A letter from Ermongol, Count of Urgell

Translated letter:

Let this donation and purchase stand.  The donation, indeed, which was done voluntarily, as equal to a purchase, should have full strength.  Therefore, in the name of God, I Ermengol, count and marquis, am the donor to you count Raymond and your wife countess Valencia and her [your] son Arnal.  I give you, indeed, that castrum of Guardia and of Montanio and of Ossass and of Malograto, with their boundaries and all appurtenances and usages which they have today and ought to have and had in the time of Arnal Miro.  And all these are in the county of Urgell, and the said castri abut all the named:  in the east the river Segor or the boundary of Tost or Sussagarro, in the south Prada or Pino lato, in the west Inforchatos, and in the north Cirsera or Instablelo, and it descends through that Contrella and ascends through that church of St. Hilarius and descends to the river Segor.  Whatever these abutments enclose and the boundaries surround, I give you the named castros with all their said above-named boundaries and with their entries and exits, cultivated and barren, woods and uncultivated lands and meadows, pastures and waterways (aquis aquarum), all complete, and it is manifest, so that it is not permitted to you to choose another lord over said castros, not to you or your posterity unless it is me, Ermengol, or my posterity. That indeed by my said right I give over into your rule and power to do whatever you might wish as your own allod.   That, if I the donor or any man or woman who might wish to disrupt this charter of donation, he/she could not prevail, but must pay doubly with all improvements; and let this charter remain firm henceforth now and for all time.  Which was enacted on the 5th ides of September in the 19th year of king Philip.  Ermengol, count and marquis + who ordered this charter of donation to be written and by the cross, as usual, I signed my hand and asked witnesses to sign.  Sign+ of viscount Miro. Sign+ of Guitard Isarn.  Sign+ of William Guitard.  Sign+ of Arnal Peter. Sign+ of William Arnal.  Sign+ of Bertrand Ato.  Sign+ of Peter Raymond. Sign+ of Miro Guerreta.  Sign+ of Berengar Miro. Sign+ of Peter Roger.  Raimond, cleric, wrote as asked and with letters inserted in line 14 where it says “ad proprium alodium”, on the day and year noted.  William, judge. 

Original letter:

Ut ita valeat donacio sicut et empcio. Donacio, vero, qui per voluntatem facta fuerit, talem equalem empcio, plenam habeat roborem. Igitur, in Dei nomine, ego Ermengaudus, comes et marchio, donator sum vobis, Raimundus comes et coniuge tua Valencia comitissa et filium eius Arnallum. Dono, namque, vobis ipsum castrum de Guardia et de Montanione et de Ossass et de Malograto, cum eorum termines et pertinenciis cunctis et usus quod hodie habent et habere debent et habebant in tempore Arnallum Mironis. Et est hec omnia in comitatu Urgellensi, et habeat affrontaciones predicti castri cum prenominata omnia : de parte orientis in flumen Segor vel in termino de Tost vel in Sussagarro, de meridie in Prada vel in Pino lato, de occiduo in Inforchatos, de parte, vero, circi in ipsa Cirsera vel in Instablelo, et descendit per ipsam Contrella et ascendit per ipsa ecclesia Sancti Ilarii et descendit usque in flumen Segor. Quantum inter istas affrontaciones includunt et isti termini ambiunt et circumeunt, sic dono vobis prenominatos castros cum predicta omnia cum eorum terminis supranominatis et cum introitibus et exitibus eorum, cultum et eremum, silvis et garricis et pratis, pascuis et aquis aquarum, totum ab integrum, et est manifestum, ita ut non liceat vobis alium seniorem eligere de supradictos castros neque ad vos, neque ad posterita vestra nisi me, Ermengaudum, aut posterita mea. Quod, vero, predicto de meo iure in vestro trado dominio et potestate ad facere quodcumque volueritis ad vestrum proprium alodium. Quod, si ego donator aut ullus homo vel femina qui contra hanc cartam donacionis inquietare voluerit, non hoc valeat vendicare, sed componat in duplo cum omni sua melioracione; et in antea ista carta firma permaneat modo vel omnique tempore. Que est acta v idus septembris anno xviiii regis Philippi. Ermengaudus, comes et marchio + qui ista carta donacionis iussi scribere et per crucem, sicut soleo, meam manum eam firmavi et testibus firmare rogavi. Sig+num Mironi vicecomiti. Sig+num Guitardi Isarni. Sig+num Guillelmi Guitardi. Sig+num Arnalli Petri. Sig+num Guillelmi Arnalli. Sig+num Bretandi Atonis.  Sig+num Petrus Raimundi.  Sig+num Mironi Guerreta.  Sig+num Berengario Mironis.  Signum Petrus Rodger.  Raimundus clericus rogatus scripsit et cum litteris intromissis in verso XVIII ubi dicit ad proprium alodium, die et annoque prefixo.  Wilielmus iudex.

Historical context:

Donation by Ermengol, count of Urgell, to the count and countess and their son Arnal of certain castros/castra.  Castrum is the administrative district around and including a fortified castle.  

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior, ed. F.M. Rosell (Barcelona, 1945), 1.69-70, #53.  

Date: