An oath of fidelity

Translated letter:

I Ermemir of the Castelltallat, son of the woman Belucia, swear that from this hour forward I shall be faithful to Ramon, count of Barcelona, my lord, and to countess Elizabeth his wife, without fraud or evil contrivance and without any deception and without deceit.  And I, said Ermemir, from this hour forward shall not destroy said Ramon or Elisabeth in their life or in the members they hold in their bodies, or their cities or city, nor in their bishoprics or bishopric, nor in their counties or lands, nor in the castris or castles,  nor in their cliffs or hills, or cultivated lands or deserts, nor the fief they hold from Spain, nor in the parish of Castelltallat, nor in the seignory that the count should have there.   And I said Ermemir shall be faithful in all that is written above to said Ramon and to Elisabeth, and shall not deceive/depart from (dedebre) them nor do harm to them; and I shall be an aid to them to hold and have and to defend them against all men or [any] man , women or woman, who would take away from them or has taken.  And I would not deceive them in this aid and would help them without deception, except with that viscount of Cardona who was among the sons of lord Fulk, my lord.  I, said Ermemir, within the first thirty days that I learn that said count Ramon has died, if I should survive him, I would swear to that son to whom Ramon left the city of Barcelona such an oath and would hold it as I swore to said Ramon and said Elisabeth.  As is written above I the suprascribed Ermemir shall hold and keep it to said count Ramon and said Elisabeth without deception, except insofar as said count Ramon and said countess Elisabeth should absolve me through their gracious spirits, without force.  So God help me and these holy relics.

Original letter:

Iuro ego Ermemirus de castro Talatus, filius qui fuit de Belucia, femina, quod de ista hora in antea fidelis ero ad Raimundm, comitem Raimundum, comitem Barchinonensem, seniorem meum, et ad Elisabeth, comitissa, coniugem suam, sine fraude et malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione et sine engan.  Et ego Ermemirus suprascriptus de ista hora in antea no dezebre Raimundus nec Elisabeth iam dictos de illorum vita nec de illorum membris que in corpus illorum se tenent, nec de illorum civitates vel civitatem, nec de illorum episcopatos vel episcopatu, nec de illorum comitatibus vel terris, nec de illorum castris vel castellis, nec de illorum rochas vel puios, condirectos vel eremos, nec de illorum honore quod habent de Ispania, nec de ipsa parrochia de Castel Talad, nec de ipsa domnegadura que comes ibi habere debet.  Et ego, Ermemirus suprascriptus, de ista omnia suprascripta fidelis ero ad Raimundum et ad Elisabeth suprascriptos, et nu ls en dedebre, ni mal nu ls en menare; et adiutor illis ero ista omnis suprascripta ad tenere et ad habere et ad defendere contra cunctos homines aut hominem, feminas aut feminam, qui eis tollere voluerint aut voluerit, tulerit aut tulerint.  Et de ipso adiutorio nu ls engannare et sine engan lur en aiudare, exceptus ipse vicecomite de Carduna, qui fuit de ipsos filios domno Fulchoni, seniori meo.  Et ego, Ermemirus suprascriptus, infra ipsos primos XXX dies quod ego sciero quod iam dictus Raimundus comes mortuus fuerit, si ego eum supervixero ad ipsum filium cui iam dictus Raimundus dimiserit ipsam civitatem de Barchinona tale sacramentum l en iurare e l en tenre, qualem ad iam dictum Raimundum et ad iam dictam Elisabeth iurad lur en  e.  Sicut superius scriptum est, si o tenre et o atendre ego Ermemirus suprascriptus ad prescriptum Raimundum comitem et ad Elisabeth iam dictam sine illorum engan, exceptus quantum me suprascriptus Raimundus comes et Elisabeth, comitissa suprascripta, me absolvran per illorum gradientes animos per grad, sine forcia.  Sic me adiuvet Deus et istarum sanctarum reliquiarum. 

Historical context:

Ermemir swears an oath of fidelity to the count and countess and to a son and heir of the count.  A castrum is an administrative unit with a castle at the center.

Printed source:

Liber Feudorum Maior (LFM), ed. Francisco Miquel Rosell, (Barcelona, 1945),1.215-16  #205.

Date: