A confirmation of church rights

Translated letter:

B[sic], by the grace of god king of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, and Rama, L. by the same grace of Strigonens, Ch. archbishop of Kalocsa, and all their other suffragan bishops, and all royal provosts, as well as all ecclesiastical person established in said archbishoprics, present as well as future in perpetuity.  It is known to be just by reason and agreed in every way and proved by the witness of holy scripture, that what the height of royal highness deserve [pl] to receive from the eternal king, in those things which are known to pertain in some way to the advancement of the church of god and christianity, are held as much to attend with provident sollicitude and caution as for the honor conferred on them by divine disposition, they ought to show fuller devotion to their creator before others.  On account of which, induced by proper reason and most salutary exhortations of M. venerable deacon cardinal of the holy Roman church, moved more readily and attentively, wishing to imitate, however we can, the devotion of our father, king Geza of venerable memory, which he was zealous to show the holy Roman church and our most holy father lord Alexander the highest pontiff in all things.  We confirm the arrangement over the disposition and transfer of bishops, which he is known to have conceded for himself and his successors to the lord pope Alexander and his successors, namely that without the counsel of his authority or the disposition of his successors, would not cause a transfer of bishops or permit it to be done and we propose that it will last for us as for our successors inviolably in perpetuity.  Moreover giving up the custom of our ancestors in past times, we decree that for us and our successors that it will be valid with unmoveable firmness that when bishops die, we shall not place lay officials in episcopal things or permit it in any way, but we will set honest clerics who will receive sustenance not at will but of necessity moderately in the things of those churches; but they ought to observe faithfully all the rest in good faith and without any fraud for the rebuilding of those churches and episcopal or canon homes, and for the use of paupers, widows and orphans.  Indeed we, or our successors, will convert nothing ever from those things to our use; unless, perhaps, let it not be, enemies of the kingdom should enter the confines of that kingdom with a strong hand, or any other very urgent necessity should demand it, and even then we would not do it without the advice of the bishops.

 We add also and establish that it will be observed in perpetuity with undisturbed strength by us and our successors, that royal provosts or abbots are not deposed from their provostships or abbacies or offices in any way; renouncing in this area our ancient custom for us and our successors, unless perhaps it should happen in an unfortunate case that they are convicted by the canonic order of a certain crime, or confess their crime publicly.  For these, Ch. archbishop of Kalocsa, all the bishops, elect, and royal provosts and abbots, the magnificence (magnanimity) and freedom which for reverence of St. Peter and our most holy father pope Alexander, and also M. venerable cardinal deacon, legate of the apostolic see, we have granted, expecting that against the evil custom for all canons which they exercized in establishing and depriving other provosts of their offices and taking away ecclesiatical benefices up to now, they would leave completely in the hands of said cardinal;  whence with the consent and free will of all of them, we have decreed and establish to be inviolably valid by the present privilege, that none of the archbishops, bishops, or provosts, abbots, from now on has permission to remove provost from their provostships, nor to deprive other ecclesiastic persons of their offices or ecclesiastical benefices, unless perhaps they should be convicted canonically or have confessed.  These, by the advice of the glorious queen our mother and the archbishops, bishops and all the elect, royal provosts and abbots, counts, all nobles and other princes, are known to have been established and firmly strengthened.

Enacted in the year of the lord’s incarnation, 1169.

Original letter:

B[sic]., dei gratia rex Hungarie,  Dalmatie, Croatie Rameque, L.,  eadem gratia Strigoniensi, Ch.Colocensi archiepiscopis atque aliis omnibus eorum suffraganeis, prepositis quoque universis regalibus, nec non omnibus ecclesiasticis personis in predictis archiepiscopatibus constitutis, tam presentibus quam futuris imperpetuum.    Iustum et rationi consentaneum omnimodis dinoscitur ac sanctarum scripturarum testimoniis comprobatur, ut quod regie celsitudinis culmen ab eterno rege merentur accipere hiis, que ad ecclesie dei et profectum christianitatis noscuntur in aliquo pertinere, tanto teneantur provida sollicitudine et cautela intendere, quanto pro honore a divina dispositione sibi collato debent suo creatori uberiorem devotionem pre ceteris exhibere. Quapropter propria ratione inducti et saluberrimis exhortationibus M., venerabilis sancte Romane ecclesie diaconi cardinalis, propensius attentiusque commoti, devotionem quoque venerande memorie regis Geise, patris nostri, quam circasacrosanctam Romanam ecclesiam et sanctissimum patrem nostrum dominum Alexandrum summum pontificem studuit per omnia exhibere, modis quibus possumus imitari volentes. Institutionem super depositione et transmutatione episcoporum, que in se et in suis posteris domino pape Alexandro et suis successoribus noscitur concessisse, videlicet ut absque auctoritatis eius consilio vel successorum suorum depositionem seu translationem episcoporum non faceret vel fieri permitteret, confirmamus, et tam in nobis quam in posteris nostris perpetuo inviolabiliter duraturam censemus.  Preterea antecessorum nostrorum consuetudinem retro temporibus habitam relinquentes, in nobis et in nostris posteris immobili firmitate valituram sanctimus, quod decedentibus episcopis in rebus episcopalibus procuratores laicos de cetero non ponemus atque poni nullatenus permittemus, sed honestos clericos, qui non ad voluntatem, sed ad necessitatem victus de ipsarum ecclesiarum rebus moderate accipiant, ibidem instituemus; quod reliqua omnia bona fide et sine fraude aliqua ad rehedificationem ipsarum ecclesiarum et domorum episcopalium seu canonicorum, ad usus quoque pauperum, viduarum et orphanorum fideliter debent observare. Nos vero, vel posteri nostri, nichil unquam de eisdem rebus ulterius in usus proprios redigemus; nisi forte, quod absit, hostes regni manu valida fines illius regni intraverint, vel aliqua alia urgentissima necessitas postulaverit; et tunc quoque id sine episcoporum consilio non faciemus. Addimus etiam et robore inconcusso tam in nobis quam in posteris nostris perpetuo observandum statuimus, quod regales prepositi vel abbates de suis preposituris vel abbatiis seu dignitatibus non a modo deponentur; in hac parte consuetudini nostre antique per nos et posteros nostros renuntiantes, nisi forte infausto casu contingat eos super certo crimine canonico ordine convinci, vel crimen suum publice confiteri. Ad haec Ch. Colocensis archiepiscopus, omnes episcopi, electi, regales prepositi et abbates magnificentiam at libertatem, quam pro reverentia beati Petri et sanctissimi patris nostri pape Alexandri, nec non et M., venerabilis diaconi cardinalis, apostolice sedis legati, sibi concessimus, attendentes pravam suam consuetudinem et omnibus canonibus obviantem, que in instituendis et destituendis prepositis aliis dignitatibus, et ecclesiasticis beneficiis subtrahendis hactenus exercebant, in manus dicti cardinalis penitus reliquerunt; unde cum consensu et libera eorum omnium voluntate decrevimus et inviolabiliter presenti privilegio valituram perpetuo stabilimus, quod nulli archiepiscoporum, episcoporum vel prepositorum, abbatum, deinceps licentia pateat de preposituris suis prepositos removere, vel alias ecclesiasticas personas suis dignitatibus aut ecclesiasticis beneficiis privari, nisi forte fuerint convicti canonice vel confessi. Hec autem de consilio gloriose regine matris nostre et archiepiscoporum, episcoporum et omnium electorum, prepositorum regalium atque abbatum, comitum, omnium procerum et aliorum principum, stabilita ac firmiter corroborata noscuntur.
Actum anno dominice incarnationis M C LXIX.

Historical context:

A charter of confirmation by István III that he gives up the right to invest, depose, or transfer bishops or abbots without papal permission or to alienate church properties unless war or an emergency demands it, acting on the advice of his mother.  Zajac notes that this document follows the visit of a cardinal who negotiated for the implementation of these papal reforms (Women Between West and East, 276).  She also notes (273-74) that there is an undated letter of pope Alexander III surviving in a 13th century collection that allows the transfer of one bishop, Prodanus, to the church of Kulpa on the understanding that such transfers will be a rare occurrence in the future; the pope says he has received the request of this transfer from the "letters of our dearest dearest son in Christ, the illustrious king of the Hungarians and his Queen Mother.”  
The initial at the beginning is apparently an error, since Istvan was the king in 1169.  I am grateful to Natalia Zajac for alterting me to the existence of this charter.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Slovaciae (Bratislava:  Academia Scientiarum Slovacae, 1971) 86-88, #91. 

Date: