A grant of rights and obligations
Sender
Maria LaskarinaReceiver
PublicTranslated letter:
Maria, by the grace of God queen of Hungary to all the faithful of Christ present and past, who will look at the present page, greetings in the author of salvation. We wish to bring to the notice of all by the content of the presents, that we have ordered for our settlers gathered or who will gather at Veröce, the same condition of freedom which the settlers of Segesd obtained favorably from the grace of royal kindness, so only that they are held to pay each year as a tax forty marks in coins of the lord king with that service according to more and less as the situation of the time should offer, on the feast of St. Michael to our man appointed by us for this at the time. Moreover they should also give us yearly in the way of victuals six hundred breads, six pastured oxen, a hundred hens, sixty measures (cubulos) of wine, a hundred measures of grain, with four measures of palms (palmarum).
We indeed, designated land with certain boundaries on all sides, for said settlers so that as they settled and would settle they might be sustained more securely. The first boundary of which land begins on the south from the high road that goes from Vaska to Veröce, where there is a land boundary under an oak; thence it proceeds towards a stream which is called Malacka creek and crossing it goes to a certain thicket where there is a land boundary; here extending through land boundaries by a certain plain it goes to the road that leads to Veröce, and there beside that road is a land boundary and crossing directly it goes to a wood called Kabonak to a road which is next to the wood Rawn, and rcossing directly through that wood it goes to a certain tree which is called gyrtian in the vernacular, where there is a land boundary; and here to a certain road which goes towards Veröce, where there is a land boundary under a tree called ihor; and thence to a tree which is called has, thence to an apple tree on which is a boundary signed with a cross; and thence it goes to the stream which is called Scina creek, and here crossing next to a wood by land boundaries it goes to a road towards the west and there is a land boundary; thence it turns back towards the south and at the base of the mountain next to a road is the land boundary; here it ascends to that mountain and at the top of the mountain under a cherry tree is a boundary and it descends from the mountain towards the west and at the base of the mountain under a cherry tree is the land boundary; and from here it goes directly towards the Veröce river, to a certain mill, and at the higher part of that mill it goes to a pear tree, where there is a land boundary; and thence it rises to a mountain at whose summit is a land boundary; thence descending to a certain valley it ascends to a . . . . . where there is a boundary under a has tree; and from there it goes to the Pribuoy vineyard, then proceeds to twin trees, of which one is a has and the other a bik, where there is a land boundary; and from there it rises to a berch and through the berch by wooden boundaries it descends to a certain thicket, where there is a land boundary; and from here it turns back northwards to a road which goes from Veröce to the village of Dus and crossing that road it goes directly by pastures and plains with boundaries by signed trees to a cheret, where there is a boundary over the yegune tree, and from there it goes into Dumbro (Dobrovo?) through wooden boundaries to a certain road where there is a boundary under an oak, from here crossing that road it goes to another road which is called Kyriztvt, where there is a land boundary and a cross signed on a tree; and by that road it goes to Lipova and through the Lipova river it comes to a high road which leads to Varasd (Worost) and beside that road there is a land boundary under an oak; and by that Lipova it goes lower and falls into the river Burzoch; crossing this it goes to the Chodoycha whirlpool/dam (gurgitem) and by that Chodoycha it comes next to the Drava and proceeds lower and reaches the land of the church of Bobocha, where there is a boundary in a yegna tree signed with a cross; and from there separating from the Drava, it turns back eastward and by a certain path comes to the Donoch stream and proceeding from the Donoch falls into the river Pyechna, at the end of which river is a land boundary; and from there through a plain it comes to a road which leads to Belcsö and crossing a road directly goes to the Sylacoycha river where the boundary is under a pear tree; and through that river it goes lower and falls into the Veröce river and through it it goes lower and goes out of the water to a gyrtan tree under which is the boundary; from here it proceeds through a great wood by trees signed with the cross and come to a certain river named Kopynna and from that river turns back southward and goes lower to a certain road in the crossing of which on each side of the water are boundaries and it goes through a wood into a certain small place, turns back eastward where there is a land boundary; and from there it proceeds towards Ebres to the south, crosses by a road where there is a boundary under a thicket; and from here it goes next to the Ebres wood westward, where the boundary is in a has tree; and from there it descends southward to a certain road where there is a land boundary; from here through that road by land boundaries it proceeds westward and comes to a road which is called Kyristvt and from that road eastward into a certain small place, turns back southward where the boundary is under a pear tree; and from there it proceeds to Grabroch, with land boundaries and trees signed with a cross, and comes to a road which is next to Grabroch and crosses the Grabroch wood directly and beside that wood comes around to a high road which goes from Vaska to Veröce and by that high road turns back to the previous boundary and so ends.
So that the content of our arrangement may obtain the force of stability, we have granted the present letters fortified by the protection of our double seal. Dated on the Island of Rabbits* by the hand of our faithful chancellor master Ákos, treasurer of the church of Alba, in the thousand two hundred fortyeighth year of the lord.
Original letter:
Maria dei gracia regina Hungarie omnibus Christi fidelibus tam presentibus quam posteris presentem paginam inspecturis salutem in salutis auctore. Ad vniuersorum noticiam tenore presencium volumus peruenire, quod nos hospitibus nostris de Wereuche congregatis et congregandis eandem libertatis condicionem duximus ordinandam, quam hospites de Segust ex regie benignitatis gracia fauorabiliter optinuerunt, ita tamen, quod ipsi singulis annis racione census quadraginta marcas in monetis domini regis cum eadem celebritate secundum magis et minus, sicut se qualitas temporis optulerit, in festo sancti Michaelis homini nostro ad hoc a nobis pro tempore constituto soluere teneantur. Preterea racione victus annuatim nobis debent dare sexcentos panes, sex boues pascuales, centum gallinas, vinum sexaginta cubulos, centum cubulos annone cum cubulo quatuor palmarum. Nos siquidem prememoratis hospitibus, ut congregati oseruentur et congregandi securius ualeant sustentari, terram ipsorum certis metis circumquaque duximus distingendam. Cuius terre prima meta incipit a parte meridionali de magna uia que de Wascha ducit uersus Wereuche, ubi est terrea meta sub ilice; inde progreditur uersus torrentem, qui dicitur Malacka potoch et transiens tendit ad quoddam virgultum ubi est meta terrea; hinc protendendo per metas terreas per quandam planiciem uadit ad viam que ducit in Wereuchem et ibi iuxta ipsam viam est meta terrea et transiens directe tendit ad siluam nomine Kabonak ad uiam que est iuxta siluam Rawn, et transiens directe per eandem siluam uadit ad quandam arborem que uulgo gyrtian dicitur, ubi est terrea meta; et hinc ad quandam uiam que tendit uersus Weruche, ubi est meta terrea sub arbore que ihor dicitur; et inde ad arborem que has uocatur; hinc ad arborem pomiferam super qua est meta cruce signata; et inde tendit ad torrentem que Scina potok dicitur; et hinc transiens aniuxta siluam per metas terreas uadit ad unam uiam uersus occidentem et ibi est meta terrea; inde reflectitur uersus meridiem et in radice cuiusdam montis iuxta uiam est meta terrea; hinc ascendit ad eundem montem et in uertice eiusdem montis sub arbore cerasi est meta et descendit de monte uersus occidentem et in radice eiusdem montis sub arbore cerasi est meta terrea; et hinc tendit directe uersus fluuium Wereuche ad quoddam molendinum et in superiori parte ipsius molendini transit ad arborem piri, ubi est meta terrea; et inde ascendit ad montem in cuius supercilio est meta terrea; hinc descendendo ad quandam uallem ascendit ad unum . . . . . ubi sub arbore has est meta; et inde tendit ad vineam Pribuoy; hinc procedit ad arbores geminatas, quarum una est has et altera bik ubi est meta terrea; et inde ascendit ad unum berch et per eundem berch per metas ligneas descendit ad quoddam virgultum, ubi est meta terrea; et hinc reflectitur uersus septemtrionem ad uiam, per quam itur de Wereuche ad uillam Dus et transiens ipsam uiam directe uadit per saltus et planicies metis in arboribus signatis ad cheret, ubi super arbore yegune est meta; et inde tendit in Dumbro per ligneas metas peruenit ad quandam uiam, ubi sub ilice est meta; hinc transiens ipsam uiam tendit ad alliam(sic) uiam que Kyriztvt dicitur, ubi est meta terrea et crux in arbore signata; et per eandem uiam uadit ad Lypocha et per eundem fluuium Lypocha uenit ad magnam uiam que ducit in Worost et iuxta ipsam uiam sub ilice est meta terrea; et per eundem Lypocha uadit inferius et cadit in fluuium Burzoch; hinc transiens tendit ad gurgitem Chodoycha et per eundem Chodoycha uenit iuxta Drauam et procedit inferius et peruenit ad terram ecclesie de Bobocha, ubi est meta in arbore yegna cruce assignata; et inde separando de Draua reflectitur uersus orientem et per quandam semitam uenit ad torrentem Donoch et procedendo ab eadem Donoch cadit in fluuium Pyechna in cuius fine fluuii est meta terrea; et inde per planicies eundo peruenit ad uiam que ducit in Belchev et transiens uiam directe tendit ad fluuium Sylacoycha, ubi sub arbore piri est meta; et per eundem fluuium uadit inferius et cadit in fluuium Werteuche et per ipsum Wereuche tendit inferius et exit de aqua ad arborem gyrtyan sub qua est meta; hinc procedit per magnam siluam per arbores cruce signatas et uenit ad flumen quoddam Kopynna nomine et ab eodem flumine reflectitur uersus meridiem et tendit inferius ad quandam uiam in cuius transitu ex utraque parte aque sunt mete et uadit per siluam in quodam paruo loco reflectitur ad orientem, ubi est meta terrea; et inde procedit uersus Ebres ad meridiem, transit per uiam, ubi est meta sub uirgulto; et hinc tendit iuxta siluam Ebres uersus occidentem, ubi in arbore has est meta; et inde declinat uersuys meridiem ad quandam uiam ubi est meta terrea; hinc per eandem uiam per metas terreas procedit uersus occidentem et uenit ad uiam que Kyristvt dicitur et ab eadem uia uersus orientem in quodam paruo loco reflectitur ad meridiem ubi sub arbore piri est meta; et inde procedit uersus Grabroch, metis terreis et arboribus cruce signatis peruenit ad uiam que est iuxta Grabroch et siluam Grabroch transit directe et iuxta siluam circuendo peruenit ad magnam uiam que de Waska ducit in Wereuchem et per eandem magnam uiam reflectitur ad priorem metam et sic terminatur. Ut igitur huius nostre ordinacionis series robur optineat firmitatis, presentes litteras dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine concessimus roboratas. Datum in Insula Leporum per manus fidelis nostri cancellarii magistri Acus thesaurarii Albensis ecclesie, anno domini millesimo ducenteimo quadragesimo octauo.
Historical context:
The queen grants her settlers of Veröce the same freedom that the settlers at Segesd enjoyed and sets their tax in amounts of money and food. She also establishes the boundaries of their land in great detail.
Scholarly notes:
* The Island of Rabbits is now Margaret Island in Budapest.
Printed source:
Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, ed. T. Smiciklas (Zagreb, 1904-34), 4.374-76, #332.