A restoration of lands
Sender
Elizabeth of the CumansReceiver
PublicTranslated letter:
Elizabeth by the grace of God queen of Hungary to all present and future who will have notice of these letters, greetings in the true savior. Since justice is a power granting his right to each faithful person, through those to whom the governments of the kingdom grant in their rights with justice demanding they be nurtured and defended. Therefore we wish to bring to the notice of all by the content of the presents that Lothard son of Amadeus our servant coming into the presence of the lord king Stephen and us to complain, laid out that since the lord B[éla] formerly king, our dearest father-in-law and father, and M[aria] formerly queen, our dearest mother-in-law and mother, of pious memories, conferred on him in perpetuity certain lands namely Bös and Árpádsoka in the county/ispánate of Jauriens and pertaining to the reginal jurisdiction, he had transferred these lands because he had devoted loyalties and services to us in parts beyond the Danube at a time of strife and war between those dearest parents of ours on one side, on the other indeed between our lord king St[ephen] and their rising barons; they were taken away from him and bestowed on count/ispán Hedric son of Dionysius. Asking and seeking humbly from us that we deign to have said lands given back and restored to him. Finally with Lothard frequently entreating and asking, it pleased our lord king St[ephen] that we restore with full rights the mentioned lands through Job son of Macha our man and our lord’s under witness of our faithfuls of the chapter of Jauriens to whom we sent our letters about that, as long as there was no opposition from the summoned boundary-sharers and neighbors. Therefore having received letters from said chapter on the content of this matter, said lands as said before, with the boundary-sharers and neighbors summoned under the witness of said Job and without any official opposition coming from said count Hedric, were reassigned and restored to the named Lothard; wishing those lands [that had been] conferred by our dearest parents on Lothard within those boundaries and limits as were contained in the letters of the oftmentioned chapter to be held fixed by Lothard and his heirs and successors of his heirs, for the merits of his faithful services and merits shown, we have left and donated them to be possessed in perpetuity.
Of which lands the boundaries and limits are held as in the letters of the abovementioned chapter; they are defined in this manner. The said land Bös begins in the east beside the river called Huzý Wegues which was former palatine H’s, where one marker was erected, from there it comes directly to the water called Chakatorba. Which is said Lothard’s, here it turns to the Sithsara waters which is the said palatine’s, where there is a marker, from there it goes to a bridge set in that water. Hence it goes to a water called Baluan. Which is Syke’s of the Opour kin and his cousins where directly beside that water three markers are erected, from there it comes to the water called Peturagatue where it abuts the lands of Buken son of Buken and Abram son of Sebus and of udvarnoks of Chyk in the west: whence it twists back eastward and comes to the bridge of the udvarnoks and of said Buken and Abram called Raghahyda where there are two markers. Of which one on the west is a marker of the land of Buken, of Abram, and said udvarnoks, and on the east land of Lothard, from which it goes to the water called Elenag, which is of said Buken, Abram and the udvarnoks, and to another water called Nogeer between which are raised two markers. Hence it comes to the water called Talketu where there are two markers. Of which one on the west separates the lands of those B[uken] and Abram and the udvarnoks from the land of Lothard from those lands where the land of the udvarnoks ends it turns thence for a little to a certain place of a mill from which it goes out to the water Poley whose western part is the said B[uken] and Abram’s, on the east said Lothard’s where there are two markers, thence it comes to the water called Megeag. Which is said Buken and Abram’s where there are two markers from which it comes to the Cyleh water where there are two markers crossing which it comes again to the Megeag water where it abuts the lands of the udvarnoks of Baka beside which in a suitable space it comes turning by two markers to the water Luuth where it abuts the land Warkun. Which is of that Abram where there are two markers where the land Bös ends.
Said land Árpádsoka beginning beside the land Arkun comes in the east to the water Eurem which is said Abram and Lothard’s. From there it turns to the Aruksartuu water which on the western side is Arkun’s on the east Lothard’s where the land Arkun ends. From there it comes south to a certain great road where it abuts lands of those of Posoniens castle in the town Zaz. Which road namely recovers on the east the lands of those of the castle on the south indeed the land of that Lothard where there are two markers. From here it goes to the Kamary water. Which on the east is of those of the castle, on the south of Lothard from which it comes to the Okoltou water which is similarly divided. From there to the Barch water. Which is Lothard’s. From here to the ancient willow marker called Hatarfyuz where the Árpádsoka land ends. From here the Bös land begins again and comes to said water Chulch whose eastern half is of said people of the castle, the southern Lothard’s. Crossing which it comes to the Byty water where it abuts the land of ringers (pulsatorum), [the other] half indeed Lothard’s. Here it turns to the town of said Buken called Tuunyg. Here it comes to the feldhyd water. Which on the higher part is Lothard’s, on the lower rather of the peop[le of Tuunyg town, from there it reaches again the Huzywegues water where come together the lands of said palatine, Lothard, and the said people of Tuunyg. So that the gift of the mentioned lands made previously to Lothard and restored and conferred later by us, may have the force of stability, we have granted the present privilege letters strengthened by the protection of our double seal to oftnamed Lothard and through him to his heirs and successors of those heirs. Dated by the hand of the venerable father our faithful Philip, by the grace of God bishop of the church of Vác, chancellor of our court. In the year of grace 1270th. Third nones of December.
Original letter:
Elysabeth dei gracia Regina Hungarie Omnibus tam presentibus quam futuris harum litterarum noticiam habituris, Salutem in vero salutari. Cum iusticia sit uirtus ius suum vnicuique tribuens, quemlibet fidelem in suis iuribus per eos quibus Regni cedunt Regimina exigente iusticia expedit confoueri et defendi. Proinde ad vniuersorum noticiam tenore presencium volumus peruenire quod Lothardus filius Omodeý noster seruiens ad domini nostri Regis Stephani et nostram accedens presenciam exposuit conquerendo quod cum dominus B. quondam Rex karissimus Socer et pater noster, et M. quondam Regina karissima Socrus et mater nostra piarum Recordacionum quasdam terras Beus videlicet et Arpar vocatas in comitatu Jauryensi existentes et iurisdiccioni Reginali pertinentes sibi contulissent in perpetuum, hecdem terre pro eo quia idem fidelitates et seruicia nobis impensurus ad partes ultradanubiales se transtulerat, tempore contencionis et guerre inter eosdem karissimos parentes nostros ab vna parte, ab altera uero inter dominum nostrum Regem. St. necnon et baronum eorundem emergencium, ablate fuissent ab eodem et comiti Heýdrico filio Dyonisy condonate. Rogans et petens a nobis humiliter ut dictas terras eidem reddi et restituti facere dignaremur. Ad ultimum domino nostro Regi St. et nobis eodem Lothardo frequenter supplicante et petente placuit quod memoratas terras per Job filium Macha hominem domini nostri et nostrum sub testimonio Capituli Jaurýensis fidelium nostrorum quibus super ipso facto nostras direxeramus litteras si conuocatis commetaneis et vicinis non existeret contradictor, sibi restitui faceremus pleno iure. Igitur nos de ipsius facti serie receptis litteris prefati Capituli edocte, vt ante dicte terre conuocatis commetaneis et vicinis ac officiale predicti comitis Heýdricý absque quolibet contradictore comparente per Job supradictum coram ipsorum testimonio Lothardo pretaxato fuissent reassignate et restitute; easdem terras sub eisdem metis et terminis sicut in litteris sepedicti Capituli continebatur, eidem Lothardo et suis heredibus heredumque suorum successoribus, ob fidelium seruiciorum suorum exhibitorum et exhibendorum meritis collacionem Lothardo per karissimos parentes nostros factam in hac parte ratam habentes volentes et haberi; in perpetuum reliquimus et donauimus possidendas. Quarum terrarum mete et termini prout in litteris superiusannotati Capituli habebantur; hoc ordine distinguntur. Incipit dicta terra Beus a parte orientali iuxta fluuium Huzý Wegues vocatum qui est H. quondam palatini vbi est vna meta erecta inde uenit directe ad aquam Chakatorba uocatam. Que est Lothardy antedicti hinc uergit ad aquam Suthsara que est predicti palatini vbi est vna meta deinde tendit ad pontem situm in eadem aqua Hinc uadit ad aquam Baluan nuncupatam. Que est Syke de genere Opour et cognatorum eiusdem ubi directe secus eandem aquam tres mete sunt erecte inde uenit ad aquam Peturagatue uocatam vbi continguatur terris Buken fily Buken et Abraam fily Sebus ac vduornicorum de Chyk in parte occidentali: unde retorquetur ad partem orientalem et uenit ad pontem vduornicorum et Buken ac Abraam prefatorum Raghahyda vocatum ubi sunt erecte due mete. Quarum una ex parte occidentali est meta terre Buken, Abraam, et vduornicorum predictorum ab orientali uero terre Lothardy inde tendit ad aquam Elenag dictam, que est dictorum Buken, Abraam et vduornicorum, et ad aliam aquam Nogeer vocatam inter quas sunt due mete eleuate. Hinc uenit ad aquam Telketu vocatam ubi sunt erecte due mete. Quarum una a parte occidentali existens separat terram ipsorum B. et Abraam ac vduornicorum a terra Lothardy de terra eorundem ubi terra ipsorum vduornicorum terminatur deinde uergit parumper directe ad quendam locum molendini deinde exit ad aquam Poley cuius medietas a parte occidentali est dictorum. B. et Abraam, ab orientali uero parte dicti Lothardy ubi sunt due mete deinde uenit ad aquam Megeag vocatam. Que est Buken et Abraam predictorum vbi sunt due mete de hinc venit ad aquam Cyleh ubi sunt due mete quam transiens uenit iterum ad aquam Megeag vbi continguatur terre vduornicorum de Baka iuxta quam in competenti spacio per binas metas uergendo peruenit ad aquam Luuth vbi continguatur terre Warkun. Que est ipsius Abraam vbi sunt due mete ubi eciam terra Beus terminatur. Prefata autem terra Arpad iuxta terram Arkun incipiens uenit adhuc ad partem orientalem ad aquam Eurem que est Abraam et Lothardy prefatorum. Inde uergit ad aquam Aruksartuu cuius medietas a parte occidentali est Arkun prefati, a parte uero orientali Lothardy vbi terra Arkun teminatur. Deinde uenit ad partem meridionalem ad quandam magnam uiam ubi continguatur terre castrensium Posoniensium de villa Zaz. Que uidelicet uia a parte orientali recipit terram ipsorum castrensium a meridionali uero terram ipsius Lothardy ubi sunt due mete. Hinc tendit ad aquam Kamary. Que a parte orientali est ipsorum castrensium, a meridionali uero Lothardy inde uenit ad aquam Okoltou que simili modo diuiditur. Deinc uadit ad aquam Barch. Que est ipsius Lothardy. Hinc tendit ad salicem metam antiquam Hatarfyuz uocatam ubi terra Arpad finitur. Deinde incipit iterum terra Beus et uenit ad dictam aquam Chulch cuius medietas a parte orientali dictorum castrensium a parte uero meridionali est Lothardy. Quam transiens uenit ad aquam Byty ubi continguatur terre pulsatorum de Bolon cuius aque medietas est ipsorum pulsatorum, medietas uero Lothardy. Hic uergit ad villam prenominati Buken Tuunyg uocatam. Hinc uenit ad aquam feldhyd. Que a parte superiori est Lothardy ab inferiori uero populorum de uilla Tuunyg inde peruenit iterum ad aquam Huzywegues ubi conterminantur terre dicti palatini, Lothardy et populorum de Tuunyg predictorum. Ut autem memoratarum terrarum donacio Lothardo prius facta, et per nos postmodum restituta et collata, Robur gerat perpetue firmitatis, presentes litteras priuilegiales sepedicto Lothardo et per eum suis heredibus ac successoribus concessimus duplicis Sigilli nostri munimine Roboratas. Datum per manus venerabilis patris fidelis nostri Phýlippý dei gracia Episcopi Wacyensis ecclesie, Aule nostre Cancellary. Anno gracie Millesimo Ducentesimo, Septuagesimo. Tercio Nonas Decembris.
Historical context:
During the long conflict between Béla IV and his son Stephen (István V), nobles shifted sides (Berend,* 425-26). One of them, Lothard, who had been granted lands by Béla and lost them when he served Stephen and Elizabeth, requested their restoration from Elizabeth, who grants it at Stephen’s request. The queen has the claim investigated and describes the boundaries of the lands in detail. Udvarnoks are royal serving people.
* Nora Berend, Przemyslaw Urbancyk and Prezemyslaw Wiszewski, Central Europe in the High Middle Ages, (Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2013).