniofred Tedrig. Sign+ of Bernardi Guifred. Sign+ of Raymond Gervard. Sign+ of Fulc Ermengaud. Sign+ of Raymond Miro. Sign+ of Raymond William of Montecateno. Berengar, by the grace of God, bishop of Girona+. Eneas. Barnards. John. Sign+ of Arnall Raymond. Sign+ of Bonifilio Suniar. Sign+ of Raymond Miro of St. Menato. Umbert. Berengar, abbot+. Sign+ of William, deacon. Sign+ of Bernard, deacon. Hugo. Sign+ of Umbert Otto.  Sign+ of Gaufred Baston.  Sign+ of Audegar Gaufred.  William Pons, viscount+. Raymond, viscount+. Sign+ of Bernard Gaufred of Pals.  Sign+ of William Seniofred of Palaz.

Original letter:

In Christi nomine. Ego Raimundus, gracia Dei comes Barchinonensis et marchio, donator sum tibi, Almodi, comitisse. Per hanc scripturam donacionis dono tibi, Almodi comitisse, comitatum Gerundensem, totum cum integro, cum omnibus suis pertiuenciis et cum suis dominicaturis, et ipsam civitatem que dicitur Gerunda cum suo castro Gerundela et cum omnibus turribus et muris et edificiis que in predicta civitate sunt et erunt. Et dono tibi omnia castra et castella et fortedas que in predicto comitatu sunt vel erunt et ad predictum comitatum pertinent. Dono eciam tibi episcopatum Sancte Marie, sedis Gerunde cum omnibus suis pertinenciis et cum abbaciis que ad predictum comitatum vel episcopatum pertinent. Dono eciam tibi omnia castella et omnes dominicaturas et terras cum eorum omnibus terminis et pertinenciis que Ermessindis, comitissa, tenuit in comitatu Ausonensi et in comitatu Barchinonensi, excepta dominicatura Sancti Baudilii. Dono eciam tibi illud castrum quod dicitur Cervaria et castrum Tarrega et castrum Grannana et castrum Camasara et castrum Cubels cum eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus et cum eorum castellanies et cum eorum omnibus edificiis. Et dono tibi illud mobile quod est in conveniencia dandum castellanis per unumquemque annum. Dono, insuper, tibi ipsam pariam que datur mihi de Lerita cum ipsa eciam que conventa est mihi dare inde et cum ipsa, eciam, quam, Deo dante, adcrescere et addere potuero et potueris. Et dono tibi centum mancusos per unumquemque mensem de ipsa paria que datur mihi de Saragoza, in tali videlicet racione ut, postquam, Deo dante, potuerimus accrescere prenominatam pariam de Lerita tantum, ut centum mancusi addantur et donentur tibi de predicta paria de Lerita, tales quales mihi exeunt de Saragoza, tu, predicta Almodis, relinque istos centum de Sara­goza et accipe illos additos centum de Lerita. Ego, igitur, predictus comes Raimundus, sicut supradicta omnia concluduntur et continentur intra suos terminos et affrontaciones cum predicto mobili toto, sic dono atque concedo ea omnia tibi, predicte Almodi, ad tuum plenissimum propprium et firmissimum alodium, et de meo iure in tuum trado dominium et potestatem, ut ab hodierno die et tempore secura et quieta possideas predicta omnia omnibus diebus vite tue si virum non acceperis, et post tuum obitum remaneant iam dicta omnia, tota cum integro, ipsi filio aut filiis masculis de me et de te genitis cui vel quibus tu, predicta Almodis, dimisseris iam dicta omnia litteris vel verbis. Quod si predicti filii aut filius non venerint vel venerit ad perfectam etatem, aut si venerint vel venerit et filios de legitimo coniugio non dimiserint vel dimiserit, post illorum obitum et tuum hec omnia supradicta revertantur ipsi meo filio qui tenuerit Barchinonam. Et si post tuum obitum, filios masculos vel filium musculum de me et de genitos non reliqueris et filiam tantummodo de me et de te genitos reliqueris, filius meus, aut ipse qui tenuerit Barchinonam, donet predicte filie pro supradictis rebus omnibus quinquaginta milia solidos, valentes mille uncias auri obtimi, et hec omnia supradicta, a me tibi data, revertantur cum integro ad predictum filium aut ad predictum qui tenuerit Barchinonam. Et si tu, predicta Almodis, post obitum tuum, non reliqueris filium aut filiam de me et te genitos, predicta omnia revertantur ipsi meo filio qui tenuerit Bar­chinonam, et si filius defuerit, revertantur ipsi comiti qui tenuerit Barchinonam. Ego, igitur, predictus comes Raimundus in tercio anno postquam te mihi sociavi, dono tibi supradicta omnia a te firmiter habenda, sicut superius scriptum est. Si quis, vero, homo vel femina venerit contra hanc donacionem ad irrumpendum, non hoc valeat vin­dicare quod repetiverit, sed componat tibi predicta omnia in duplo cum omni sua melioracione; et postea firma sit hec donacio omni tempore. Facta scriptura donacionis II idus novembris anno XXVI regni Henrici, regis. Raimundus, comes, qui hanc donacionem feci et manu propria firmavi et testes firmare rogavi. Sig+num Arnalli Mironis de Tost. Sig+num Amati Eldrici. Sig+num Bernardi Amati. Sig+num Geralli Guitardi. Sig+num Adalberti Guitardi. Sig+num Berengarii Remundi. Sig+num Dalmaz Isarni. Sig+num Bernardi Audegarii. Sig+num Re­mundi Sancii. Sig+num Remundi Bernardi de ipsa Guardia. Sig+num Ermemir de Castro Talad. Sig+num Remundi Ermemiri. Sig+num Guillelmi Berengarii. Sig+num Bernardi Remundi. Sig+num Re­mundi Bernardi. Sig+num Berengarii Olibe. Sig+num Seniofredi Tedrig. Sig+num Bernardi Guifredi. Sig+num Remundi Gervardi. Sig+num Fulconis Ermengaudi. Sig+num Remundi Mironis. Sig+num Remundi Guillelmi de Montecateno. Berengarius, Dei gracia Gerundensis episcopus+. Eneas. Barnards. Ioannes. Sig+num Arnalli Re­mundi. Sig+num Bonifilius Suniarii. Sig+num Raimundi Mironis de Sancto Menato. Umbertus. Berengarius, abba+. Sig+num Guillelmus, levita. Sig+num Bernardi, levita. Ugo. Sig+num Umberti Ottonis.  Sig+num Gaufredi Bastoni.  Sig+num Audegarii Gaufredi.  Guilelm Poncius, vicecomes+. Remundus, vicecomes+. Sig+num Bernardi Gaufredi de Pals.  Sig+num Guilelmi Seniofredi de Palaz.

Historical context:

Donation by the count to the countess of the county of Girona, and of his grandmother Ermessind's lands in Osona, and of various towns, and tributes.  Whatever she holds from this donation is to go to sons from their marriage, if they are alive at her death, if not to his son from a previous marriage, with money to be paid to any daughter of theirs.

Scholarly notes:

* paria is tribute btween lords.

Printed source:

LFM 1.518-20, #489.

Date: