A letter from Philippa and William IX of Aquitaine

Translated letter:

For the love of almighty God and for the salvation of our souls and the remission of our sins, I William, count of Poitiers, and my wife Philippa by name, take under our protection and care the church of the blessed martyr Saturnine in the suburb of Toulouse and declare it established and free from all, as pope Urban best delivered it over with his bishops in its consecration and in the council of Nîmes.  And since nefarious persecutors destroyed it in our day, we give from our goods so that it may be restored, I count William and my wife Philippa by name, daughter of count William of Toulouse, the town namely of St. Peter of Blagnac with its church and whatever pertains to it, as an allod without retention of anything, men and women, lands and vineyards, cottages and woods, meadows and waters and mills and whatever count William had and held there justly or unjustly and others from him; which is situated on the river Garonne.  We also release them from the sending of candles which before us they gave to counts, as our predecessor count Raymond left [it].  And since malignant men rose up madly from the whole province to destroy the church of St. Saturnine, we extract a pension from them henceforth and order it to be paid to the clerics of said church for service in this way, that whoever outside the inhabitants sold food brought into the suburb or the city in any way from each sester St. Saturnine and its canons would take one measure (junctatam) so that whatever they lost by the invasion of this church, they would correct by satisfaction in this way.  Also whatever our ancestors benignly conferred on that place we grant and in granting confirm and acquit with the best will of our minds.  The canons, piously acknowledging this benefice expended for our needs from the treasures of the church of St. Saturnine first four pounds of gold and half of the purest gold, and afterwards eight hundred solidos of Toulousan money in tenths.  Which gifts named above and granted by our benign will for the love of God almighty, I count William of Poitiers and my wife Philippa give to the church of St. Saturnine and the canons established there to serve it, and this whole we grant and give for the salvation of our souls and for the salvation of the soul of my father-in-law William, and the salvation of all our stock, past and to come.  This gift we make in the presence of viscount Bernard of Béziers and Ademar, Toulousan viscount, and we confirm in their witness and with the lord granting, we promise we will carry out this gift to our best in the future.   

This was made on the fourth in the month of July, on the lord’s day, in the reign of king Philip, in the year 1098, sixth indiction.  Sign of Peter, provost.  Sign of William Raymond. Sign of Raymond, head of school (capiscol).  Sign of Peter John.  Sign of Peter Pons.  Sign of Arnald John. Sign of Vitalis.  Sign of Gerald Rigald.  This is the sign of count William of Poitiers and Toulouse.  This is the sign of his wife Philippa.  This is the sign of viscount Ademar.  Sign of Peter Bou.  Sign of Arnald Raymond. Huelard.  Sign of Bernard Asalid.  Sign of Elias Cambaroth. Sign of Maleth of Blanchefort. Sign of Arnald Oto. Sign of Forto Oolric.  Sign of Vasal. Sign of Constans Guttiri. 

 Since something entrusted to letters we retain easily in the memory of most mortals, those things which the countess of Toulouse and Poitiers, by name Philippa, daughter of count William, granted and gave to the church of St. Saturnine we have noted in writing.  Let this writing be a thing known to all who read or hear, that I Philippa countess of Toulouse and Poitiers, stung by devotion of divine love, grant and give and order to be firm in perpetuity to the church of St. Saturnine freedom in the present and the future for them to have in the town one cobbler and one skinner to sew their clothes, without any tax, without any toll, without any customs, except for our justice, if it should come on them.  Moreover I grant and give them the free ability that if anyone lay waste their honors or seize their goods and refuse to be corrected when admonished or to restore what was seized, they may detain him in the town or the city and take until he satisfied them and restores their things.  Moreover I grant truly and give them free ability to make an oven wherever they wish in the town and possess and hold and have it in their control.  And all this I do freely, not unwillingly, for the redemption of my soul and the soul of my father William and my other relatives.  Witnesses are lord Robert of Arbrissels, Munio, Arnald, Peter Baptisat, Arnald Mancus.

Original letter:

PRO amore omnipotentis Dei & pro salute animarum nostrarum & remissione peccatorum nostrorum, ego Willelmus comes Pictavensis & uxor mea Philippia nomine suscipimus in deffensione nostra & tutela ecclesiam beati Saturnini martyris inTolosano suburbio constitutam & liberam eam ab omnibus statuimus, sicut melius illam deliberavit papa Urbanus cum suis episcopis in consecratione sua & in concilio Nemausensi. Et quia nefarii persecutores illam destituerant in diebus nostris, ut restituatur donamus ei de bonis nostris ego Willelmus comes & uxor mea Philippia nomine, filia Willelmi comitis Tolosae, villam scilicet Sancti Petri de Blaniaco cum ipsa ecclesia & quidquid ad illam pertinet, in allodium absque alicujus rei retentione, homines & feminas, terras & vineas, casalia & silvas, prata, & aquas, & molendinos, & quaecumque ibi Willelmus consul ibi juste vel injuste habuit & tenuit & alii ab eo; quae est sita super flumen Garunna. Absolvimus etiam immissionem de candelis quae ante n0s dabantur consulibus, sicut melius reliquit decessor noster Raimundus comes. Et quia maligni homines totius provinciae dementati ad destruendam ecclesiam Sancti Saturnini insurrexerant, ab illis deinceps pensionem extrahimus & clericis suprascriptae ecclesiae pro servitio persolvi jubemus hoc modo, ut quicumque praeter inhabitantes in suburbio vel in civitate allatam annonam a modo vendiderint, de un0quoque cestario Sanctus Satuminus & canonici sui unam junctatam suscipiant, ut quidquid invasione hujus ecclesiae deliquerint, hoc modo satisfactione corrigant. Item quidquid antecessores nostri ei loco benigne contulerint concedimus & concedendo nostrae mentis optima voluntate confirmamus & adquietamus. Hoc beneficium pie canonici recognoscentes in necessitatibus nostris expenderunt de thesauris ecclesiae Sancti Saturnini prius quatuor libras auri & dimidiam de auro purissimo & postea octingentos solidos Tolosanae monetae decennis. Quae dona superius denominata atque nostra benigna voluntate concessa in amore Dei omnipotentis ego Willelmus comes Pictavensis & uxor mea Philippa donamus ecclesiae Sancti Satur­nini & canonicis ibidem sibi ad serviendum constitutis, & hoc totum concedimus & damus pro salute nostrarum animarum & pro salute animae Willelmi soceri nostri & pro salute totius nostrae progeniei tam praeteritae quam successurae. Hoc donum facimus in praesentia Bernardi vicecomitis Bitterensis & Ademari vicecomitis Tolosani, & confirmamus in testimonio eorumdem, & Domino annuente in posterum nos hoc donum ad melius perducturos esse promittimus. Facta cuarta in mense julio, sub die dominica, regnante Philippo rege, anno M XCVIII, indictione [vi]. Sign. Pe­tri praepositi. Sig. Willelmi Raimundi. Sig. Raimundi capiscol. S. Petri Joannis. S. Petri Puncti. S. Arnaldi Johannis. S. Vitalis. S. Geraldi Rigaldi. Hoc signum Wil­lelmi comitis Pictavensis & Tolosae. Hoc signum uxoris ejus Philippiae. Hoc signum Ademari vicecomitis. S. Petrus Bou. S. Arnaldus Raimundus. Huelardus. S. Bernardus Asalid. S. AElias Cambaroth. S. Maleth de Blancafort. S. Arnaldus Otonis. S. Forto Oolric. S. Vasal. S. Constanti Guttirii.

Quia plerumque mortalium facta litteris commendata facile memoriae reducimus, ea quae comitissa Tolosana atque Pictavensis Philippia nomine, filia Guillermi comitis, ecclesiae beati Saturnini concessit & donavit scriptis annotavimus. Nota res sit omnibus haec scripta legentibus vel audientibus, quod ego Philippia Tolosana atque Pictavensis comitissa, divini amoris devotione compuncta, concedo & dono & in perpetuum ratum esse praecipio ec­clesiae beati Saturnini tam praesentibus quam futuris libertatem, quod habeant in burgo unum sutorem & unum pellificem qui consuant eis vestimenta sua, sine omni quaestu, sine omni censu, sine omni usu, excepta justicia nostra, si in eis evenerit. Praeterea & concedo & dono eis liberam facultatem, quod si quis honores eorum vastaverit vel bona eorum rapuerit & admonitus corrigi vel rapta restituere noluerit, quod in burgo vel in civitate eum distringant & accipiant, donec eis satisfaciat & res eorum restituat. Insuper vero concedo & dono eis facultatem liberam, quod ubicumque voluerint in burgo faciant unum furnum & in dominio suo possideant & teneant & habeant. Et istud totum facio spontanea, non invita, pro redemptione animae meae & animae patris mei Guillermi & aliorum parentum meorum. Testes sunt domnus Robertus de Arborecello, Munio, Arnaldus, Petrus Baptisatus, Ar­naldus Mancus. 

Historical context:

The count and countess make a donation to help restore a church that had been attacked and destroyed by rebels, much of it to be made up by payments from the attackers.  The Raymond mentioned is Philippa’s uncle, Raymond IV of Toulouse.  The document includes a separate grant by Philippa to the town of a tax-free cobbler and clothesmaker, as well as the right to build an oven.

Printed source:

Histoire Générale de Languedoc, 5.754-56, #400, CCCXXII.

Date: