A letter of donation

Translated letter:

Since I, Ralph/Raoul, by divine mercy count of Amiens, pursuing the glory of secular dignity, knew that I was weighed down by a great load of sins, I granted to the church of holy Mary mother of God and the most blessed martyr Fermin and the brothers established there, certain things which were within my right to hand over, so that I might obtain indulgence for my sins by their intervention.  But since from the many things that I possessed bishop Guido took care to relax the most beneficial power that viscounts exercized in the lands of said brothers, with his entreaty and grace, I granted them by perpetual right to have whatever of that kind pertaining to the castle of Conty that I and the knights of that honor of Conty obtained of their lands and towns.  And so that the granting of this donation may last firm and indissoluble, my son Simon and Walter, son of Walter of Tirell. voluntarily offered their consent to this document and the noted knights, praising it, received from me equivalent fiefs for those they had lost.  And this charter, with my hand and that of my wife Anne, and my son Simon and the foresaid Walter, placed on the altar of blessed Mary, as prescribed form demands, bishop Guido anathematized all who tried to oppose by any attack what we have given to the church. 

The names of clerics and laymen who were present at this deed we ordered subscribed at the end.  Rober archdeacon; Baldwin archdeacon and provost; Guido decan:  Guonfred chancellor; Salomon, Berenger, Drogo, priests; Raoul count, Anna his wife, Walter son of Tirell, Simon son of the count, Walter, Guarefred, Hugo, Robert, Roric, Robert, Odo, deacons; Robert, Guido, Roger, Guasselin, Urfio, Alulf, Arnulf, Adelmo, Milo of Paris, subdeacons; Roric, Fulk, Robert, Walter, Andrew, Fermin, acolytes.  Laymen:  Drogo of Beauvais, Robert his son, Oilard his knight, Infred of Ancre (Incrensis), Gamelo, Hugo, Robert, his knights;  Drogo of Tours, Adelelm his son, Guermund brother of the deputy, Raoul butler of the bishop, Atrard seneschal of the count, Milo surname Orphanus, Roric, Anscher, Ingelran, Hugo of Abbeville, knights; moreover a not small multitude of clerics and laymen.  Enacted at Amiens, in the church of blessed Mary always Virgin, in the 1069th year of the incarnation of Christ,  7th indiction, [in the reign of] Philip king of the Franks, Guido bishop of Amiens, Raoul and his son Simon, counts.

Original letter:

Quoniam ego Rodulphus, divina clementia, Ambianensis comes, secularis dignitatis gloriam sectando, multa me noveram delictorum sarcina pregravatum, disposui ecclesie sancte Dei genitricis Marie et beatissimi martiris Firmini fratribusque ibi constitutis, quedam ex his que mei juris erant tradere, ut interventu illorum peccatorum meorum indulgentiam valerem obtinere.  Sed quia ex multis que possidebam visum est episcopo Guidoni utillimum potestatem quam vicecomites in terris predictorum fratrum exercebant relaxare, ipsius deprecatione et gratia, illis perpetuo jure habere concessi quicquid hujusmodi ad Conteiense castellum pertinens ego et milites totius Conteiensis honoris ubique terrarum se villarum illorum obtinebamus.  Et ut donationis hujus concessio firma et insolubilis perseveraret, Symon filius meus et Gualterus, Gualteri Tirelli natus, ultroneum assensum huic scripto prebuerunt, atque memorati milites, idem laudando, equipollentia beneficia pro amissis, me tribuente, alias susceperunt.  Hac autem cartula, mea manu atque uxoris mee Anne, necnon Symonis filii mei et antedicti Gualteri, super altare beate Marie, sicut prescripta ratio perhibet, imposita, Guido presul omnes anathematizavit qui aliqua invasione quod ecclesie donavimus conati fuerint repetere.  Nomina vero clericorum et laicorum qui presentes huic facto extiterunt, precepimus ad ultimum subscribere.  Robertus archidiaconus; Balduinus archidiaconus et prepositus; Guido decanus; Guonfridus cancellarius; Salomon, Berengerius, Drogo, sacerdotes; Radulphus comes, Anna, uxor ejus, Gualterus Tirelli filius, Symon comitis filius, Gualterus, Guarefridus, Hugo, Robertus, Rorico, Robertus, Odo, diaconi; Robertus, Guido, Rogerus, Guasselinus, Urfio, Alulfus, Arnulfus, Adelelmus, Milo parisiensis, subdiaconi; Rorico, Fulco, Robertus, Gualterus, Andreas, Firminus, acoliti.  Laici:  Drogo Bovensis, Robertus ejus filius, Oilardus miles ipsius, Infridus Incrensis, Gamelo, Hugo, Robertus, sui milites; Drogo Turrensis, Adelelmus filius ejus, Guermundus frater vicedomini, Radulphus pincerna episcopi, Atrardus dapifer comitis, Milo cognomine Orphanus, Rorico, Anscherus, Ingelrannus, Hugo Abbatis Ville, milites; preterea non parva multitudo tam clericorum quam laicorum.  Actum Ambianis, in basilica beate Marie semper Virginis, anno incarnationis XPI Mo LXmo VIIIIo, indictione VIIa, rege Francorum Philippo, Guidone Ambianorum episcopo, Radulpho filioque ejus Simone comitibus.

Historical context:

After the death of king Henry, Anne married Raoul/Ralph, count of Crépy-en-Valois, a supporter of her son Philip and a frequent presence at the royal court.  She participated with him in charters as countess of Valois and continued to participate with her son as queen of France.  I am grateful to Talia Zajac for alerting me to this charter of which she calls Anne a "co-issuer," and for her important discussion of the queen's role in royal charters and government (Zajac,Talia. "Gloriosa Regina or ‘Alien Queen’? Some Reconsiderations on Anna Yaroslavna’s Queenship [r. 1050-1075],” Royal Studies Journal, 3.1 [2016]: 28–70). 

Printed source:

Cartulaire du chapitre de la cathédrale d’Amiens, ed. L'abbé Rose, intro. J. Roux, vol. 1 (Amiens: Yvert et Tellier, 1905), no. 5, pp. 9-10.

Date: