A letter of confirmation

Translated letter:

We, E[lizabeth], by the grace of God queen of Hungary, commending to memory we signify to all to whom the content of the presents reaches, that to the prudent man, master Andronicus provost of the church of Veszprém, on the one hand, and on the other James, son of Chede, Marco Nicholas, and Dominic, his brothers, also Bothisius son of Salumbuth, Paul, and Demetrius brother of said Bothisius similarly from the town of Berény (Nogberen), gathered before us in person, unanimously told us that though we had conferred the land and our town called Berény on the church of Veszprém, indeed on the provost of that church, by our mediating charters, yet since said James and Bothisius and their brother jobbágyok* who were in our military, in the course of time between them and master A. provost by inheritance of their land or purchase matter of scandal/offence might perhaps be caused, that same James and Bothisius and their brothers noted above, in the status of jobbágyok  in which they were held by us, annexed themselves to our church of Veszprém of their own will, together with all their lands and their possessions, hereditary as well as purchased, by whatever name they are assessed, by our will and consent and special permission; wishing that the oftmentioned James, Bothisius and their brothers and all their heirs, obtain all those with the remaining liberty by which true, first, naturally noble jobbágyok of the said church are thanked, giving our reginal consent in this by the authority of the presents.  Dated in Villa Alta on the day after the feast of St. Gall the Confessor, in the thousand two hundred eightyninth year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Nos E. Dei gracia Regina Hungarie memorie commendantes significamus universis quibus expedit presencium per tenorem, quod discreto viro magistro Andronico Wesprimiensis Ecclesie Preposite ab una parte, et Jacobo filio Chede, Marco Nicolao, et Dominico fratribus ejusdem, item Bothisio filio Salumbuth, Paulo, et Demetrio fratribus predicti Bothisij similiter de villa Nogberen ex altera, coram nobis personaliter constitutis, (iidem) concorditer retulerunt, quod licet terram, seu villam nostram Nogberen vocatam Ecclesie Wesprimiensi, imo Preposito ipsius Ecclesie, literis nostris priuilegialibus mediantibus perpetuo possidendam contulissemus, quia tamen predicti Jacobus et Bothisius, ac eorundem fratres jobagiones nostri exercituales erant, et inter ipsos, ac magistrum A. Prepositum tractu temporis occassione terre eorum hereditarie, aut empticie, materia scandali potuisset forsitan generari, idem Jacobus et Bothisius, ac eorum fratres superius notati, in eadem condicione jobbagionatus, in qua nobis tenebantur, annexerunt se Ecclesie nostre Wesprimiensi sponte seu ultronea voluntate sua, simul cum omnibus terris, seu possessionibus eorum, tam hereditarijs qum empticijs, quocunque nomine censeantur, de nostro beneplacito et consensu ac permissione speciali; volentes, quod sepedicti Jacobus, Bothisius, et eorum fratres, heredesque ipsorum universi, illa per omnia pociantur de cetero libertate, qua veri, primi, et naturaliter nobiles jobbagiones Ecclesie supradicte congratulantur, nostrum in hac parte authoritate presencium consensum dantes Reginalem.  Datum in Villa Alta in crastino festiuitatis Sancti Galli Confessoris, anno Domini MoCCo octuagesimo nono.

Historical context:

The queen had said in a charter of 1281 that she could not lawfully give the land of the jobbágyok to anyone, but the right by which reginal jobbágyok held their lands was shaky, since the king could grant them away, so the people named in this charter joined rather than contested the chapter of Veszprém, together with their lands (Zsoldy, The Árpáds, 78-79).

Scholarly notes:

* Jobbágyok designated the legally free tenant population living on private estates, by the late 13th century; originally they had been high ranking royal officers, according to Attila Zsoldos, The Árpáds and Their Wives, Queenship in Early Medieval Hungary 1000-1301 (Rome:  Viella, 2019), 208.

Printed source:

Árpádkori új okmánytár:  Codex diplomaticus Arpadianus continuatus, vols. I-XII, G. Wenzel ed. (Pest-Budapest: 1860-74), 4.343, #219.

Date: