A letter from Robert II, Count of Flanders

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen.  Be it known to the faithful of holy mother church in the present as well as the future that I Robert, count of Flanders, inspired by the grace of God, was going to Jerusalem accompanied by much of my army; I turned aside with certain of my magnates to the monastery consecrated in honor of the holy apostle Bartholomew and the blessed confessor Theodore, where the abbot and monks received us respectfully coming to meet us with an ecclesiastical procession.  When that was done, they led us to their cloister and freely granted and gave us society and participation of their prayers and alms.  But I, for the remission of my sins and my safety and that of my spouse Clementia, gave back to said saints and the abbot and his monks what my sister Adela had formerly given them, with my favor; but afterwards I took away from them at the suggestion of some of my [people], I gave back, I say, a part of the earth and water in my woods of Harelbeke, so that the abbot and his monks might there recover the mills and two houses and one chapel.  I did this with the favor of my spouse, said Clementia, to whom I had sent letters under my seal about this, so that she would prohibit foresters from committing any injustice or violence on the saints or their servants in the future.

If anyone diminish or breach this gift of our benevolence, let him first incur the wrath of God and his saints, and also lose  the favor of our friendship in perpetuity.  To this benefice granted by me to the saints and their monks, I added one measure [bunuarium]* of a meadow near the mills.

S[ign] of count Robert, S. of count Ebal, S. of Baldwin of Ghent, S. of Toger castellan of Lille, S. of count  Onulf seneschal, S. of count Eustace butler, S. of Arnulf of Ardres, S. of Conon and Rainer, cleric chaplains of the count.

Enacted in Monte Or, at St. Theodore, in the 1096th year of the incarnation of the Word, 4th indiction, 4th epact, 2nd concurrent.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue Trinitatis, Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti amen. Notum sit tam presentibus quam futuris sancte matris ecclesie fidelibus, quod ego Rotbertus, Flandrensium comes, Dei gratia inspirante, Hierosolimam ibam, plurimo exercitu meo comitante; diverti autem cum quibusdam optimatibus meis ad abbatiam in honore sancti apostoli Bartholomei et beati Theodorici confessoris consecratam, ubi abbas et monachi reverenter susceperunt nos, cum processione ecclesiastica venientes nobis obviam. Qua expleta in claustrum suum nos duxerunt, ac per librum quemdam societatem et participationem orationum et elemosinarum suarum nobis concesserunt et dederunt. Ego autem pro peccatorum meorum remissione et incolumitate mei meeque conjugis Clementie, suprascriptis sanctis et abbati et monachis ejus reddidi, quod antea dederat soror mea Adela illis, meo tamen favore; sed ego postea ipsis abstuleram quorumdam meorum suggestione, reddidi, inquam, partem terre et aque in saltu meo de Herlebecche, ut ibi restituat abbas vel monachi ejus, molendinos et duas domos atque capellam unam. Hoc autem feci favore conjugis mee predicte Clementie, cui super hoc litteras sigillo meo corroboratas direxi, ut forestariis prohiberet ne sanctis, vel servis eorum aliquam injustitiam vel violentiam ulterius inferrent.

Si quis autem hoc nostre benevolentie donum minuerit vel infregerit, in primis Dei et sanctorum ejus iram incurret, nostre autem amicitie gratia in perpetuum perdet. Hoc denique beneficio ipsis sanctis et eorum monachis a me concesso, addidi, eisque unum bunuarium prati prope molendinos concessi.

S. comitis Rotberti, S. comitis Ebali, S. Balduini de Gant, S. Rogeri castellani de Insula, S.Onulfi dapiferi comitis, S. Eustachii pincerne comitis, S. Arnulfi de Ardea, S. Cononis et Raineri, clericorum capellanorum comitis.

Actum in Monte Or, apud Sanctum scilicet Theodoricum, anno incarnati Verbi millesimo nonagesimo VI°, indictione IIII, epacta IIII, concurrente II.

Historical context:

The count records the restitution of land his sister had given to an abbey but which he had taken back.  He does this with the agreement of his wife, to whom he says he sent letters on the subject with instructions to her to defend the abbey.  Since this correspondence is not extant, I have included this letter as the equivalent.

Scholarly notes:

*According to Larousse, a bonnier, the French equivalent of a bunuarium, is an agrarian measure of one hectar, 40 ares; an are is 100 square meters.

Printed source:

F. Vercauteren, Actes des Comtes de Flandres, 1071-1128 [Brussels:  Palais des Academies 1938], # 22.p.65-67.

Date: