A letter from Valencia

Translated letter:

In the name of God.  I, Valencia, countess, a sinner heavily burdened, fear the near coming of death, yet healthy in mind and in body, I think especially about all my things and how [they will be], after my death, [as] I ordered written in this page with me present and dictating.  And thus I order and determine that my executors be my lord son count Peter and lord Bernard and Raymond Guirbert, whom I order and by the faith I have in them, I admonish and implore that, if death should come to me before I make another testament, they have power to seize all my mobile wealth after my death to distribute for my soul as they find written below, and for the soul of my lord count, peace be with him.  Moreover, these executors should divide my wealth in four, one part for the church where my body will be buried, another for our churches, St. Mary of Llimignana and St. Mary of Tremp, and St. Mary of Mur, St. Mary of Castel Sancto and St. Mary of Montagnana, and another part for captives and for bridges, and the fourth part for priests and paupers.  Before my wealth is divided, let them give 17 ounces of gold of Jaca to St. Peter of Rome, and 10 ounces to St. Mary of that Pugo.  And my moveable [wealth] is gold and silver and cloths and bread and wine and vessels, iron, copper/bronze and fired.  And of those cisterns that are in that honor count Peter may have half, the other for the soul of the lord count and lady countess, similarly Arnau and Bernard may divide the bread and wine.  And to St. Mary of Mur may remain to that sex/class and one afore-named man, Domeneg of that Cadolla, and the tithe which we take from those barns and one silver chalice and the tithe of all the tolls and services which those men of Mur give the count, which the count so ordered.  And if the body of the count remains in Mur, I give and grant to God and St. Mary those ornaments which I caused, and that township of Puigfidel to those men and those ladies and those tithes and those freeholds with their tolls and tributes, or with the services that they do to God and St. Mary, and a man in Arinio, by name Oriolf, and another man in Montangana by name Bernard Hugbert, another in Castel Sancto with the approval of count Peter, another in Llimingana by name William Oriol, another on that riverbank, one in Talarn of the higher/older sons of Altemir in his heredity, and those men, as much as they have and will have, they will belong to St. Mary and the clerks serving there.  And if the body of my lord should be transferred to St. Mary of Tremp, that town of Puigfidel and those men and those ornaments, as written above, will remain with St. Mary of Tremp, outside of that chalice and what I have left to St. Mary of Mur.  To St. Martin of Arinio, those vineyards that were Berel’s.  And if I die, I leave to my daughter the sixth part of that parish which I have in Arinio, in her rule during her life and afterwards to count Peter.  That honor, castles, lands, vineyards, as my lord count passed them on, may he be in peace, either in Urgel or in Pallars.  And that honor of Urgel which my father left to me, if Arnald died without son from a legal spouse, it would go to Bernard, my son, wholly, in the service of count Urgel.  Moreover, they may divide my mules and my mares (equas) and cows and sheep in four parts and give them for my soul as written above.  Sign+ of countess Valencia.  Sign+ of count Peter.  Sign+ of Bernard Raymond. Sign+ of Raymond Guirbert.  Peter, deacon, wrote this as asked on the 12th kalends of March on the day and year above.  

Original letter:

In Dei nomine. Ego Valencia comitissa, fascius (h)onerata peccatrix, timeo eventu vicine mortis, sana tamen mentis et sospes corpore, omnes res meas specialiter considero, et qualiter post mortem meam, me presente et ditante, in hac pagina scribere iussi. Et ideo iubeo atque discerno ut manumissores mei sint domno filio meo Petro comite et domnus Bernardus et Ramon Guirbert, quibus his iubeo, et per fiduciam quam in eis habeo, moneo et obsecro, ut, si mors michi advenerit antequam alium testamentum faciam, potestatem habeant apprehendere omne meum avere mobile post meum obitum ad distribuere pro mea animal quomodo subsequenti invenerint scriptum, et pro anima seniore meo comite, cui sit requies. Insuper, isti manumissores faciant quatuor partes de meum avere, et una pars sit de ipsa ecclesia ubi corpus meum fuerit sepultus, et alia sit data per nostras ecclesias, ad Sancta Maria de Limignana et ad Sancta Maria de Tremp et ad Sancta Maria de Mur, ad Sancta Maria de Castel Sancti et ad Sancta Maria de Montagnana et ad Sancto Martino de Arinio, et alia parte sit per captivos et per pontes, et illa quarta parte ad presbiteris et pauperis. Antequam sit divisum ipsum meum avere sic donent ad Sanctum Petrum Rome XVII uncias de auro de Iacca et X uncias ad Sancta Maria de illo Pugo. Et est meum mobile auro et argento et trapos et pane et vino et vasa ferrea, erea et ignea. Et illas cubas qui sunt in illa honore de Petro comite habeat illa medietate, alia pro anima de domno comite et domna comitissa, si­militer de Arnallo, de Bernardo similiter dividant illo pane et illo vino. Et ad Sancta Maria de Mur remaneat ipso sexo et I homine prenominato Domeneg de illa Cadolla, et ipsa decima que nos prehendimus de ipsos orios et I calice argenteo et decima de totos censos et servicios que donant ipsi homines de Mur a comite, que sic mandavit ipso comite. Et si suo corpus de illo comite remanet in Muro, dono atque concedo ad Deo et Sancta Maria illa ornamenta que facio, et ipsa villa de Puigfidel apud illos homines et apud ipsas condaminas et ipsas decimas et ipsas francezas cum suis censis et tributis, vel cum suis serviciis que faciant ad Deo et Sancta Maria, et homine in Arinio nomine Oriolf, et alio homine in Monta[n]gana nomine Bernard Hugbert, alio in Castel Sancti ad laudamento de Petro comite, alio in Limingana nomine Guillelm Oriol, in illa ribera alio, in Talarn uno de suos meliores filios de Altemir apud sua hereditate, et istos homines, apud quantum habent et amplius ipsa villa de Puigfidel et illos homines et ipsa ornamenta, quomodo superius scriptum est, remaneat ad Sancta Maria de Trempi, extra illo calice et hoc quod habeo dimissum ad Sancte Maria de Muro. Ad Sanctum Martinum de <Arinio> illas vineas qui fuerunt de Berels. Et si de me minus venerit, dimitto ad filia mea illa sexta parte de ipsa parrochia que habeo in Arinio, in dominico in sua vita, et post eam sit de Petro comite. Illa honore, castros, terris, vineis sit quomodo senior meus comes dimissit, cui sit requies, sive in Urgello vel in Palliaris. Et ipsa honore de Urgello quem pater meus mihi laxavit, si de Arnaldo minus, evenerit sine filio de legali coniugio, remaneat a Bernardo, filio meo, ab integrum, in servicio de comite Urgello. Insuper, meos mulos et meas equas et vaccas et oves sic dividant in quatuor partes et sint donata pro mea anima quomodo superius scriptum est. Sig+num Va­lencia, comitissa. Sig+num Petro, comite. Sig+num Bernard Ramon,. Sig+num Ramon Guirbert. Petrus, levita, rogitus scripsit XII kalendas marcii sub die [et] anno quo supra.

Historical context:

The countess appoints her executors and distributes her wealth in moveables, men, and land.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior 1.138-39, #142.  

Date: