A letter from William and Emma

Translated letter:

With the grace and mercy of the almighty lord disposing, I William of Toulose, Albi, and Cahors Quercy, Lodève, Poitiers, Carcassonne, Agen, and Astarac, count and duke; out of those things given by almighty God to me and my power, with his most benign piety aiding and cooperating, the monastery of Thomières which was known to be founded and built by my progenitors, namely my great-grandfather* Pons duke of Aquitaine and great prince, and consecrated in honor of the holy Saviour, St. Mary, and Saint Pons the martyr, and subject by that duke to blessed Peter prince of the apostles of Rome and his successors;  I, said count and duke, for love and reverence of the almighty Lord and the named saints, and also for love of my said greatgrandfather, duke Pons, that I might deserve to be participant and associated with him by the merits of such charity, for the remission also of all my sins and those of my parents, namely my father and mother, and so that the pious and merciful Lord preserve me gently together with my wife, by name Emma, and direct us both in this world into his holy service and keep us for a long time  together and after this life grant us mercifully the heavenly kingdom; we also both desire, indeed we make that named place grow and be honored from the things that are within our right and it pleases us to confirm and strengthen now in the same way that munificence and freedom which was given and confirmed by my ancestor to that place.  First we give to the monastery and the saints and the present lord abbot Frotard and his successors in perpetuity and all the monks living there in perpetuity whatever from this day forward with the mercy of the Lord providing, the abbot or monks of said monastery may acquire in all the bishoprics, counties, and lands committed to us by God or to be committed by his mercy or obtain by the generosity of alms or other gift of mercy from all men of either sex and whatever position or order, or shall have acquired up to now, and extend also from the fiefs which they hold from us in gift; we, the aforenamed count and spouse  give, approve and confirm to them and all their successors living in said monastery to have and possess as their own allod without any disturbance freely and absolutely in perpetuity, with the rule by yoke and power of all removed, except the abbot and monks of said monastery.  Moreover we give to said place and the holy abbot and monks living there in the county of Toulouse in the place called Orzvals, that wood with all its boundaries, abutments, adjacencies, exits and entries, everything and in everything, cultivated and uncultivated, without any reservation.  And this allod is and abuts the boundary of Venerque, and in the territory of Roqueville and Espanès and Eze and Loarret.  Moreover we also give and promise under the unbreakable agreement that we or our children or our posterity [I] shall not sell, give, or make an agreement about all the things in our possession which I have in every honor of Venerque or ought to have in any way to any man, except to my son or daughter, unless to the aforenamed monastery of St. Pons, its abbot and monks.  And if they could acquire anything, with God giving, of all my fiefs in every honor or the churches of said honor of Venerque , I approve and give to God and said monastery of St. Pons and its inhabitants everything and in everthing, to have as their own allod for the remedy of our souls and those of our relatives. 

We also promise to the Lord God and St. Mary and St. Pons that henceforth we are helpers and defenders in all things of the monks and everything appertaining to the aforenamed monastery.  Indeed if any count or duke or other opposed person should boldly presume to disrupt this donation of ours, he may never be able to obtain what he rashly attempted, and unless he repents worthily and satisfy God and the saints, and amend to said monastery and its inhabitants, let him be judged by almighty God and be guilty and estranged from every college of the faithful, and moreover double the reparations to the saints and monks of the said place.  For we hand over all things, as declared above, from our jurisdiction to your rule and power for the remedy of our souls and those of our relatives.

This charter was made on the 1080th year of the Incarnation of Christ, in the reign of king Philip.  Sign + of count William.  Sign + of countess Emma, [we] who made this charter of donation and ordered it done and asked witnesses to sign, and signed it with our own hands, 16th kalends of July.  Count  Raymond, his brother, signed it and made this sign +. Count Bertrand, nephew of William and son of Raymond approved and signed with his hand +. Sign + of William of Rebent.  Sign + of viscount Ademar.   Sign + of Bernard-Pons of Granoled. Sign + of Bernard-Raymond of Toulouse.  Sign + of Amaury of Rochefort.  Sign+ of Bernard-Raymond.  Sign + of Arnal-Pons of Clermont.  Sign + of Christopher.  Sign + of Arnal-Oto.  Sign + of Jausselin, chaplain.

Original letter:

Omnipotentis domini gratia & misericordia disponente, ego Guillelmus Tolosanensium, Albiensium, seu Caturcensium, Lutevensium, Petragorensium,  Carcassonensium, Aginnensium, necne Astarachensium comes & dux ; ex rebus a Deo omnipotente michi meeque potestati traditis, adjuvante atque cohoperante ejus benignissima pietate, monasterium Thomeriense quod a progenitoribus meis, a proavuo (sic) videlicet meo Pontio Aquitaniorum duce vel principe magno noscitur a primis edificiis fundatum & constructum, ac in honore sancti Salvatoris sancte Marie & sancti Pontii martyris consecratum, & ab ipso duce beato Petro principi videlicet apostolorum Rome suisque successoribus subditum; ego jamdictus comes & dux, ob amorem & reverentiam omnipotentis Domini & sanctorum predictorum, necnon ob amorem jamdicti proavi mei Poncii ducis, ut ejus tante elemosine meritis merear sociari & esse particeps, ob remissionem quoque omnium peccatorum meorum & genitorum meorum patris vide­licet & matris mee, & ut pius & misericors Dominus me simul cum uxore mea nomine Emma clementer conservet & dirigat in isto seculo & in suo sancto servitio nos ambos per longa dierum tempora communiter custodiat, & post hanc vitam nobis celeste regnum misericorditer concedat; nos quoque simul in unum cupimus, ymmo & facimus jamnominatum locum ex rebus que sunt nostri juris accrescere & honorare, & eandem munificentiam & libertatem que a proavuo (sic) meo jamnominato donata & confirmata est illi loco, eodem modo quo & ipse nos confirmare & corroborare admodum delectat. In primis donamus jamdicto Thomeriensi monasterio & sanctis & presenti dompno Frotardo abbati suisque in perpetuum successoribus & omnibus monachis ibidem in perpetuuo (sic) commanentibus quicquid ab hac die & deinceps, Domini misericordia procurante, abbas vel monachi jamdicti cenobii in omnibus episcopatibus, comitatibus, terrisque nobis a Deo comissis vel sua mi­sericordia deinde comittendis acquirere vel optinere elemosinarum largitione aut aliquo dono misericordie ab omnibus hominibus utriusque sexus cujuscumque dignitatis aut ordinis potuerint aut actenus acquisierint, etiamsi de fevis quos per nos tenent donando prerogaveriut; nos prenominati comes & conjunx (sic) donamus, laudamus & confirmamus eis & omnibus successoribus eorum in prefato monasterio habitantium ad proprium alodem perhabendum & possidendum absque ulla inquietatione libere & absolute in perpetuum, remota omnium dominatione jugo & potestate, [pre]ter abbatem & monachos jamdicti cenobii. Donamus insuper prenominato loco & sanctis abbati & monachis inibi habitantibus, in comitatu Tolose, in loco vocitato Orzsvals, ipsum boschum cum omnibus terminiis, afrontacionibus, ajacenciis, exiis & regressiis suis, omnia & in omnibus, cultum & eremum sine ulla reservatione. Et est iste alodis sive afrontat in terminio de Venercha & in terminio de Ricovilla & d'Espanesc & de Exut, & de Lauret. Insuper etiam sub intransgressibili convenientia donamus & promittimus, ut nos vel filii nostri aut posteritas nostra de om­nibus rebus proprietatis nostree (sic), quas ego habeo in omni honore de Venercha vel habere ullatenus debeo, nulli homini vendam, donem, aut conveniam , excepto filio aut filie mee, nisi prenominato monasterio Sancti Pontii, abbati & mona­chis ejus. Et si quid, Deo donante, de om­nibus fevalibus meis de honore omni vel de ecclesiis supradicti honoris Venercha acquirere potuerint, ego omnia & in om­nibus laudo & dono Deo & jamdicto monasterio Sancti Pontii & habitatoribus suis ad proprium alodem perhabendum, pro remedio animarum nostrarum & parentum nostrorum. Promittimus etiam Domino Deo & sancte Marie & sancto Pontio nos deinceps aessae in omnibus adjutores ac defenssores monachorum &  omnium rerum superius nominato cenobio pertinentium. Sane si quis comes vel dux aut aliqua opposita persona qui hanc nostram donationem irrumpere aut inquietare presumpserit audacter, quod temere attemptaverit nequaquam optinere prevaleat, & nisi digne resipuerit & Deo & sanctis satisfecerit, & prelibato monasterio & habitato­ribus suis emendaverit, ab omnipotente Deo & ab omni cetu fidelium reus & extraneus judicetur, & insuper dupla & meliorata sanctis & monachis prelibati loci. Que omnia, sicut superius declaratur, de nostro jure in vestro tradimus dominio & potestate propter remedium animarum nostrarum & parentum nostrorum.

Facta carta hujus donationis anno millesimo LXXXo Incarnationis Christi, regnante Philippo rege. Sign. + Guillelmi comitis. Sign. + Ema comitissa, qui hanc cartam don[a]tionis fecimus & fieri jussimus & testes firmare rogavimus, & nos manu propria firmavimus XVI kalendas julii. REGIMUNDUS comes frater ejus firmavit & hoc signum fecit Bertrandus comes nepos Willelmi & filius Raimundi laudavit & manu sua firmavit +. Sig. + Guillelmi de Rebenti. Sig. + Ademari vicecomitis. Sig. + Bernardi-Pontii de Granoled. Sign. + Bernardi-Raimundi de Tolosa, Sig. + Aimerici de Rocafort. Sign. + Ber­nardi-Raimundi. Sign. + Arnalli-Pontii de Clarmunt. Sign. + Christofori. Sign. + Arnalli-Otonis. Sign. + Gauzelini capellani.

Historical context:

William and Emma make a donation  to the monastery of St. Pons of Thomières, founded by his ancestor, for the remission of the sins of his parents and their own.  Although much of the document is in the voice of William, Emma is clearly acknowledged as a co-donor.

Scholarly notes:

*William had a distant ancestor named Raymond-Pons who founded the monastery in the mid-tenth century (HGL 3.164), perhaps in 936.

Printed source:

Histoire Générale de Languedoc, 5.649-52, #336.2, CCLXXVIII. 

Date: