A confirmation of tax relief

Translated letter:

Maria by the grace of God queen of Hungary to all the faithful of Christ who will look at the present letters greetings/salvation in the true savior.  Writings usually record the deeds of men, lest they be wiped from memory in the course of time.  Therefore we bring to the notice of all present and future to whom the contents of the presents come that when we entered into the kingdom of Slavonia to order and lead the whole state of the duchy of our dearest son duke Béla, our faithful citizens from the mountain of Grecz laid out several problems to us.  And we, wishing to relieve their problems mercifully, especially since that castle/castrum newly constructed and erected in the highest place of the duchy was known to be founded for the common use of the whole kingdom and the guarding of its boundary, induced by said rational reasons, so that the utility of said castrum might more fully and better increase, we forgave in perpetuity the debt of two hundred weights which the citizens of that castrum were held to pay annually to the ban* of the duchy, rendering them absolved from the debt of this payment of said money by the protection of my letters.  Moreover we made the populace of that castrum free and exempt from all jurisdiction of episcopal dignity, otherwise ….. the venerable father Philip bishop of Zagreb, renounced orally what he had by right and by deed, in the presence of master Thobias provost, master Peter archdeacon, master Buza cantor, Prothasius castle-keeper and Stephen deacon of said place all agreeing, that by the gift of my right and the goods of the land by custom, the authority in the aforesaid be attributed.  That therefore this donation made by us circumspectly might obtain perpetual strength of stability and those citizens might enjoy the grace of my generosity in the future, we have conferred the present letters fortified by the protection of our double seal.  Dated in the thousand two hundred sixty first year from the incarnation of the lord.

Original letter:

Maria dei gracia regina Hungarie omnibus Christi fidelibus presentes litteras inspecturis salutem in vero salutari.  Solent scriptis redigi facta hominum, ne processu temporis a memoria delabantur. Igitur ad universorum tam presencium quam posterorum noticiam significamus quibus expedit per presencium tenorem, quod cum in regnum Sclauonie ad ordinandum et informandum totum statum ducatus carissimi filii nostri ducis Bele intrassemus principaliter, fideles nostri cives de monte Grecz nobis sua plurima gravamina explicaverunt.  Nos autem eorum gravamina volentes misericorditer relevare, presertim cum idem castrum de novo sit constructum et erectum in principaliori loco ducatus et ad communem utilitatem tocius regni, necnon ad tutelam confinii esse fundatum dinoscatur, causis premissis racionabilibus inducte, ut eo amplius et melius utilitas castri prenominati in omnibus recipiat incrementum, debitum ducentarum pensarum, quas bano nomine ducatus cives eiusdem castri annuatim solvere tenebantur, in perpetuo duximus relaxandas, reddentes eosdem de debito (huiusmodi) solucionis pecunie memorate absolutos (nostrarum) patrocinio litterarum.  In super plebaniam eiusdem castri liberam constituimus et exemptam ab omni iurisdiccione episcopalis dignitatis, alioquin  . . . . . venerabilis pater Philippus episcopus Zagrabiensis, quam de iure vel de facto habebat, presentibus magistro Thobia preposito; magistro Petro archidiacono, magistro Buza cantore, Prothasio custode et Stephano decano loci prenominati consencientibus, renunciavit viva voce, quatenus de meis(!) iuris beneficio et bona terre consvetudine attribuitur facultas in premissis.  Ut igitur hec a nobis circumspecte facta donacio robur perpetuum firmitatis obtineat et i(i)dem cives mee munificencie gracia in posterum gratulentur, presentes litteras contulimus dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum anno ab incarnacione domini millesimo ducentessimo sexagesimo primo..

Historical context:

The queen describes the action she took to relieve the tax debt of people living under her son’s administration in Slavonia and Croatia when she visited him there.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at its cener.

Scholarly notes:

* A ban is the governor of a district in medieval Hungary.

Printed source:

Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, ed. T. Smiciklas (Zagreb, 1904-34),  5.202-03, #708.

Date: