A reward for service

Translated letter:

Thomasina by the grace of God mother of the illustrious king of Hungary, duchess of all Slavonia and governor of parts beyond the Danube as far as the sea . . . . . that we considering the loyalties and multiple services of Turdizlaus and Blasius, sons of Grubuch of Vrbaz in our various expeditions, especially in the siege of the castrum called Orbászko of ban Radoslav, our disloyal/traitor, where not fearing the hurling of stones nor the very frequent, fightening clouds of darts, they sustained lethal wounds fighting manfully under that castle.  Therefore as reginal dignity demands and the office requires, and the merits of each are measured in the spirit of piety, wishing to meet said Turdizlaus and Blasius with reginal favor for the special services and loyalties of this kind, [we grant] half the tribute of a certain port over Zava called Alsogradisca which crosses Vrbaz at the land called Schlplatu of which Nicholas son of Dezlo is said to hold and receive half; though truly what we do at this point in respect of what we intend to do in the future may seem poor and small, yet in grateful benevolence of some recompense with the counsel of our barons, we have conferred on Trudizlaus and Blasius and their heirs and successors of those heirs irrevocably by title of [this] donation half the tribute of said port with all its uses and appurtenances, as was established and remained for the time being with the count of Vrbaz.  Dated by the hand of the venerable father lord Paul, by the grace of God bishop of Quinqueecclesiens, our faithful chancellor of our court, in the thousand twohundred ninetyfifth year of the lord.

Original letter:

Thomasina dei gracia mater illustris regis Hungarie, ducissa tocius Sclavonie et gubernatrix parcium citradanubialium usque maritima . . . . . quod nos considerantes fidelitates et multiplices famulatus Turdizlai et Blasii filiorum Grubuch de Vrbaz, quos in diversis expedicionibus nostris, specialiter in expugnacione castri Radizlai bani, infidelis nostri, Vrbazcu vocati, ubi iidem non formidantes ictus lapidum frequentissimos nec iaculorum nimbos expavescentes, vulnera sustinuerunt letalia sub eodem castro viriliter dimicando.  Igitur sicut reginalis magnitudinis expostulat et requirit officium, ut uniuscuiusque merita animo meciatur pietatis, et hiis, quos opera sue virtutis regia remuneracione dignos efficiunt, grata debeant reddere premia meritorum; volentesque Turdizlao et Blasio predictis pro huiusmodi fidelitatibus et serviciis specialibus occurrere reginali cum favore, medietatem tributi cuiusdam portus super Zavam existentis Alsogradisca nuncupati, qui versus Vrbaz transit ad ipsorum terram Schlplatu vocatam, cuius medietatem Nicolaus filius Dezlo tenere et percipere dicitur, quamvis vero id quod ad presens agimus, respectu horum que in futurum agere intendimus, exile et modicum videatur, tamen in aliqualis gratum recompensacionis beneficium de baronum nostrorum consilio medietatem tributi dicti portus cum omnibus suis utilitatibus et pertinenciis, sicut apud comitem permansit de Wrbaz pro tempore constitutum, dictis Trudizlao et Blasio et eorum heredibus, heredumque suorum successoribus inrevocabiliter donacionis titulo duximus conferendum.  Datum per manus venerabilis patris domini P[auli] dei gracia episcopi Quinqueecclesiensis aule nostre cancellarii fidelis nostri, anno domini MoCCo nonagesimo quinto.

Historical context:

The duchess apparently launched a campaign against the rebellious ban Radoslav (not the man who had rescued her earlier), besieging his castle, in which the two men she rewards in this charter were wounded.  Zsoldos (The Arpáds, 174) suggests that her son Andrew III may have tried to confer the government of the southwest on his mother the previous year, provoking the revolt against her.

Printed source:

Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, ed. T. Smiciklas (Zagreb, 1904-34), 7.214-15, #195.

Date: