A transfer of tithes
Sender
Elizabeth of the CumansReceiver
PublicTranslated letter:
We Elizabeth by the grace of God senior queen of Hungary, duchess of Macsó and Bosnia, signify to all to whom it comes by the content of the presents that when the control of the land of Szepes devolved to us from the conferring of the lord king Ladislaus our dearest son and we learned that the lord king Béla of happy memory our beloved father-in-law, had assigned five hundred measures each from the tithes of the church of St. Martin to be received every year at the castle of Szepes, we by the admonition of lord Philip bishop of Fermo, legate of the apostolic see, and by the advice of our faithful master Luke provost of the holy church of Esztergom, chancellor of our court, we understood and recognized that for the salvation of our soul we could not receive them and we restored said tithes of the said church of St. Martin with full right, since we wished to benefit rather than harm the church of god. In memory and perpetual stability of which thing we granted the present letters, letters strengthened by the protection of our double seal. Dated in the town of Zsigra on the Wednesday before the octaves of all saints. In the 1280th year of the lord.
Original letter:
Nos Elisabeth Dei gracia major regina Hungarie, Ducissa de Macho et de Bozna significamus universis quibus expedit presencium per tenorem. Quod cum dominium terre Scypes ex collacione domini regis Ladislai filii nostri carissimi ad nos fuisset deuolutum, et nos inuenissemus, quod dominus rex Bela felicis recordacionis socer noster perdilectus, de decimis ecclesie beati Martini singulis annis, singulas quingentas capecias ad castrum Scypisense deputasset recipiendas, et nos per ammonicionem domini Phylipi episcopi Firmani, apostolice sedis legati, et per consilium fidelis nostri magistri Luce sancte strigoniensis ecclesie prepositi, aule nostre cancellarii, cum salute anime nostre recipere non posse intelexissemus, recognovimus nos, et dictas decimas memorate ecclesie Beati Martini restituimus pleno iure, cum nos pocius ecclesie dei prodesse uelimus quam obesse. In cuius rei memoriam et perpetuam firmitatem presentes concessimus literas, sigilli nostri munimine roboratas. Datum in villa Cygra feria quarta proxima ante octavas omnium sanctorum. Anno domini Mo CCo LXXXo.
Historical context:
The queen, on the advice of the papal legate, rescinds the tithes taken by her father-in-law Béla for the castle of Szepes and restores them to the church of St. Martin. Attila Zsoldos corrects the date from October 30 to November 6 (The Árpáds and Their Wives, Queenship in Early Medieval Hungary 1000-1301 , 168).