A letter to Arnau Mir of Tost and his wife, Arsind

Translated letter:

In the name of God.  I Raymond, by the grace of God count of Pallars, and my wife Valencia, by the grace of God countess, are pledgers to you, Arnau Minor of Tost, and your wife Arsinda.  By this document of pledge we pledge to you the castrum of Montaniana with the castrum of Mur and the castrum of Llimignana, with all their boundaries and appurtenances, as we and our kinsmen have them and ought to have them in whatever way.  Under which agreement, namely, we give you these pledges that if we or any man or woman by our counsel should take that castle of Arenio from you or diminish it from what you now hold or ought to hold and have in that castle or in that town or in all its boundaries and appurtenances, then you and your men for you, within 30 days that you complained or warned us, [if] we did not make amends without deceiving you about said castrum of Arenio or all its boundaries and appurtenances, said castros of Montaniana and Mur and Llimingana, with all their boundaries and appurtenances, would be forfeit into your power without deception to your own fullest allod completely.  Similarly, we give you the abovewritten pledges that from those castellans who now hold said castrum or would hold it through us in the future, we would not take anything from that castrum of what those castellans now hold through you in that castrum or in that township or in all its boundaries and appurtenances.  And if there should be anyone who would take that castrum from you, or diminish to you that township or its boundaries and appurtenances, then we would help you against them without deception.  And if we prevented the warning or the help or the doing [illegible word] about all the above, said castros of Montaniana and Mur and Llimingana would be forfeit with all their boundaries and appurtenances into your power without deception to your own fullest allod completely; and so we hand over from our jurisdiction into your dominion and power, as is manifest.  And if we pledgers, or any man or woman should wish to break this document of pledge or should break it, he could not prevail, but would pay doubly to you; and in the future the pledge would remain stable for all time.  Which was enacted in the 4th year of king Philip, 17th kalends of August.  Sign+ of Raymond, count by the favor of God. Sign+ of Valencia, countess by the grace of God, we who asked the pledges to be written and signed them and had witnesses sign them.  Sign+ of Bertran Ato. Sign+ of Guitard  William of Midiano. Sign+ of Bernard Trasvari. Sign+ of Roger Umbert.  Raymond, clerk, wrote this as asked with letters written over in line 6 where it says aut tenere, on the day and year affixed.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini. Ego Reimundus, nutu Dei comes Paliarensis, et coniux mea Valencia, Dei gracia comitissa, impignoratores sumus tibi, Arnallum Minorem de Tost, et coniugem tuam Arsindam. Per hanc nostre scripture impignoracionis impignoramus vobis kastrum Montaniana cum kastrum Murum et kastrum Limignana, cum eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, sicut nos et consanguinei nostri eos abemus et abere debemus per que[m]cumque modum. Sub tali, videlicet, conventu mittimus vobis ista pignora quod, si nos aut aliquis omo vel femina per nostrum consilium tulerimus aut tulerint vobis chastrum Arenio aut minuere vobis fecerimus de hoc quod nunc tenetis aut tenere et abere debetis in ipso chastro sive in ipsa villa vel in suis terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, tam vos ipsi quam vestri homines per vos, et infra xxx dies quod nobis hec querellaveritis atque comonueritis <nobis>, non fecerimus directum sine vestro enganno de prefato castro Arenio vel de suis terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, incurrant supradictos castros Montaniana et Mur et Limingana, cum eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, in vestra potestate sine vestro enganno ad vestrum plenissimum proprium alaudem ab intecrum. Simili modo mit­timus vobis suprascripta pignora ut ad ipsos castellanos qui nunc tenent supradicto castro, aut in antea tenuerint per nos, nec eis tollamus ipso castro nec rem de quod nunc tenent ipsos castellanos per vos in ipso castro sive in ipsa villa vel in suis terminis et pertinenciis omnibus. Et si aliquis fuerit qui vobis tulerit ipso castro, aut minime vobis fecerit de ipsa villa vel suis terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, quod nos adiuvemus vobis de eos sine vestrum enganno. Et si nos vetaverimus comonire neque de istum adiutorium neque de (palabra ilegible) ad facere de supradicta omnia, incurrant supradictos castros Montaniana et Muro et Li­mingana cum eorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus in vestra potestate sine vestro enganno ad vestrum plenissimum proprium alaudem ab intecrum ; et sic de nostro iure in vestro tradimus dominio et potestate, et est manifestum. Quod si nos impignoratores, aut ullus homo vel femina quis contra hanc scripture impignoracionis disrumpere voluerit aut disrumperit, non hoc valeat vindicare, set in duplo vobis componat; et in antea hanc pignora firma permaneat omnique tempore. Que est (h)acta anno IIII regis Philipi, XVII kal. augusti. Sig+num Reimundus, nutu Dei comes. Sig+num Valencia, Dei gracia comi­tissa, qui hanc pignora scribere rogavimus et firmavimus et testes firmare fecimus. Sig+num Bertranni Atonis. Sig+num Guitardi Guilielmi de Midiano. Sig+num Bernardi Trasvarii. Sig+num Rodger Umbert. Reimundus, clericus, rogatus scripsit et cum litteris superpositis in verso VI ubi dicitur aut tenere, die et anno que prefixo.

Historical context:

Charter of pledge to the countess’s parents, Arnau Miro of Tost and his wife Arsind, for the castra of Muntangana, Mur and Llimingana should they act against the castle of Arenio.  A castrum is an administrative district including a castle, a fortification. 

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior, 1.128-29, #127.  

Date: