A letter of confirmation

Translated letter:

Maria, by the grace of God queen of Hungary, to all the faithful of Christ present as well as future who will look at the present page, greetings in the Lord.   We wish the contents of these to come to the notice of all; that count/ispán Nicholas, son of Jules of Siklos (Suclos), our faithful, coming into our presence, showed us the charter of Béla, duke of all Slavonia, our dearest son, about the donation made of the land Bezen, seeking most diligently from us that we deign to confirm said charter with our charter.  Of which charter, indeed, this is the substance: 

“Béla, by the grace of God duke of all Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Croatia, to all the faithful of Christ who will see the present writing, greetings in the Lord.  We wish to bring by the substance of the presents to the notice of all,  that count Nicholas, son of Jules of Suclos, our faithful, coming into our presence, asked humbly and devotedly to be given from the benevolence of our duchy a certain land of our duchy called Bezim (sic) in the county/ispánate of Borona, situated in a shared boundary of the monastery of the Holy Trinity, for the merits of his services; since that Nicholas offered pleasing services, noted and praiseworthy to the illustrious king of Hungary, our dearest father, and to us and the kingdom in every expedition in the person of the king lord Béla, fighting against the Tartars, the persecutors of our kingdom, as a vigorous man could and was not in any way afraid to submit himself to the chances of fortune, scorning the fear of death in our sight, earning our favor.  We therefore disposing by the ducal spirit with care, what we can confer of prize or honor, what of favor or reward to that deserving said Nicholas for his so excellent services though we ought to give greater and better for  such and so many services than what we at present confer which we find not [as much as] deserved; yet we handed over, conferred and gave to the aforementioned Nicholas said land mentioned above with all its uses and appurtenances, exempting, revoking from all the conditionals of our Duchy, with those boundaries and borders and that fufllness by which said conditionals are known to have possessed it;  wishing that said Nicholas and his heirs and successors of the heirs in the future may and ought to possess it quietly and peacefully in perpetuity and irrevocably.  We had the so often named Nicholas introduced to said land of Bezen by Nicholas “sinistrum,” our faithful servant.  In memory and perpetual stability of which thing we have granted the present letters, strenghthed by the protection of our double seal.  Dated by the hand of the venerable father Ladislaus, bishop of Tininien, our beloved and loyal chancellor of our court in the 1266th year of the Lord.  The first year of our Duchy.”

We therefore acquiescing to the pleas of that Nicholas have confirmed by the presents the charter of our dearest son, holding it right and stable.  In memory and perpetual stability of which thing we conferred the presents, strengthened by the protection of our double seal.  Dated by the hand of master Stephen, vice-chancellor of our court.  In the 1267th year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Maria, Dei gracia, regina Hungariae, omnibus Christi fidelibus tam praesentibus, quam futuris praesentem paginam inspecturis, salutem in Domino.  Ad vniuersorum noticiam harum series volumus peruenire; quod Nycolaus Comes, filius Iule de Suclos, noster fidelis, ad nostram accedens presenciam, exhibuit nobis priuilegium Bele, Ducis totius Sclauonie, nostri filii karissimi, super donacione confectum terre Bezen, petens a nobis attentissime, vt dictum priuilegium nostro dignaremur confirmare priuilegio.  Cuius quidem priuilegii tenor talis est:  Bela, Dei gracia, dux tocius Sclauoniae, Dalmacie, et Croacie, omnibus Christi fidelibus presens scriptum cernentibus, salutem in Domino.  Ad vniuersorum noticiam tenore presencium volumus peruenire, quod Nycolaus Comes, filius Iule de Suclos, noster fidelis, ad nostram accedens presentiam, quamdam terram nostri Ducatus, Bezim vocatam in Comitatu Borona existentem, in commetaneitate monasterii Sancte Trinitatis sitam, ob merita suorum seruiciorum humiliter et deuote, ex benignitate nostri ducatus, sibi dari postulauit; cum idem Nycolaus Domino Bele, illustri regi Vngarie, karissimo patri nostro, et nobis, et regno in omni expeditione grata seruicia, nota et laudabilia, in persona Regis, Domini Bele contra Tartaros persecutores nostri regni viriliter preliando, vt pote vir strenuus, exhibuerit, et nobis intuentibus se fortune casibus spreta mortis formidine, submittere nullatenus formidauit; nostram graciam promerendo. Nos igitur circumspectione ducali animo aduertentes, quid premii vel honoris, quid gracie, seu muneris eidem Nycolao prenotato pro tam eximiis eiusdem meritorium seruiciis conferre valeamus, licet maiora, et meliora pro tantis et talibus servicis impendere debuissemus, quam ea, que ad presens eidem conferimus, merito non inuenimus; dictam tamen terram superius prenotatam, cum omnibus vtilitatibus et pertinencys, suis ab omnibus condicionalibus Ducatus nostri, reuocando, eximentes, Nycolao praetaxato tradidimus, contulimus, et donauimus, hysdem metis et terminis illa et eadem plenitudine, qua dicti conditionales dignoscebantur possedisse; volentes enim quod Nycolaus prescriptus, et sui heredes, heredumque in posterum successores, valeant et debeant, quiete ac pacifice in perpetuum et irreuocabiliter possidere.  Nycolaum tamen sepius nominatum ad dictam terram Bezen per Nycolaum sinistrum, fidelem et familiarem nostrum, fecimus introduci.  In cuius rei memoriam, perpetuamque firmitatem presentes litteras concessimus, dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum per manus venerabilis Patris Ladizlai, Episcopi Thininiensis, aule nostre Cancellarii, dilecti et fidelis nostri anno Domini MCCLXVI.  Ducatus nostri anno primo.  Nos igitur supplicationibus eiusdem Nycolai condescendentes, idem priuilegium filii nostri karissimi ratum habentes et firmum, praesentibus duximus confirmandum.  In cuius rei memoriam, et perpetuam firmitatem presentes contulimus, dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum per manus magistri Stephani Vice-Cancellarii aule nostre.  Anno Domini MCCLXVII.

Historical context:

At the request of a loyal servant who fought for the royal family, the queen confirms the charter of her younger son Béla, granting him the land of Bezen.  She cites the charter in full in her confirmation.  Siklos is in the county of Baranya.  Condicionarii, condicionales are people who belong to the estate and are obliged to perform certain unspecified services, see Attila Zsoldos, The Árpáds and Their Wives, Queenship in Early Medieval Hungary 1000-1301 (Rome:  Viella, 2019), p.50.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus Hungariae ecclesiasticus ac civilis, ed. G. Fejér (Budae, Regiae Vniversitatis Hungariae, 1829—44), 4.3.399-401.   Also in Az Árpád-házi hercegek, hercegnök és a királnék okleveleinek kritikai jegyzéke, Regesta ducum, ducissarum stirpis Arpadiana necnon reginarum Hungariae critico-diplomatica, E. Szentpétery, A. Zsoldos, (Budapest, 2008) 59, #75.  The editors of this edition correct the date of the charter to 1269.

Date: