A grant of land

Translated letter:

Fennena 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.  It is appropriate to reginal/queenly clemency that the merits of individuals be measured by the eyes of consideration, to lift them with worthy gifts whom it is known to have  labored for public uses according to the grade of their rank.  Therefore we wish to bring to the notice of all by the contents of these presents, that a prudent man master Theodore provost of the church of Alba/Fejér, vice-chancellor of the court of our lord king our dearest consort, coming into our presence asked us humbly begging that we deign to give and confer on him and his brothers a certain reginal land of ours called Iváncsa in the county of Alba/Fejér, from queenly/reginal generosity.  Indeed since the truth about the quality and quantity of said land was not known to us, we gave orders by our letters to our faithful in the chapter of Buda that they send one of them as witness in the presence of whom master Ugrin our man, walking said land with the boundary-sharers and neighbors present would establish for that master Theodore provost of Alba/Fejér and his brothers in the appropriate territory if there were no opposition, having called [any] opponents against master Theodore and his brother to our presence.  What indeed that chapter wrote back to us in these words:

“To their most excellent lady, F[enenna] by the grace of God most illustrious queen of Hungary, the chapter of the church of Buda [sends] proper and devoted prayers in the lord.  We have received the letters of your serenity containing this:  `F[enenna] by the grace of God queen of Hungary to her faithful in the chapter of Buda, greetings and grace.  Since we have decided to confer our reginal land called Iváncsa with all its uses, namely meadows, woods, hayfields, islands, and all other appurtenances from the fullness of our grace on master Theodore, provost of the church of Alba/Fejér, vice-chancellor of the court of the illustrious king, our dearest consort, and his brothers, we send instructing your loyalty that you send a suitable man of yours under whose witness master Ugrin, our man, may walk said land, setting up new boundary-markers beside the old ones, and after this course of boundaries, you will write back to us faithfully the names of woods, islands, meadows, hayfields and all other utilities of said land.  Dated at Esztergom on the day after All Saints.’  “We therefore wishing to obey the commands of your serenity, as we are held to, we sent our comrade and fellow canon master Lukach with your said man, who finally coming back to us in agreement told us that they had walked the said land Iváncsa with its boundary-sharers and neighbors present, erecting new boundary-markers beside the old ones, [and] assigned it to the prudent man master Theodore provost of the church of Alba/Fejér, vice-chancellor of the court of the illustrious king our dearest consort, and his brothers, with noone opposing it.  Of which land they defined the boundaries thus:  that on the north there are two land boundaries/markers towards the land of Georgij and Inata; from there it goes eastward crossing the Danube to an island called Ivanchzytethe where there are two markers; from there it goes to Geresfuen; thence it goes to the King’s Danube; from there to Fasfuen; thence it  goes westward towards the land of Matthew, son of Parozth and crosses the Danube beneath a certain woodland (fuk) where there are two markers; thence it proceeds by markers to the land of Michael, Chibok; from there it procedes north towards a great road to said land of Georgij and Inata, where there are two markers and there the boundaries of said land end.  Dated on the eve of St. Katherine the Virgin.”

So we reviewing with the eyes of internal consideration the highest prerogative and privilege of the merits of the venerable man master Theodore, provost of Alba/Fejér, by which at the beginning of celebrating the wedding heavenly ordained by divine dispensation to us, when the marriage was prepared by the Lord according to the wisdom of Solomon, he was present and abounded in reverend services, traveling through the spaces of many lands within our dominions towards Poland not sparing his labors and his own expense, giving pleasing service always to us within the royal court and outside in ministerial functions for us, so that he ought to be recognized with the prized deserts of worthy remuneration by our highness, and with many recognitions of praises in the divinely formed expedition of the king against lord Albert illustrious duke of Austria where he brought a multitude of noble armed men, was approvingly commended, and in general all business of the kindom was disposed by his provident and prudent counsel.  In comfort and support of the venerable and excellent merits, which cannot easily be laid out in the presents, we gave, donated, and conferred said land Iváncsa with all its uses, woods, willow stands, meadows, hayfields, islands, fisheries and all other appurtenances to the venerable man master Theodore provost of Alba/Fejér and his brothers, count Ladislaus and Nicholas, to be possessed by perpetual right and irrevocably.  Therefore so that said bestowal or donation of said land cannot be overturned by any disproof, nor disturbed by any vicissitude  of times, we have granted the present letters strengthened by the protection of our double seal in eternal memory of the matter.  Dated by the hand of the venerable father B[enedict], by the grace of God bishop of Veszprém, our faithful chancellor of our court, in the 1290th year of the Lord, on the eighth kalends of December, fourth indiction.  

Original letter:

Fennena Dei gracia Regina Hungarie omnibus Christi fidelibus presentem paginam inspecturis salutem in omnium saluatore.  Decet mansuetudinem reginalem consideracionis oculis singulorum merita permetiri, eosque dignis attollere donatiuis, quos iuxta dignitatis sue gradum constat utilitatibus publicis insudasse.  Proin ad uniuersorum noticiam tenore presencium harum serie uolumus peruenire, quod discretus vir Magister Theodorus Albensis Ecclesie Prepositus, aule domini nostri Regis consortis nostri karissimi Vice-Cancellarius, ad nostram accedens presenciam a nobis humiliter suplicando postulauit, vt quandam terram nostram Reginalem Iwanch uocatam in Comitatu Albensi existentem, de munificencia Reginali eidem et fratribus suis dare et conferre dignaremur.  Verum quia nobis de qualitate et quantitate dicte terre ueritas non constabat, fidelibus nostris Capitulo Budensi nostris litteris dedimus in mandatis, ut unum ex ipsis pro testimonio mitterent fidedignum, coram quo Magister Vgrinus homo noster reambulando dictam terram presentibus commetaneis et uicinis statueret ipsi Magistro Theodoro Preposito Albensi et fratribus eiusdem, si non fieret contradictum, contradictoribus autem ad nostram presenciam euocatis contra ipsum Magistrum Theodorum et fratres eiusdem ad terminum competentem.  Quod quidem Capitulum demum nobis rescripserunt in hec verba:  Excellentissime domine sue F. Dei gracia Illustrissime Regine Vngarie Capitulum Budensis Ecclesie oraciones in Domino debitas et deuotas.  Recepimus litteras uestre Serenitatis hunc in modum continentes:  F. Dei gracia Regina Vngarie fidelibus suis Capitulo Budensi salutem et graciam.  Cum nos terram nostram reginalem Iwanch uocatam cum omnibus suis utilitatibus, pratis scilicet, siluis, fenetis, insulis, et omnibus alijs attinencijs suis de plenitudine nostre gracie Magistro Theodoro Albensis Ecclesie Preposito, aule Illustris Regis, karissimi consortis nostri Vicecancellario et fratribus suis duxerimus conferendam; fidelitati vestre precipiendo mandamus, quatenus mittatis hominem vestrum ydoneum, sub cuius testimonio Magister Vgrinus homo noster reambulet predictam terram, erigendo iuxta ueteres metas nouas constituat, et post hec cursum metarum, nomina siluarum, insularum, pratorum, fenetorum et omnium aliarum utilitatem predicte terre nobis fideliter rescribatis.  Datum Sytrigonij in crastino Omnium Sanctorum.
Nos igitur mandatis uestre Serenitatis obedire cupientes, ut tenemur, cum dicto homine uestro Magistrum Lukachium socium et concanonicum nostrum misimus pro testimonio; qui demum ad nos redeuntes nobis concorditer retulerunt, quod predictam terram Iuanch presentibus commetanneis suis et uicinis reambulassent, iuxta ueteres metas nouas erigendo, constituissent discreto viro Magistro Theodoro Preposito Ecclesie Albensis, aule Illustris Regis karissimi consortis nostri Uicecancellario et fratribus eiusdem, nemine contradictore existente.  Cuius quidem terre metas taliter distinxerunt; quod a parte septemtrionali circa terram Georgij et Inata sunt due mete terree; deinde uadit uersus partem orientalem transiendo Danubium ad insulam Iuanchzytethe uocatam, ubi sunt due mete; deinde progreditur ad Geresfuen; inde uero uadit ad Danubium Regis; deinde uadit ad Fasfuen; inde procedit circa terram Mathey filij Parozth ad occidentem, et transit Danubium subtus quoddam fuk, et sunt ibi due mete; deinde metatim procedendo uadit ad terram Chibok Michaelis; inde uero procedit uersus septemtrionem circa magnam uiam ad predictam terram Georgij et Inatha, et ibi sunt due mete, et ibi terminantur mete terre supradicte.  Datum in vigilia Sancte Katherine Virginis.

Nos itaque interne consideracionis oculis recensentes eiusdem venerabilis viri Magistri Theodori Prepositi Albensis  supremam prerogatiuam et preroganciam meritorum, quibus nobis circa inicia celebrandi matrimonij Diuina dispensacione celitus ordinati, cum iuxta Salomonis sapienciam coniugium a Domino preparetur, astitit et affuit suis obsequijs reuerendis, per multa terrarum spacia inter nostra incolatus dominia uersus Poloniam peragrando suis laboribus, et suorum ac inpendijs proprijs non parcendo, gratumque nobis semper erga aulam Regiam et extrinsecus in nostris ministerialibus et officijs inpenderit famulatum, ut digne remuneracionis brauio merito debeat a nostra Celsitudine insigniri, multisque laudum preconijs in expedicione Regis contra dominum Albertum Illustrem Ducem Austrie Diuinitus informata, ubi secum pertraxerat multitudinem nobilium armatorum, probabiliter commendetur, et generaliter omnia Regni negocia eius prouido et prudenti consilio disponantur.  In solacium et solamen uenerabilium et excellencium meritorum, que nequeunt commode presentibus explicari, dictam terram Iwanch, cum omnibus vtilitatibus suis, siluis, salicibus, pratis, fenetis, insulis, pisscinis et alijs attinencijs uniuersis dedimus, donauimus et contulimus ipsi venerabili viro Magistro Theodoro Preposito Albensi, et Comiti Ladislao et Nycolao fratribus suis, iure perpetue et irreuocabiliter possidendam.  Ut igitur prefata collacio seu donacio dicte terre nulla ualeat in posterum inprobitate conuelli, nullaque temporum uicissitudine perturbari, in eternam rei memoriam presentes concessimus litteras dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum per manus venerabilis patris B. Dei gracia Episcopi Vesprimiensis aule nostre Cancellarij fidelis nostri, anno Domini MoCCo nonagesimo, octauo kalendas Decembris, Indicione quarta.

Historical context:

The queen responds to the request of an official of her husband’s court who has performed many services for the royal couple and  now asks for a certain reginal land.  She initiates an investigation into the boundaries of the land and based on its findings grants it.  The document includes her letter to the chapter of Buda and their response.  

Printed source:

Codex diplomaticus Arpadianus continuatus.   Árpádkori új okmánytár.  V. I-XIII, ed. G. Wenzel (Pest-Budapest, 1860-74), 10.37-40, #29.

Date: