A letter from Raymond IV, count of Pallars

Translated letter:

In the name of God.  I Raymond, count of Pallars, am the donor to you, my wife Valencia, countess.  Since by law it is decreed and in the third book of the Law of the Goths, namely in the first section, it is written that a man having a wife after a year, our of love or merit of conjugal service, if he wished to give her something, would have license without delay; otherwise within the circle of the year he could give her nothing that she could have.  Therefore, I said count, since the year has passed, when we have come to the end of the second month in the second year since I received you in marriage, compelled or persuaded by noone, by my good will out of love and consideration which I have for you, give and grant this to you legally from my things.  I give you, by this document of our donation that castrum of the township (villa) of Lliminiania with all its boundaries and appurtenances, and that castrum of Orchau with all its boundaries and appurtenances, and that castrum of Basturz, as is said of the others, with all its boundaries and appurtenances, inclined as well as flat, uncultivated as well as worked, with all the the apparatus of the buildings, and with all the lands and vineyards, and with woods and barren areas and meadows and pastures.  All of these are in the county of Pallars in the places as they are known by the inhabitants, and clearly seen by observors.  And they abut: in the east the boundary of Conches and Tolon and Castellion, in the south the boundary of Rubios and Ager and Mur, in the west also the river Noguera and the boundary of the town of Gallinari, in the north of the town Eramonte and Petonada and Abelia.  Whatever these boundaries encircle and enclose, I give you the whole as named above, under this agreement that, when I die, if you survive me and you have a son or daughter from me, you would have said castles [castellos] and possess them as your own allod, and you would have all my other honor in common with the son or daughter whom you had from me.  And if you did not have a son or daughter from me, you would still have and hold said castles and said honors.  But, if Sunyer, my brother, within six months after my death gave to you or to one you had ordered, twelve thousand sous, which are worth twohundred forty ounces of the best gold, which I received on the day of our marriage from you and for you, and moreover gave you all that wealth that your father lord Arnau and your mother lady Arsend afterwards gave me and even in the future will have given me for you, all these named would come into his power and be of his jurisdiction, so that he has them all as I now have them.  And as was said and written above, I hand over this whole into your power, and whoever wished to disrupt this to take away from you or diminish it, could in no way do it, but simply for the attempt could pay you the whole doubly; and afterwards this document would remain firm.  Which was done on 7th kalends of November, in the 26th year of king Henry.  Sign+ of count Raymond, who ordered this document written in my presence before my highest ranking men, with other knights present, and I signed it by my own hand with my usual sign and ordered it signed.  Sign+ of Raymond Mir.  Sign+ of Bertrand Ato. Sign+ of Bernard Ato, viscount. Sign+ of Guitard William. Sign+ of Ralph Oriol. Sign+ of William Raymond. Sign+ of Berengar Mir. Sign+ of Bertrand Borrel. Sign+ of Gauzeran Eriman. Sign+ of Mir Isarn. Sign+ of Arnau Compagni. Sign+ of William Raymond. Sign+ of Peter Mir.  William, priest and judge, who confirms this.  Raymond, priest, wrote it as asked with letters written above in line 9 where it says mi and in in another place in line 15 where it says aut ita ille on the day and year above.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini. Ego Reimundus, comes Paliarensis, donator sum tibi uxori mee Valencie, comitisse. Quia legibus est decretum et in tercio libro Legis Gotorum, videlicet in primo titulo, est scriptum, ut vir iam abens uxorem, trans(h)acto, scilicet, anno, pro dileccione vel merito coniugalis obsequii si ei aliquid donare voluerit, licenciam incunctanter aberit, et aliter infra anni circulum nichil ei dare poterit quod ipse abere possit. Idcirco, ego iam dictus comes, elapso et trans(h)acto anno, cum iam pervenimus iusta(m) finem secundi mensis in secundo anno postquam te accepi in coniugio, a nullo quo(h)actus neque suasus, per meam bonam voluntatem propter amorem et deliberacionem quam circa te abeo, legaliter de meis rebus hoc tibi dono atque concedo. Dono, namque, tibi per hanc nostre donacionis scripturam ipsum castrum de villa de Liminiania cum omnibus suis terminis et pertinenciis, et ipsum castrum de Orchallo cum omnibus suis terminis et pertinenciis, et ipsum castrum de Basturz, sicut dictum est ex aliis, cum omnibus suis terminis et pertinenciis, tam pronum quam planum, et tam eremum quam laboratum, cum omnibus edificiorum instrumentis, et cum omnibus terris et vineis et cum silvis et garricis et pratis et pascuariis. Sunt, autem, hec omnia in comitatu Paliarense in suis quoque locis, sicut scitur ab incolis, et manifeste videtur ab intuentibus. Et abent afrontacionem: ab oriente in termino de Conches et de Tolon sive et de Castellionis, de meridie in termino de Rubios et de Ager et de Muro, de occiduo, iterum, in flumine Nogere et in termine de castro Gallinariis, de circio in termino de castro Eramonte et de Petonada et de Abelia. Quantum isti termini ambiunt et circumeunt, dono tibi hoc totum sicut superius est nominatum, tamen sub tali conventu, ut, quando ego obiero, si tu viva post me remanseris et filium aut filiam ex me abueris, supradictos castellos habeas et possideas sicut tuum proprium alodium, et omnem alium meum onorem habeas comuniter cum filio aut filia quem aut quam ex me abueris. Et si non abueris filium aut filiam ex me, habeas e(t)ciam et teneas supradictos castellos et supradictos onores. Sed, si Suniarius, frater mens, intra sex menses post meum obitum reddiderit tibi, aut cui tu iusseris, tales duodecim milia solidos, qui valeant ducentis XLunciis auri obtimi, quos ad diem nupciarum in te et per te accepi, et insuper reddiderit tibi totum illud avere quod ienitor tuus dominus Arnallus et ienitrix tua domna Arsendis postea dederunt mihi et in futuro tempore unquam sunt per te daturi, deveniant postea hec omnia supranominata in potestate eius, et deincebs sint sui iuris, ut ita ille hec omnia habeat, sicut ego nunc habeo. Et sicut est dictum et superius scriptum, trado hoc totum in tuum dominium, et qui hoc tibi voluerit disrumpere, tollere aut minuere, nullo modo possit facere, set pro sola presumpcione in duplo tibi hoc totum componat; et postea hec scriptura firma permaneat. Que est facta vii kalendas novembris xxvi anno Henrici regis. Sig+num Reimundi comitis, qui hanc scripturam, me presente, coram meis melioribus hominibus, presentibus aliis militibus, scribere iussi et manibus propriis per meum solitum signum firmavi et firmare rogavi. Sig+num Reimundo Mironi. Sig+num Bertrandi Atonis. Sig+num Bernardi Atonis vicecomitis. Sig+num Guitardi Guilelmi. Sig+num Radulfi Orioli. Sig+num Guilielmi Remundi. Sig+num Berengarii Mironis. Sig+num Bertrandi Borrelli. Sig+num Gauzeranni Erimanni. Sig+num Mironis Gondeballi. Sig+num Beren­garii Isarnni. Sig+num Mironis Isarnni. Sig+num Arnalli Compagni. Sig+num Guilielmi Remundi. Sig+num Petri Mironis. Guilielmus, sacerdos et iudex, qui hoc confirmat. Reimundus, sacerdos, rogatus scripsit cum litteris superpositis in verso viiii, ubi dicit mi et in alio loco in verso xv, ubi dicit aut ita ille et die et anno quod supra.

Historical context:

Donation made by Raymond, count of Pallars, to his wife Valencia of the castra of Lliminiana and Orcau and Basturs.  A castrum is an administrative district including a castle, a fortification.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior, 1.78-79, #64.  

Date: