A letter of corroboration

Translated letter:

What is done in time, lest it fall way with time, must be recalled to memory by written texts.  All you in the present, as well as those who follow, should therefore know that Sulislava widow of Martin with her brother Crison, son of Goszlaw, in order to furnish a dowry for her daughters sold half her manor/town of Dzierzkówek to  Jacob, Henry, and Peter, sons of Theodore, for six marks of latin silver, to possess by hereditary right, for them and all their successors, with the consent of her brothers-in-law:  namely Boguslaw and Stephen, and also her son-in-law, John, before lady Gremislava, duchess of Sandomierz, and also her nobles, whose names are:  Pacoslaw palatine, Stresec butler, Adalbert son of Stupot, Cresslaw butler, Pretslaw count of Cechow, Falec and Adalbert her brothers, John, son of that Pretslaw, Mistiuy count of Vislicia, Sdislaw son of Wloston, Peter son of Dobesy, Velislaw son of Sobesandon, Nicholas, Jasch, Budivoy chamberlain of the palatine, Boguslaw chamberlain of count Adalbert castellan of Lublin, Sulislaw of Cargow, Bogus of Mazouia, Boguslau of Rava, Thomas of Midlou, Bertolt, Peter son of Hrostl, Falislaw son of Lodgery, Thomas husband of the palatine’s sister, Dobes son of Voyslaw, Pribislaw son of Pribislaw, Christin son of Mlodot, Stephen son of Roman, Schodr son of Henry, Crisan son of Pucslaw, Sulislaw Guba, Bogufalesh butler of count Strescon, Janek son of Cherubin, Ramolt and Eustace sons of Seraphin, Janus and Peter sons of Magnus, Magnus son of Walcun, Nicholas son of Christophor, Christin son of Ratslaw, Voycek son of Vito, Janek son of Lambin, Janec master of the monks of the court of Scareseu, Godfrey his son-in-law, Sivrid villein/tenant of Scareseu, Bogufal son of Ratsulon, Voycek and Vito, sons of Vignan, Bogdas son of Maluyo, the mediator of this matter.
Enacted in the thousand two hundred twenty-eighth year from the Lord’s incarnation, on the day of the martyr Saints Nereus and Achilleus, in Scareseu, with the said lady Gremislava meeting/conferring with the son of Roman and his/her subscribed palatines and castellans, whose seals hanging [below] firmly strengthen the present writing.

[on the reverse side of the same, however of a later writing]

Be it known to all to whom the present page may come, that the wife of Michael with the wife of Martin, Jacob with Peter, sons of Tedric, confirmed half the heredity in Cirscovic before their surrounding neighbors, before Ralph priest of Scareseu and Thomas brother from the same Scareseu and Nedabil brother from Repin and and Peter brother from Crupsco and John  son of Thestis with his son and Chudoslaw of Scareseu, Reczlaw and Dobes with his son-in-law, Marczin son of Reczlaw, Leonard, John son of Phillip, Stephen son of Roman and Rosnato “cmetone” (sic) of Oduchou, Reduan Snedarc and another Reduvan Snedarc, Crisan Picslaw of Crisanovic, Begos of Modreovic, Scinyr the same, Mirota of Cirscovic, Gozlaw Lisec and Uit, Henry their brother, Crisan with his son, Bogdas juridical chamberlain on the part of the duchess.  Christin son of Reczlaw at that place sold to those brothers Jacob and Peter a half part of their heredity for 7 marks in the presence of that gathering (of neighbors).  There Stephen was witness with the wife of his brother and the son of the brother.

Original letter:

Que in tempore aguntur, ne simul cum tempore labantur, necessarium est, ea scriptis ad memoriam reuocare.  Noueritis igitur omnes tam presentes, quam eorum sequaces, quia Sulislaua relicta Martini cum fratre suo Crisone filio Goszlaui, pro comparanda dote suis filiabus uendidit medietatem uille sue de Dirscouich Iacobo, Henrico, Petro filiis Theodrici, pro sex marcis lati argenti, hereditario iure possidendam, eis et eorum successoribus omnibus, leuiris eius:  Boguslauo videlicet et Stephano, necnon genero suo Iohanne consencientibus, coram domina Grimislaua ducissa Sandomirie, necnon coram eius nobilibus, quorum nomina sunt hec:  Pacoslauus palatinus, Stresec pincerna, Adalbertus filius Stupote, Cresslau pincerno, Pretslaus comes de Cechow, Falec et Adalbertus fratres eius, Iohannes filius eiusdem Pretslaui, Mistiuy comes de Vislicia, Sdislau filius Wlostonis, Petrus filius Dobesy, Velislau filius Sobesandonis, Nicolaus, Iasch, Budiuoy camerarius palatini, Boguslauus camerarius comitis Adalberti castellani de Lublin, Sulislauus de Cargow, Bogus de Mazouia, Boguslau de Raua, Thomas de Midlou, Bertolt, Petrus filius Hrostle, Falislau filius Lodgerij, Thomas sororius palatini, Dobes filius Voyslaui, Pribislauus filius Pribislaui, Cristinus filius Mlodote, Stephanus filius Romani, Schodr filius Henrici, Crisan filius Pucslaui, Sulislau Guba, Bogufalech pincerna comitis Stresconis, Ianek filius Cherubin, Ramolt et Eustacius filii Seraphin, Ianus et Petrus filii Magnusonis, Magnus filius Walcunonis, Nicholaus filius Cristophori, Cristinus filius Ratslaui, Voyceh Viti filius, Ianek filius Lambini, Ianec magister monachorum curie de Scareseu, Gotfridus gener eius, Siuridus uillicus de Scaresow, Bogufalus filius Ratsulonis, Voyceh et Vitus filii Vignani, Bogdas filius Maluyonis, huius rei mediator.  Acta sunt hec Dominice incarnacionis [anno] millesimo ducentesimo vicesimo VIIIo, in die sanctorum Nerei et Achillei martyrum, in Scareseu, domina Grimislaua iam dicta colloquium faciente cum filio Romani et cum subscriptis suis palatinis necnon castellanis, quorum sigillis dependentibus presens scriptum firmiter est corroboratum.

[Na stronie odwrotnej tem samem lub nieco pózniejszem pismem:]

Notum sit omnibus, ad quos presens pagina peruenerit, quod uxor Michaelis cum uxore Martini, Iacobo cum Petro filiis Tedrici, confirmauerunt dimidiam hereditatem in Cirscouic coram uicinis circumiacentibus, coram Radulpho sacerdote de Scharesou et Thoma fratre de eadem Scharesov et Nedabilo fratre de Repin et Petro fratre de Crupsco et Iohanne filio Thestitis cum filio et Chudoslauo de Scharesov, Reczlauo et Dobesio cum genere, Marczin filius Reczlauus, Lenardo, Iohanne filiis Phillip, Stephano filio Romani et Rosnato cmetone [sic] de Oduchou, Reduano Snedarc et alter Reduvanus Snedarc, Crisan Picslauic de Crisanouic, Begos de Modreouic, Scinyr ibidem, Mirota de Cirscouic, Gozlauus Lisec et Uit, Henricus frater eorum, Crisa[n] cum filio, Bogdas camerarius ex parte ducisse iuridicus.  Cristinus filius Reczlavi ibidem vendidit iisdem fratribus Iacobo et Petro dimidiam partem de sua hereditate pro VII marci coram eadem uicinia.  Ibidem fuit Stephanus testis cum uxore fratris sui et cum filio fratris.

Historical context:

The text corroborates the sale by the widow Sulisława of half of a manor in Dzierzkówek to provide a dowry for her daughters.  Although Gremislava is not named as the author, the transaction takes place at her court in her presence and is confirmed by her seal.  Note that some of the brothers in this paragraph are religious, others blood relations.   The connection between the two texts, apart from some overlap of names, is not clear to me. The original holds the only extant seal of a princess born in Rus’ in Western Europe, digitized at: Zbiór Dokumentów Pergaminowych AGAD 1155 – 1300  in Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych / The Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw.  I am grateful to Natalia Zajac for alerting me to this text and the information about the seal.

Manuscript source:

AGAD, Zb. dok. perg. 6429. 

Printed source:

Kodeks dyplomatyczny Małopolski, vol. 2, 38-39,  # 395.  

Date: