A letter to Raymond V of Toulouse

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual Trinity.  In the year 1172 from the incarnation of the Word, in the reign of king Louis of the Franks, on the day before the ides of December. --  I, Beatrice countess of Melgueil in the name of God, declare that I have given to you, Raymond, duke of Narbonne, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence, the whole county of Melgueil, with everything that pertains to that county or ought to pertain to it by right, so that for the rest whoever should have the county of Melgueil or a part of it through you or your successor, who would have the county of St. Gilles, would have, hold, and possess it by feudal title, and would compel the castles and fortifications and forts to swear to you and would render to your admonition, without deception or payment.  -- Now therefore, confirming the said donation, and having it inserted and made known in the present acts, I give and hand over my daughter Ermessende as legitimate wife to your son Raymond, and give you as dowery in the name of your above-written son, the whole of the entire county of Melgueil, with all jurisdiction and full administration, and with all dominion and all things generally that pertain to that county or ought to pertain to it by right, on such condition that, if my above-written daughter having received or not from your said son surviving offspring, should predecease him, you would retain with full right and profit half of the county  for the expenses and costs which you incurred and will incur.  The other half my said daughter, if the son which she had from Peter Bermond should be alive, though offspring from your son would similarly be alive, could dispose, divide at her judgment to whom of her children she wished to give better position.  -- If indeed your son, having received surviving offspring from my daughter, should predecease her, unless the son whom my daughter had from Peter Bermond were still alive, would be compelled to confer the whole in every way on that offspring which she had from your son when she died.  -- In any event, you, for the expenses and costs as written above, will retain half the county and profit from it, unless my granddaughter Dulcia/Douce, daughter of my son Raymond, the late count of Provence, were alive and married you or your son; then I wish [her] to have that half of the county; otherwise if or before she married or having married another, namely not you or your son, had died, I wish her to have nothing in the county of Melgueil, nor to dispose of anything in that county in life or death;  rather I wish to establish firmly and irrevocably according to the written agreements that county to be held and possessed and ruled by you and my daughter Ermessende.  – Thus revoking the donation which I would confer on my above-written granddaughter, with you stipulating, to be renewed with your consent, according to the agreements made known in the present, I wish and establish all things in the county of Melgueil to be governed perpetually.  

To all these, I the above written Ermessende, conferring all the above in the name of dowery on you Raymond, son of R. duke of Narbonne, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence, my future husband with the consent of my mother according to the above agreements, especially I give you whatever pertains or ought to pertain to me by whatever right from the goods or succession of my father Bernard count of Pelet, on such condition that I would be able to transfer it to no other offspring except one from you.  --  If indeed not having offspring from you, I should predecease [you], the whole from paternal goods that came to me would be yours in full right to dispose according to your judgment and will.  – If death should occur to me, Ermessende, with no surviving offspring, the whole of the county of Melgueil that came to me from the donation of my mother, and the whole that similarly came to me from the goods and paternal succession, I give and grant to you Raymond, duke of Narbonne, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence, and to your son Raymond, or your successor who would hold the county of St. Gilles, with full right of property and dominion, to do your wills irrevocably in perpetuity.  – I Raymond, duke of Narbonne, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence, give to you the above-written Ermessende, in the name of my son Raymond, in gift for the marriage, whatever I have in the city of Usetica and in the whole bishopric, except half the toll of the valley of Aix (Aquaria) and the toll of St. Saturnine, on such condition that, if my son Raymond, having had an offspring from you, should predecease [you], you would have [that] for your lifetime and after it would revert to that offspring,  and I could not transfer the prescribed county of Usetica to myself or to another offsping.  If indeed having no offspring from you or if none survived, he should predecease [you], you would have and possess it in full right as long as you live. –

All things as written above were approved and sworn, with countess Beatrice swearing, and her daughter Ermessende swearing, and R. duke of Narbonne, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence swearing, and his son R. swearing, in the presence of Bermond of Sauve, Bermond of Vidinobrio, Elesiar of Ucetia, Raymond his brother, Raymond of Agolt, Ricav of Insula, monks Mascaroni, Berengar of Montealto, the priest Peter of Alesto, Bernard of Paragio, advocate and chancellor Ralph, scholar Pons, Raymond Bedoc, Bertrand Bedoc, William Borrell, Bertrand Ripert, William, scholar.

I Raymond Bodon, notary, with Ralph advocate and chancellor composing, wrote this instrument, completed it, gave and handed it over and was involved as witness.

I Raymond of Arenis, deacon cardinal of the Holy Roman church, by title, of St. Mary in the Broad-way, and I Aldebert bishop of Nîmes, wish for the rest to make known to all who might read or hear this instrument that, in the year 1176 from the Lord’s incarnation, 3rd nones of November, in our presence everything as contained in the present instrument was completed, sworn, and confirmed, approved with witnesses swearing, the holy Gospels touched, and witnesses declaring by swearing, namely:  Elesiar of Ucetia, Raymond his brother, Bermond of Vidinobrio, Bernard of Paragio, Ralph advocate and chancellar, Pons scholar, Raymond Bedoc, Bertrand Riperto, William scholar, Raymond Bodon notary.  In the presence of witnesses:  Raymond of Bocairan, Peter Hugo of Volubrica, William Hugo his brother, B. Atto viscount of Nîmes, Gerald Amico … and many others.  Therefore we, in perpetual memory of the thing and sincere faith in the actions, we order and have the page of the present instrument fortified by our seals.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte ac individue Trinitatis. — Anno ab incarnatione Verbi M° c° LXX° II°, regnante Lodoyco Francorum rege, pridie idus decembris. — Ego in Dei nomine Beatrix comitissa Melgorii profiteor me donasse tibi Raimundo duci Narbone, comiti Tholose, marchioni Provincie, totum comitatum Melgorii, cum omnibus que ad ipsum comitatum pertinent vel de jure pertinere debent, ita ut de cetero quicumque comitatum Melgorii vel comitatus partem habuerit, per te vel successorem tuum, qui comitatum S. Egidii habuerit, feodi titulo habeat, teneat et possideat, et castella et munitiones et fortias vobis jurare, et ad commonitionem vestram reddere, remota fraude et precio, compellatur. — Nunc igitur prefatam donationem confirmans, et presentibus actis inseri insinuarique faciens, dono et trado filiam meam Ermensindam in uxorem legitimam filio tuo Raimundo, et dono tibi in dotem, nomine filii tui suprascripti, totum ex integro comitatum Melgorii, cum omni jurisdictione et plena amministratione, et cum omni dominicatura et omnibus generaliter que ad ipsum co­mitatum pertinent vel de jure pertinere debent, tali lege ut, si filia mea suprascripta, sobole ex prefato filio tuo suscepta superstite vel etiam non suscepta, premortua fuerit, medietas comitatus, pro expensis et sumptibus, quos in ipso comitatu fecisti et facturus es, pleno jure retineas et lucreris. Aliam vero medietatem possit filia mea suprascripta, si tunc filius ejus, quem ex Petro Bermundo suscepit, superstes fuerit, licet sobolem ex filio tuo susceperit, que similiter superstes sit, pro arbitrio suo disponere, dividere et cui voluerit liberorum meliorationem facere. — Si vero filius tuus, sobole ex filia mea suscepta superstite, premortuus fuerit, nisi tunc filius, quem filia mea ex Petro Bermundo suscepit, superstes extiterit, totum in illam sobolem, quam de filio tuo susceperit omnifariam, cum decesserit, conferre compellatur. — In omni tamen eventu tu, pro expensis et sumptibus, ut superius scriptum est, medietatem comitatus retinebis et lucraberis, nisi Dulcia neptis mea, filia quondam filii mei Raimundi comitis Provincie, superstes ex­titerit, et tibi vel filio tuo nupserit; tunc enim ipsam medietatem comitatus habere volo; alioquin si vel antequam nubat, vel alii, scilicet non tibi non filio tuo, nupta decesserit, vel alii nupta vixerit, nichil in comitatu Melgorii eam habere, nichil super co­mitatu in vita vel morte posse disponere volo; immo comitatum, secundum convenciones suprascriptas, a filia mea Ermensinda et a vobis haberi et possideri et ordinari firmiter volo atque irrevocabiliter constituo. — Sic igitur donationem, quam in neptem meam suprascriptam, te stipulante, contuleram, tuo consensu renovando revocans, omnia secundum conventiones presenti pagine insinuatas super comitatu Melgorii, perpetuo gubernari volo atque constituo. — Ad hec ego Ermensinda omnia suprascripta in te Raimundum, filium R. ducis Narbone, comitis Tholose, marchionis Provincie, consensu matris mee, secundum conventiones suprascriptas, futurum maritum meum, dotis nomine conferens, specialiter dono tibi quicquid de bonis vel successione patris mei Bernardi Peleti comitis ad me quocumque jure pertinet vel pertinere debet, tali lege ut in nullam aliam sobolem, nisi ex te susceptam, transferre valeam. — Si vero, sobole ex te non suscepta, me premori contigerit, totum quod de bonis paternis ad me pervenerit, pleno jure tuum sit, et pro arbitrio et voluntate tua disponas.  — Ad hec si me Ermensinda[m], nulla relicta sobole, mori contigerit, totum quicquid de comitatu Melgorii ex donatione matris mee ad me pervenerit, et totum quod similiter de bonis vel successione paterna ad me pervenerit, tibi Raimundo, duci Narbone, comiti Tholose , marchioni Provincie, et filio tuo Raimundo, vel successori tuo qui comitatum Sancti Egidii habuerit, pleno proprietatis et dominii jure, ad faciendas omnes voluntates vestras, in perpetuum irrevocabiliter dono atque concedo. — Ego igitur Raimundus dux Narbone, comes Tholose, marchio Provincie, dono tibi Ermensinde suprascripte, nomine filii mei Raimundi, in donationem propter nuptias, quicquid habeo in civitate Usetica et in toto episcopatu, excepta medietate pedagii vallis Aquarie et pedagii Sancti Saturnini, tali lege ut, si filius meus Raimundus, sobole ex te suscepta, premortuus fuerit, habeas in vita tua, postea vero ad ipsam sobolem revertatur, nec michi liceat vel sibi in aliam sobolem prescriptum comitatum de Usetico transferre. — Si vero, sobole ex te non suscepta, vel suscepta, set non superstite, premortuus fuerit, habeas et possideas pleno jure quamdiu vixeris. — Omnia, sicut superius scripta sunt, laudata et jurata fuerunt, jurante Beatrice comitissa, et jurante Ermensinda ejus filia, et jurante R. duce Narbone, comite Tho­lose, marchione Provincie, et R. ejus filio jurante, in presentia Bermundi de Salve, Bermundi de Vidinobrio, Elesiarii de Ucecia, Raimundi ejus fratris, Raimundi de Agolt, Ricavi de Insula, Monachi Mascaroni, Berengarii de Monte-alto, Petri de Alesto sacerdotis, Bernardi de Paragio , Radulfi causidici et cancellarii, Poncii gramatici, Raimundi Bedocii, Bertrandi Bedocii, Guillelmi Borrelli, Bertrandi Riperti, Guillelmi gramatici.

Ego Raimundus Bodonus notarius, Radulfo causidico et cancellario componente, hoc instrumentum scripsi, complevi, dedi et tradidi et testis interfui.

Ego Raimundus de Arenis, Sancte Romane ecclesie diachonus cardinalis tituli Sancte Marie in via lata, et ego Aldebertus Nemausensis episcopus, de cetero notum fieri volumus omnibus qui hoc instrumentum legerint vel audierint quod, anno Dominice incarnationis m° c°  lxxvi0, III° nonas novembris, in presentia nostra, omnia, sicut in presenti instrumento continentur, fuisse completa, jurata et confirmata, approbatum fuit, jurantibus testibus, tactis sacrosanctis Evangeliis et sub jurejurando testimonium perhibentibus, scilicet: Elesiario de Ucecia, Raimundo fratre ejus, Bermundo de Vidinobrio, Bernardo de Paragio, Radulfo causidico et cancellario, Poncio gramatico, Raimundo Bedocio, Bertrando Riperto, Guillelmo gramatico, Raimundo Bodono notario. In presentia testium : Raimundi de Bocairano, Petri Ugonis de Volubrica, Guillelmi Hugonis fratris ejus, B. Attonis vice-comitis Nemausensis, Guiraldi Amici ....  et aliorum multorum. Ideoque nos, ad perpetuam rei memoriam et gestorum sinceram fidem, presentis instrumenti paginam sigillis nostris jussimus et fecimus communiri.  

Historical context:

The contract of the dowery for Beatrice's daughter, Ermessend, to Raymond's son.  The marriage and transfer of land was arranged in haste after the death of Eremessend's first husband, Peter Bermund, in order to keep the inheritance of Melgueil away from Beatrice's second son, whom she had disinherited.  Ermessend had no children from this marriage.

Printed source:

Layettes du Trésor des Chartes, 1.102-04,   #238  

Date: