A letter from William Raymond

Translated letter:

I William Raymond, son of the woman Ermessende, swear to you, my lords, lord Raymond, count, son of countess Matilda, and your wife Dulcia/Douce, countess, that from this hour forward I shall be faithful to you without fraud and ill will and without any deception, as a man ought to be faithful to his lords in whose hands he commits  himself.  And I, said William, shall not deprive you my prescribed lords, namely Raymond and his wife Dulcia of your life nor of your members which are held in your bodies, nor of any earthly honor; nor of that city which they call Barcelona, nor of that county which they call Barcelona, nor of that bishopric of Holy Cross and St. Eulalia with all its boundaries and appurtenances, nor of those castris or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, which are in said county or bishopric or will be, nor of those abbeys with all their boundaries and appurtenances that are or will be in said county or bishopric; nor of that castrum which is called Olerdula, nor of that county which they call Penitens, nor of those [castris] or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, which are or will be in said county; nor of that city which is called Minorisa, nor of that county which is called Osona, nor of that bishopric of St. Peter of Vic, nor of those castros or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, which are or will be in said county or bishopric; nor of that city which they call Girona, nor of that bishopric of St. Mary, nor of those castros of Girondela, nor of those castros or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, which are or will be in said county, nor of those abbacies with all their boundaries and appurtenances which are or will be in said counties, nor of those castros or castles, alods or fiefs, lands and honors, which you have today or, will, God willing, acquire in the future; nor of the county of Besalú with all its boundaries and appurtenances, nor of those castros or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, which are or will be in said county, nor of those abbacies with all their boundaries and appurtenances which are or will be in said counties, nor of the parias [tribute payments] of Spain which you ought to have hitherto and will, God giving, acquire.

And I, said William, will not take from you all the above-written, I will not take them nor any man or woman by my counsel, but I shall be an aid to you to hold and have and defend all the aforesaid against all men or women who might take all the said from you or wished to take from you anything from all the said.   And this aid I would give without deception and would not refuse to respect the messenger who would summon me to give it.  And I, said William, will not deprive you, said count Raymond, my lord, and countess Dulcia, of that Castro Vetulo of Barcelona, which is over that gate, nor of the castrum which they call Castelbel, nor of that castrum of Odena, and the castrum of Pontons and the castrum of Benviure and the castrum of Far, but I would give you the authority over said castros as many times as you asked me yourselves or through your messengers or messenger; and I would not refuse to be summoned or seen; and all this I will do without trickery.  As is written above, I said William will hold and attend to you, my prescribed lords, count and countess, and after your death I shall similarly attend to the one to whom you leave Barcelona by will or words.  By God and these holy [relics].  Enacted on the 16th kalends of November in the 19th year of the reign of king Louis.

Original letter:

Iuro ego Guilelmus Raimundi, filius qui fui Ermessendis, femine vobis, senioribus meis, domno Raimundo, comiti, qui fuisti filius Maaltis,  comitisse, et uxori tue Dulcie, comitisse, quod ab hac hora et deincebs fidelis ero vobis sine fraude et malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione, sicut homo debet esse fidelis ad seniores suos cui manibus se comendat. Et ego predictus Guilelmus non vos dedebre prescriptos seniores meos, videlicet Raimundum et uxorem eius Dulciam de vestra vita, neque de membris vestris que in corporibus vestris se tenent, neque de omni terrestri honore; neque de ipsa civitate quam dicunt Barchinonam, neque de ipso comitatu quem dicunt Barchinonensem, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancte Crucis et Sancte Eulalie cum suis terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, neque de ipsis castris aut castellis, rocas aut poios, condirectos vel eremos, que in predicto comitatu vel episcopatu sunt vel erunt, neque de ipsis abbaciis cum  illorum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus que in dicto comitatu vel episcopatu sunt vel erunt; neque de ipso castro quod dicitur Olerdula, neque de ipso comitatu quem dicunt Penitensem, neque de ipsis [castris] aut castellos, rocas aut podios, condirectos vel eremos, qui in predicto comitatu sunt vel erunt; neque de ipsa civitate que dicitur Minorisa, neque de ipso comitatu qui dicitur Ausona, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancti Petri de Vicho, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, rocas vel podios, condirectos vel eremos, qui in predicto comitatu vel episcopatu sunt aut erunt; neque de ipsa civitate quam dicunt Ierunda, neque de ipso episcopatu Sancte Marie, neque de ipsos castros de Ierondela, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, rocas aut podios condirectors vel eremos, qui in predicto comitatu sunt vel erunt, neque de ipsis abbaciis cum illarum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus que in predictis comitatibus sunt aut erunt, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, alodios vel fevos, terras et honores, quas vos hodie habetis vel in ante, Deo dante, adquisieritis; neque de comitatu Bisuldunensi cum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus, neque de ipsos castros aut castellos, rocas aut podios, condirectos vel eremos, qui in predicto comitatu sunt vel erunt, neque de ipsis abbaciis cum illarum terminis et pertinenciis omnibus que in predictis comitatibus sunt vel erunt; neque parias de Ispania quas debetis habere et adhuc adquisieritis, Deo dante.

Et ego predictus Guilelmus prescripta omnia no la us tolre, ne us en tolre nec ego, nec homo vel femina, per meum consilium, sed adiutor ero vobis ad tenere et ad habere et defendere iam dicta omnia contra cunctos homines vel feminas qui iam dicta omnia tulerint vobis a[u]d aliquid de iam dictis omnibus inde tollere voluerint vobis. Et hoc adiutorium sine vestro engan lo fare et comunir no me n desvedare, et ipse nuncius, qui me inde communuerit, reguardum non habebit ibi. Et ego predictus Guilelmus non dedebre vos, predictum comitem seniorem meum Raimundum et Dulciam, comitissam, de ipso Castro Vetulo de Barchinonam, quod est super ipsam portam, neque de ipso castro quod dicunt Castelbel, neque de ipso castro de Odena et de castro de Pontons et de castro de Benviure et de castro Far, sed potestativos inde vos faciam per quantas vices predictos castros requisieritis ad me per vos ipsos aut per vestros missos vel missum; et comunir no me n desvedare nec videre; et hoc totum faciam sine engan. Sicut superius scriptum est, ego iam dictus Guilelmus si o tenre et o atendre ad vos, prescriptos seniores meos, comitem et comitissam et post obitum vestrum, (ad) similiter attendam ad illum cui vos dimisseritis Barchinonam testamento vel verbis. Per Deum et hec sancta. Actum est hoc xvi kalendas novembris anno xviiii regnante Ledoico, rege.

Historical context:

An oath of fidelity taken to the count and countess in their domains  and holding Castro Vetulo, Castelbel, Odena, Pontons, Benviure and Far from them.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at its center.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior, 1.250-51, #238.

Date: