A donation as reward of service

Translated letter:

Maria by the grace of God queen of Hungary to all the faithful of Christ who will look at the present writing greetings in the saviour of all.  The prudent consideration and considered weighing by kings and princes ought to respond with very sollicitous spirit to distribute to each one according to the merits of loyal servants, the more willingly to cause them to show the desired and more prompt services.  Therefore we wish to bring to the notice of all by the contents of these that we, giving attention to the merits of loyalty and the multitude of services of count/ispán Bartholomew of Vecse our faithful knight, which he supplied to our lord Béla, illustrious king, to us, and to the kingdom in various expeditions and other most arduous matters and especially considering how once fighting laudably under the castle/castrum of Krislak he was seriously shot by arrow in the eye, as well as how many and what wounds he received afterwards in Styria at the castrum called Marpurg, and was captured there and suffered the miseries of long captivity and the great quantity of money he spent to free his person, rehearsing moreover how at last when he was returning in the legation of the lord king from the king of Bohemia, he was captured by the son of that king of Bohemia and, long held in torment, barely avoided the danger of death when the one who was assigned to guard him was killed; and wishing to meet with suitable rewards as is fitting that count Bartholomew for so many and such services of loyalty, which it would be too long to tell one by one for their multiplicity, we conferred, gave, and donated certain lands of ours, situated in Árkibánya, namely Keszi, Szelöce and Szerböc in the county/ispán of Nyitra, also our land called Gány in the county/ispán of Pozsony with all their uses under the boundaries and limits by which our people are known to have possessed and held them, to said count Bartholomew and his heirs and successors of those heirs to be possessed by perpetual right from the fullness of our grace.  So that the content of this our donation may have the force of perpetual stability and may not in the course of time be withdrawn by anyone, we have given the presents to  that count Bartholomew strengthened by the protection of our double seal.  Dated by the hand of master Lawrence, provost of St. Ireneus, vice-chancellor of our court in the 1268th year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Maria Dei gratia regina Hungarie omnibus Christi fidelibus presens scriptum inspecturis salutem in omnium salvatore. Provida regum et principum circumspectio et libratio circumspecta eo sollicitiori animo debet suorum fidelium metiri famulatum et singulis iuxta merita respondere, quo libentius desideratos ad exhibenda sibi servicia efficere promptiores. Proinde ad universorum notitiam harum serie volumus pervenire, quod nos attendentes merita fidelitatis et multiplicium servitiorum comitis Bartolomei de Weccha fidelis militis nostri, que idem domino nostro Bele illustri regi, nobis et regno in diversis expeditionibus et aliis arduissimis negotiis impendit et specialiter considerantes, qualiter idem olim sub castro Krislak laudabiliter dimicans fuit in oculo graviter sagittatus, nec non etiam quot et quales postmodum in Stiria in castro Marpurg vocato plagas accepit et ibidem captivatus et diutius captivitatis perpessus miserias, quam magnam pro sue liberatione persone expendit pecunie quantitatem; recensentes preterea, qualiter demum, cum in legatione domini regis quondam a rege Boemie rediret, per filium eiusdem regis Boemie captus et diutius in tormentis detentus interfecto eo, cui ad custodiendum fuerat deputatus mortis periculum vix evasit; volentesque eidem comiti Bartolomeo pro tot et tantis sue fidelitatis servitiis, que omnia propter sui multiplicitatem longum esset per singula enarrare, condigne remunerationis premiis occurrere, sicut decet, quasdam terras nostras ad Arky bana spectantes Kezu videlicet, Scelechen et Surbych vocatas in comitatu Nitriensi existentes, item terram nostram Gaan nuncupatam in comitatu Posoniensi sitam cum omnibus earundem utilitatibus sub eisdem metis et terminis, quibus populi nostri possedisse et tenuisse dinoscuntur, contulimus, dedimus et donavimus dicto comiti Bartolomeo et suis heredibus heredumque suorum successoribus de gratie nostre plenitudine iure perpetuo possidendas. Ut igitur huius nostre donationis series robur perpetue firmitatis obtineat, nec processu temporis valeat per quempiam retractari, presentes eidem comiti Bartolomeo dedimus litteras duplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas. Datum per manus magistri Laurentii prepositi Sancti Irinei, aule nostre vicecancellarii anno Domini Mo CCo sexagesimo octavo. 

Historical context:

Bartholomew was the son of a landowner of Vecse.  Maria not only bestowed the lands mentioned in the charter on him for his services but also had him paid fifty marks from a transaction with the archbisop of Esztergom, Zsoldos, The Árpáds,  124.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at its cener.

Printed source:

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) 58, #71.

Date: