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A letter of restitution

Sender

Thomasina Morosini

Receiver

Public

Translated letter:

We lady Thomasina mother of lord Andrew by the grace of God illustrious king of Hungary, duchess of all Slavonia and governor of the land beyond the Danube as far as the sea, we signify by this to all to whom it reaches, entrusting to memory, that when master Conrad, son of Stephen of Owar on the fifteenth day of the residence of our army, according to the contents of our memorial letters, against lord B, bishop of Belgrade (Alba Bulgarica), for which master Peter his brother in his place and name appeared in that period/place with our letters, about the  fact of the possession called Geresd, the documents and letters by which he held and possessed that land, that he had to show to us, in that coming term that same master Conrad personally appearing before us showed us his documents and letters; in which we saw contained that the count/ispán of Baranya in office at that time, together with the jobbágyok of that castrum had kept him out of said land Geresd and proceeded against him by judiciary order; that master Conrad asserted that the land Geresd was his heredity from his ancestors and it could be known by certain questioning of barons and other nobles that that land Geresd is and was said to be master Conrad’s, and since that count of Baranya and the jobbágyok* of said castrum could not proceed against him according to the path of justice, they left that land Geresd and its hereditary right to that master Conrad to be possessed peacefully.  Whence we left that land Geresd to that master Peter in the name and place of that bishop B, to whom lord Andrew king of Hungary had conferred it, having seen the declaring letters of the lord king our dearest son imprinted with his ring-seal, indeed we had restored them to be perpetually and irrevocably peacefully possessed, held, and had, with absolutely no opposition.  Dated in Pozsega on the octave of All Saints in the thousand two hundred ninetyfifth year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Nos domina Th. mater domini Andree Dei gracia Illustris Regis Hungarie, per eandem Ducissa tocius Sclauonie et Gubernatrix Citra-Danubialium Parcium usque mare, significamus vniuersis quibus expedit memorie commendantes; quod cum Magister Corradus filius Stephani de Owar in quindenis residencie exercitus nostri, secundum continenciam litterarum nostrarum memorialium, contra dominum B. Episcopum Albe Bulgarice, pro quo Magister Petrus frater eius vice et nomine eiusdem in ipso termino comparuit cum litteris nostris, super facto possessionis Gueresd vocate sua instrumenta et litteras, quibus mediantibus ipsam terram tenuit et possedit, exhybere debuisset coram nobis, ipso termino adueniente idem Magister Corraldus personaliter coram nobis comparendo instrumenta sua et litteras exhybuit coram nobis; in quibus uidimus contineri:  quod Comes de Barana pro tempore constitutus, simul cum iobagionibus Castri eiusdem predictam terram Gueresd impediuissent ab eodem, et ordine iudiciario contra predictum Magistrum Corraldum processissent; ipsam itaque terram Gueresd Magister Corradus suam esse hereditariam a suis progenitoribus est confessus; et eum iam per certam inquisicionem Baronum et aliorum nobilium sciri potuit, (quod) ipsa terra Guerest esset et fuisset Magistri Corraldi antedicti, et cum ijdem Comes de Barana et iobagiones Castri predicti secundum viam iusticie procedere non ualuissent contra ipsum, eandem terram Gueresth ut jus suum hereditarium reliquerunt eidem Magistro Corraldo pacifice possidendam.   Vnde nos ipsam terram Gueresth, ipso Magistro Petro nomine et vice ipsius B. Episcopi, cui dominus Andreas Rex Hungarie ipsam terram contulerat, visis eciam litteris domini Regis filij nostri karissimi protestacionalibus cum sigillo anuleo impressis, reliquimus, ymo restitui fecimus, perpetuo et inreuocabiliter pacifice possidendam, tenendam et habendam, nullo penitus contradictore existente.  Datum in Posega in octavia Omnium Sanctorum anno Domini MoCCo nonagesimo quinto.

Historical context:

Zsoldos (The Arpads, 174) suggests the mention of the army probably refers to a siege the duchess had waged against the rebellious ban Radoslav at the castle of Orbászkö, after which Conrad showed her documents making his claim to Geresd in Baranya county, which had been seized from him, which she returned to him. 

Scholarly notes:

jobbágyok are persons holding office (Zsoldos, 208).  A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at the center.

Printed source:

Árpádkori új okmánytár:  Codex diplomaticus Arpadianus continuatus, vols. I-XII, G. Wenzel ed. (Pest-Budapest: 1860-74), 10.166-7, #123.

Date:

1295