A donation as reward of service

Translated letter:

Elizabeth by the grace of God queen of Hungary.  To all the faithful of Christ who will look at the present page, greetings in the savior of all.  Those things are most pleasing in our offices, those most powerful to human contemplation/gaze, so that the services of clear-sighted loyalty be compensated by the antidote of grateful generosity.  For while we look to the future in the merits of the faithful; while we provide their souls  what is necessary to the mass of more intense loyalty and incline others by example more ardently and devotedly; to this indeed the Lord disposed us to preside , elevated [us] divinely to the honor of worldly endeavor, so that we disperse a gift descending universally from the highest head to persons of the faithful.  According to the requirement of merits by which and how many the venerable father Lord Thomas, bishop of Vác, chancellor of our court, deserved to be commended by various recognition of services, they cannot be easily laid out individually.  He at the time of the most serene Lord king Béla of illustrious memory, as public report shows, [was] ecclesiastical official (Apocrisarii) in the royal court and he deserved to exercize the special office of notary, with the seal and ministerial stamp;  for the public utility of the king and affairs of the kingdom, as that quality and quantity and variety of affairs and cases requires, faithfully laboring. Again also at the time of the illustrious lord king Stephen of bright memory, he carried the insignia of different missions, to dispose things prudently for the benefit of the kingdom; together with his uterine brothers joining him in such ministry at the command of the king.  After, the renowned king, lord Ladislaus, our dearest consort, with divine mercy favoring, ascended the royal throne and citadel of royal height, he set up to now in a minor office, inhering always to more urgent services in the royal court, he deserved to be assigned to the office of vice-chancellor before other clerics of the royal Highness.  So he might surpass others in merit whom longer toil and better payment made precede, so by increases of virtues he finally deserved to ascend to the pastoral height.  Though he was inscribed in divine service, in the pastoral office:  yet by the example of Moses who once ascended the mountain to discern the glory of the Lord with greater freedom; then indeed descended to the camps to support the needs of the people, giving himself equally to the  contemplative and the active life, he strove to labor in divine ministries and to minister with equal discipline to royal orders and wills.  At length by the demand of [his] merits, raised by the concurrence and urging of Royal Majesty to the office of our chancellor, he showed himself so generous and kind to all that there was noone of the courts, among the outstanding or minor, who did not receive what he had requested as necessary.  And though that venerable Father and his brothers, namely count Christopher, John castellan of Visegrád, and Stephen our youths (“lads”) had quite rich hereditary possessions in the districts of Slavonia, they were devasted by the effect of the turbulent time; since they did not have some possessions in districts of Hungary, that venerable Father with his brothers asked us with suitable reverence that we benignly offer them the lands of two villages called Véte in the county of Somogy where reginal tavarnoks were dwelling, in title of hereditary possession.  And since the truth about the quality and quantity of those lands was not fully known to us, so that nothing hidden would come out that would seem against reason or contrary to truth, we gave our letters with orders to our faithful, the chapter of Fejér (Alba),  to learn about the quality and quantity and all the conditions of said lands; who afterwards wrote back to us by letters in these words: 

“To their most excellent lady and by the grace of God illustrious queen of Hungary, the chapter of the church of Fejér [sends] proper and devoted prayers.  We received the letters of your Serenity with suitable honor, containing this substance:  We Elizabeth by the grace of God queen of Hungary to her faithful in the chapter of Fejér greetings and grace.  The Venerable Father Thomas, bishop of Vác, our faithful chancellor of our court, coming into our presence asked for himself and his brothers namely count Christopher, John, and Stephen that we give and confer certain of our reginal lands or villages called Véte in the county of Somogy, on which conditionary reginal tavarnoks are said to reside.  Truly since the truth about the quality and quantity of those lands was not fully know to us, we order your loyalty instructing that you send one of yours worthy of faith by whose testimony master Lawrence, son of Csépán, chancellor of our stewards, our man, can walk the said lands called Véte, under the old boundaries, and all the present boundary-sharers and neighbors, and  establish them for that bishop of Vác and his said brothers, if not contradicted; having called those contradicting, if there were any, to our presence and after this write back faithfully to us the quality and quantity of those lands and the content of the whole matter.  Dated on the octave of the Nativity of the Glorious Virgin. 

Wishing therefore to acquiesce by the counsel of our barons to the just and respectable prayers of the venerable father and his brothers in giving those lands with the effect that the cultivator of such labors and the gratitude of rewards should have the fellowship of heredity in them and for them, and in the custom of nobles we have given, donated and conferred on said bishop of Vác and his neighbor brothers namely count Christopher, John and Stephen and their heirs and successors of those heirs the claim of the seat, said villages or lands called Véte with previous boundaries and ancient borders with all their uses and appurtenances, namely vineyards, woods, hay meadows, arable lands, and all other things pertaining, to be possessed peacefully and perpetually, exempt from the use and power of those reginal Tavarnoks or any others purely and simply; no less to those tavarnoks who came to us after the assigned circuit of said lands and asked for them we impose a perpetual silence lest they have material to prove further on the matter of those lands, granting them that they have the free ability to remain or [to go to] other of our reginal lands or wherever they wished.  That this donation of ours maintain the strength of perpetual stability, and cannot be withdrawn at any time ever, we have granted the present letters fortified by the protection of our double seal.  Dated in the thousand two hundred eighty fourth year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Elisabeth, Dei gratia, regina Hungariae.  Omnibus Christi fidelibus, praesentem paginam intuentibus, salutem in omnium Saluatore.  Ea sunt in nostris officiis gratiora, ea humanis obtutibus potiora, vt perspicuae fidelitatis obsequia antidoto gratiae munificentius compensentur.  Dum enim fidelium meritis prospicimus profutura; dum necessaria prouidemus ad intensioris fidelitatis cumulum eorum animos, et exemplariter ceteros ardentius et deuotius inclinamus; ad hoc quippe Dominus nos praeesse disposuit, ad honorem secularis fastigii diuinitus sublimauit, vt donum vniuersaliter a capite summo descendens, in personas fidelium deriuemus.  Secundum exigentiam meritorum qualibus et quantis Venerabilis Pater Dominus Thomas, Episcopus Vaciensis, aulae nostrae Cancellarius, diuersis famulatuum praeconiis meruerit commendari, per singula nequeunt commode explicari.  Ipse enim tempore serenissimi Domini Bele regis, inclitae recordationis, sicut relatio publica manifestat, in aula regia Apocrisarii, et specialis notarii meruit officium exercere, sigillo et ministerio annulari; regis et regni negociis pro vtilitate publica, sicut negotiorum et causarum qualitas et quantitas, ac varietas exigebat, fideliter insudando.  Idem etiam tempore illustris Domini regis Stephani clarae memoriae diuersarum legationum gessit insignia, pro regni commodo cuncta prouide disponendo; vna cum suis fratribus vterinis in tanto ministerio de mandato regis comitantes eundem.  Postquam vero Diuina fauente Clementia inclitus Rex, Dominus Ladislaus, consors noster charissimus, regalis fastigii thronum conscendit et arcem, idem in minori adhuc officio constitutus, in aula regia obnixioribus semper famulatibus inhaerendo, Vice-Cancellariae officio ante alios regalis Excellentiae Clericos, viros prouidos et potentes, meruit insigniri.  Vt merito is ceteros antecedat, quem labor prolixior, et stipendia meliora fecerunt anteire; tantisque seruiciis et obsequiis adoleuit, vt per incrementa virtutum consequenter meruit conscendere ad apicem Pastoralem.  Licet autem diuino esset inscriptus obsequio, in officio Pastorali:  Moysi tamen exemplo, qui interdum ascendebat ad montem, vt gloriam Domini cum maiori cerneret libertate; interdum vero descendebat ad castra, vt populi necessitatibus subueniret, tanquam contemplatiuae vitae innitens pariter et actiuae, studuit et diuinis ministeriis insudare, et regiis iussionibus ac beneplacitis, aequo ordine ministrare.  Demum vero per exigentiam meritorum, per conniuentiam et instantiam Regiae Maiestatis in nostrae Cancellariae officium sublimatus, sic se exhibuit omnibus munificum et benignum, vt nullus pene foret curialium inter praecipuos vel minores, qui non receperit necessario postulata.  Et licet idem Pater vener. et fratres sui Christophorus scilicet Comes, Iohannes Castellanus de Wysegrad, ac Stephanus iuuenes nostri satis opulentas in partibus Sclauoniae possessiones habuerint hereditarias, pro impacati temporis qualitate deuastatas; quia tamen in partibus Hungariae possessiones aliquas non habebant, a nobis cum debita reuerentia ipse Pater Venerabilis cum suis fratribus postulauit, vt terras duarum villarum Veyteh vocatarum, in Comitatu Symigiensi existentium, vbi reginales tauarnici morabantur, ipsis offerre tanquam in titulum possessionis hereditariae benignitate ----- Et quia de qualitate et quantitate earumdem terrarum nobis ad plenum veritas non constabat, ne quid latenter subreperet, quod rationi dissonum, aut contrarium veritati videretur, fidelibus nostris, Capitulo Albensi, ad sciendum ----- de qualitate et quantitate ac circumstantiis omnibus terrarum praedictarum nostris dedimus litteris in mandatis; qui post modum nobis in suis rescripserunt litteris in haec Verba:  Excellentissimae Dominae suae et Dei gratia Reginae Hungariae illustri, Capitulum Albensis Ecclesiae orationes in Domino debitas et deuotas.  Litteras Serenitatis Vestrae debito cum honore recepimus, hunc tenorem continentes:  Nos E. Dei gratia, regina Hungariae fidelibus suis Capitulo Albensi salutem et gratiam.  Venerabilis Pater Thomas Episcopus Vaciensis, aulae nostrae Cancellarius, fidelis noster, ad nostram accedens praesentiam, sibi et fratribus suis Christophoro scilicet Comiti, Iohanni et Stephano petiuit a nobis dari et conferri quasdam terras seu villas nostras reginales Weyteh vocatas in Comitatu Simighiensi existentes, super quibus conditionales tauarnici reginales dicuntur residere.  Verum cum nobis de qualitate et quantitate terrarum earumdem ad plenum veritas non constet, mandamus fidelitati Vestrae praecipiendo, quatenus mittatis vnum ex vobis fide dignum, sub cuius testimonio Magister Laurentius, filius Chefani Cancellarii Dapiferorum nostrorum, homo noster reambulet praenotatas terras Weyteh nuncupatas, sub metis veteribus antiquis, praesentibus commetaneis omnibus et vicinis, ac satuat [statuat?] easdem ipsi Episcopo Vaciensi, et fratribus suis memoratis, si non fuerit contradictum; contradictoribus, si qui fuerint, ad nostram praesentiam euocatis, et post haec qualitatem et quantitatem terrarum earumdem, ac totius facti seriem nobis fideliter perscribatis.  Datum octauis Natiuitatis Virginis Gloriosae.  ---  Volentes igitur de omnium Baronum nostrorum Consilio eiusdem Patris Venerabilis et fratrum suorum iustis et reuerendis precibus in donatione ipsarum terrarum condescendere cum effectu, vt tantorum incola laborum, et emeritus premiorum in suis et pro suis habeat hereditatis consortium, ac more Nobilium titulum sessionis praedictas villas, seu terras Weyteh vocatas, dicto Episcopo Vaciensi, et suis fratribus vicinis Christophoro videlicet comiti, Ioanni et Stephano, ac ipsorum heredibus, heredumque suorum successoribus sub metis prioribus et terminis antiquis cum omnibus vtilitatibus suis, et pertinentiis vniuersis; videlicet vineis, siluis, pratis fenilibus, terris arabilibus, ac aliis omnibus attinentiis suis dedimus, donauimus et contulimus perpetuo pacifice possidendas, ab ipsorum Tabarnicorum reginalium vsu et potestate, vel quorumlibet aliorum pure et simplicite eximendo; eisdem nihilominus tabarnicis, post reambulationem assignationem dictarum terrarum ad nos venientibus, et easdem a nobis repetentibus, ne super facto ipsarum terrarum materiam habeant vlterius procedendi, praesentialiter silentium duximus perpetuum imponendum, concedentes eisdem, quod siue in aliis terris nostris reginalibus, siue alias vbicunque voluerint, manendi liberam habeant facultatem.  Vt igitur haec nostra donatio robur perpetuae firmitatis obtineat, non vllo vnquam tempore valeat retractari, praesentes concessimus litteras dupplici sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum anno Domini millesimo ducentesimo, octuagesimo quarto. 

Historical context:

The queen, lavishly praising the work of Thomas, bishop of Vác, for the royal family and as her chancellor, accedes to his request for lands for himself and his brothers who also serve the queen, since  their hereditary lands have been devasted.  She commissions the chapter at Fejér to investigate the boundaries of the lands and any claims on them and based on their report, grants the requested land, two villages in Somogy.  The text in RD, 134-36, includes two brief passages that name the town Pér (Peerl), a town in the vicinity of Szalacs (Zoloch):  ut quandam terram seu villam nostram reginalem Peerl vocatam ipsis conferre tanquam in titulum possessionis hereditarie benignitatis gratia dignaremur ... prenotatam villam nostram Peerl, ville nostre Zoloch contiguam et vicinam.  Tavarnoks were financial officers.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus Hungariae ecclesiasticus ac civilis, ed. G. Fejér (Budae, Regiae Vniversitatis Vngariae, 1829—44),  5.3.210-14.  Also in Az Árpád-házi hercegek, hercegnök és a királnék okleveleinek kritikai jegyzéke, Regesta ducum, ducissarum stirpis Arpadianae necnon reginarum Hungariae critico-diplomatica, E. Szentpétery, A. Zsoldos (Budapest, 2008), 132-34, #211, with differences in puntuation and sentence separations; and 134-36, #212, with some variations.

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