Reparation for damages

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 him who is the true salvation of all.  The discipline of the holy house of God girded and protected by the sanction of holy canons directs that holy mother church be revered by all worshippers of God as the only hope of salvation through the merits of Christ, by which the discipline of the faith is revered and ordered, in which the indulgence of sins and the salutary redemption of the vices of human kind after the fall is deservedly sought and found, known to follow from public right, that consists mostly in priests and sacred uses as those prayers and their temples venerating God constantly,  deputed by the faithful worshippers of Christ with a certain equal and fraternal protection by the happy prerogative of defense and tutelage, so that by witness of law that holy church of God may be freed from all profane arts, also all its patrimony assigned to the use of those serving God in it ought to be preserved since it should not be bound by goods – to whoever serves the altar and should live from the altar, so that it proceeds unbroken. 

Hence it is that when the holy church of Veszprém, first of all the cathedral sees of the kingdom by which also by special prerogative and reverence the queens of the Hungarian kingdom as approved by charter of the church and custom of the kingdom are accustomed to be crowned with the reginal diadem from the time of its first foundation, now with its wealth destroyed, that should compel us and other queens more sincerely at this time to enrich and endow it since affliction should not be double to the afflicted, by the new kind, alas, of hateful misfortune, that never otherwise except [when] a barbarian attempted an attack, whom the delight of temporal things were accustomed to caress with their transitory content, which they prefer, not entering into eternal things  which also with raging tyranny ought in no way to disturb the prime movers, the said venerable church by the attacks of the evil in our most unhappy sight from no preceding fault whatsoever (i.e., for no reason), the most disgraceful complaints of those doing this, the cause in all things, not only to things of holy usage gathered there, but also profane things kept there for spiritual protection, with bloodshed moreover of Christ, of those who ought never be touched, those innocent persons at and behind the altars to the number of  sixty eight, at those altars which had been decorated most preciously for the feast of the birth of God, were laid as bare as on Good Friday, with the remaining canons and persons of said church, who by happy chance had fled death, with their bodies rendered naked as at birth,  naked bodies drawn outside the church as by horses, as if redeemed from the Saracens by money as it appeared they were freed from iron chains and prisons.  With the harms computed so many by men worthy of faith there, that scarcely the movable goods of the whole kingdom might restore them today.  With the rest of the holy things thrown down at that time and trampled under the feet of the plunderers, but indeed what more pestilential and oppressive crime, also unheard of enormity, the most venerable body of Christ trampled and destroyed by the abominable feet of the plunderers, the sacred vestments thrown down from the altars by rapine, so that Christ the son of God suffered more abominably from this people than formerly on the wood of the cross through the Jews for the redemption from sin of the living world. 

We and our unfortunates, who for our sins are known to have been present though unwilling, are not able to deny  the biting worm of stinging conscience, what we ought to give back to Christ for so much and so great offence by the performance of treason, thrown down with perplexity in judgment and some beginning of satisfaction, so that even if not quantitatively proportional at least it may be alms to diminish such terrible, such detestable sin, [we grant] all our wine-growers from the valley of Kaal with their things, possessions and persons to the uses of the afflicted church bestowing by our gifts perennially as we gather our dower and dower patrimony, ratifying as well the charters of our most beloved son L[adislaus] by the grace of God illustrious king of Hungary, who also granted more widely his udvarnoks [royal serving people] fixed in that valley mingled with said people, as we we understand from his charters on this, and said more liberal grants of our dearest daughter-in-law.  Moreover another possession of ours called Corus, situated beside the town of said church called Merene of the aforementioned overthrown church, giving our dowry in some consolation we ratify perpetually in as much as we can and are able, another charter of our son composed over this, then shown and revealed to us with all its boundaries, lands, hayfields, vineyards and woods.  Which though we granted the estate to Dominic son of Peter as usufruct a long while ago, finally also in a similar way to master Benedict elect of Esztergom with our others --  with property not at all separated from the estates situated there by us, announcing them altogether empty and void of men, if there should be, which we do not believe, certifying charters by anyone injurious to said church by right of property, when said Dominic son of Peter together with his brother Michael and their confederates –  from the most abominable deed of the faction against said church -- was also the master of our tavarniks [chamberlains] and lord of the court remaining with power by the bulls of our serenity in that time.  Also said master B[enedict] if he showed a charter, it would not be valid, since he expressly consented to said gift when it was made and we also interceding on this for rights.  In memory and perpetual stability of which thing we have granted the letters protected by the power of our double seal.  Dated by the hand of the prudent man master Gregory our faithful chancellor in the 1276th year of the Lord.

Original letter:

Elizabeth Dei gratia regina Hungarie omnibus Christi fidelibus presentem paginam inspecturis salutem in eo, qui vera salus omnium. Sancte domus Dei precipit disciplina sanctorum canonum sanctione convallata firmiter ac munita sanctam matrem ecclesiam a cunctis fore Dei colis sicut spem salutis unicam ob merita Christi reverendam, qua colitur et precipitur fidei disciplina, in qua invenitur et queritur venia peccatorum humanique generis vitiorum post collapsum reparatio salutaris merito consequens esse dignoscitur iurisque publici, quod consistit potissimum in sacerdotibus atque sacris, ut ipsa veneranda Dei oratoria atque templa eorumque iugiter usibus a christicolis fidelibus deputata quadam parili et fraterna emunitatis, defensionis et tutele prerogativa letari, ut sicut iuris testimonio ipsa sancta Dei ecclesia a cunctis prophanis artibus absoluta sit, etiam omne eius patrimonium Deo in eadem servientium usibus deputatum debet servari cum ob bonis ligari non debeat---a quique servit altari, ali seu vivere debeat de altari, ut expedit inconcussum. Hinc est, quod cum sancta Vesprimiensis ecclesia prima omnium kathedralium regni sedium, a qua etiam speciali quadam prerogativa seu reverentia Hungarie regni regine ecclesie privilegio ac regni consuetudine approbata sunt solite reginali dyademate insigniri admodum a sue primeve fundationis tempore, exilis suis extiterit dotibus adeo, quod etiam nos aliasque reginas pro tempore precordialius arcere debuerit ad eam ditandam seu dotandam cumque afflictis non deberet afflictio geminari, novo, proh dolor, detestabilis infortuni genere, quod nunquam alias, nisi warbaricus attemptavit incursus, quos temporalium delectamenta consueverunt potissimum demulceri contenti momentaneis, que preferunt omnium non iniantes eternis, quorundam perseva tyrannide, que etiam primos motus nullatenus debuerat anxiare venerabilis prefata ecclesia incursibus malignorum nostro infelicisissimo sub aspectu nullo penitus preeunte demerito turpissimi nisi hoc efficientium questus causa rebus omnibus, non tantum sanctis de usibus aggregatis, verum prophanis etiam spirituali devectis in ibi pro tutela, effuso preterea Christi, qui nec tangi debuerant, innocentium super et post altaria sanguine personarum numero sexaginta octo ipsis altaribus, ut in natalis Dei festo pretiosius perornatis, ut in Parassceve denudatis reliquis vero ecclesie predicte canonicis et personis, qui casu mortem fortuito fugierunt, restitutis nuditati native iuxta equos nudis tracti corporibus foras ecclesiam, ut a Sarracenis, redimendi pecunia, sicut patuit per effectum fuere ferramentis vinculis et carceribus mancipati. Dampnis ibidem per fidedignos homines computatis tot et tantis, ut vix totius regni mobilia hodie resarcirent. Deiectis sanctorum etiam abinde reliquiis sub spoliatorumque pedibus conculcatis quin ymmo pestilentius et attritis quid plura sceleris, etiam immanitate novissimi ipsum venerandissimum Christi corpus nephandissimis spolantium pedibus conculcatum et attritum de ipsis deiectum altaribus sacrarum vestium per rapinam, ut merito nephandius Christus Dei filius denuo hanc per gentem, quam in ligno pridem crucis vivifice orbis tunc pro redemptione pestiferi passus extiterit per Judeos. Nos et nostri vero infelices, que nostris peccatis deventibus licet invite interfuisse noscimur, nec negari valemus pungentis consciente verme demorse, quid pro tot et tantis Christo sic offenso reddere debeamus facere Iude proditoris perplexitate deiecte in iudicium prime ac satisfactionis principium aliquale, ut etiam si non quantitative proportionaliter saltim valeat elemosina tam terribile, tamque detestabile minorare peccatum, omnes nostros vinidatores de valle Kaal cum rebus, possessionibus et personis eiusdem afflicte ecclesie usibus donativis nostris largitionibus perennaliter sicut nostrum dotalicium seu dotale patrimonium aggregamus ratificantes nichilominus privilegia dilectissimi filii nostri L. [= Ladizlai] Dei gratia illustris regni [!] Hungarie, qui etiam udvornicos suos constitutos in valle eadem intermixtos populis cum predictis, sicut ex eiusdem privilegiis super hoc indultis latius intuemur, necnon karissime nurus nostre predicta liberalius indulgentiis. Aliam preterea nostram possessionem Corus applellatam, sitam iuxta villam ecclesie supradicte Merene nuncupatam sepedicte prostrate ecclesie, in aliquale solamen nostrum dotalitium donantes perpetuo ratificamus, in q[uantum] possumus et valemus, privilegium aliud filii nostri super hoc confectum proinde nobis exhibitum et ostensum cum omnibus metis, terris, fenetis, vineis atque silvis. Quod licet predium Dominico filio Petri ad ususfructuandum concessimus olim pro tempore, demum etiam modo simili magistro Benedicto Strigoniensi electo cum nostris aliis---a prediis sitis ibidem a nobis cum proprietate nullatenus abdicata, vacua prorsus viribus et irrita nuntiantes, si qua in ecclesie predicte preiudicium de proprietatis iure certantia privilegia per quoslibet, quod non credimus, ostenduntur cum predictus Dominicus filius Petri unacum Michaele fratre suo simulcum aliis eorum complicibus---a nephandissime perpetrate in prememoratam ecclesiam factionis, nostrorum quoque tawarnicorum magister extiterit seu curie dominus, bullis nostre serenitatis in eiusdem sepe, ymo sepissime remanentibus potestate. Magister B. [= Benedictus] etiam predictus, si quod exhiberet privilegium, non valeret, cum et predicte donationi facte expresse consenserit, nos etiam - - -a ad hoc pro iuribus interpellans. In cuius rei memoriam firmitatemque perpetuam presentes concessimus litteras dupplicis sigilli nostri robore comunitas. Datum per manus discreti viri magistri Gregorii cancellarii nostri fidelis anno Domini Mo CCo LXXo VI.

Historical context:

The queen describes an attack on the church of Veszprém, the church in which queens were usually crowned, which she may have witnessed, in which all the possessions of the church, sacred and worldly, were looted, and the clergy slaughtered, or sent fleeing naked.  To restore the damage, the queen and her son and daughter-in-law donate people and lands.  The attack seems to have been made by rebels, even in the queen’s service, perhaps including Dominic, though he would later be working for her (cf. Zsoldos, The Árpáds, 158.  The text is rather convoluted and often not clear.

Printed source:

Az Árpád-házi hercegek, hercegnök és a királnék okleveleinek kritikai jegyzéke, Regesta ducum, ducissarum stirpis Arpadiana, ed. E. Szentpétery, A. Zsoldos (Budapest 2008), 75-77, #111.

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