A letter from Wenceslaus I, king of Bohemia (1233, February 6)

Translated letter:

In the name of the holy and individual trinity, amen. It would be absurd and ridiculous that gifts or contracts made with highly illustrious persons, that is kings and princes, should be invalid or weak, when the affairs of others which have the authority and knowledge of such persons, do not require greater solemnity and therefore whatever are given by kings or princes or transferred by whatever title of alienation, are possessed without fear of disturbance. Therefore let those who come and those present know that our most serene mother Constance, queen of Bohemia, for the good of her soul and also of ours, decided to found a monastery of ladies in the church in Prague which is called St. Peter, in the village of the Teutonic Knights, we Wenceslas, by the grace of God king of the Bohemians, wishing to promote the desire of our mother, grant and give to her the areas of Vidzin and Utery with their rights, Olesovice, Lestina, Pozkov, Drevohryzy, Stara Ves, Dobra Voda, Nemcice, Chrstovo, Prachomety, Otrochin, Tisova, Potrozowo, Chvalice, Bohuslav with their purtenances, and we hand over corporal dominion as well as possession, giving freedom and license to give said area, sell it or transfer its right in whatever other way to another, as it might please her. That our generosity might enjoy the full prerogatives of security and that it might exclude all possibilities of disturbance, we hand over to our aforesaid mother the present instrument composed by the hand of William, our notary, and confirmed [by] the sign of our seal. The witnesses of this are these: venerable men, abbot Bernard of Buch, abbot Peter of Strahov, abbot Herman of Zeliv, Arnold chancellor of the royal court, provost of Vysehrad (Wissegrad), Gerhard canon of that church, John notary, William notary, Henry of Newcastle, underchamberlain Vatto and his brother Boguzlas, Henry son of Zmil, Zavisse son of Witegon, Nostup of Primda, Nevlaz son of Radim, Budizlas Jarozlay, Zulizlas, Zlaunik, Ypoch, Pribizlas with his brother Buno, Pribizlas son of Spere, Zbrazlas underbutler, Gallus son of Marquard, Fridric son of Nacherath, Witla of Stankov, Conrad of Falkenberg, Nothat, Champonosius and Lambinus; brother of the house of Teutonic Knights: Volcmar and again Volcmar, Ladota, Herman, and several Arnold the chancellor.

Original letter:

In nomine sancte et individue trinitatis amen. Absurdum esset et ridiculum, quod donationes vel contractus cum personis superillustribus, videlicet cum regibus et principibus initi sint invalidi vel infirmi, cum aliorum negocia, que auctoritatem et conscienciam habent talium personarum, solempnitate non indigent ampliori, et ideo quecumque a regibus vel principibus dantur, vel quocumque alienationis titulo transferuntur, sine metu inquietudinis possidentur. Noverint ergo posteri et presentes, quod quia serenissima mater nostra Constancia, regina Boemie, pro remedio anime sue pariter et nostre concepit fundare monasterium dominarum Prage in ecclesia, que dicitur sancti Petri, in vico Tevtonicorum, nos dei gracia Wencezlaus, rex Boemorum, cupientes matris nostre desiderium promovere, concedimus eidem et donamus circuitum Withsin, Vtheri cum suis iuribus, Oleschowic, Leschen, Poshom, Drewohrisi, Ztarawez, Dobra woda, Nemscice, Hristowo, Prachometi, Otrochin, Tizowo, Potrozowo, Quahlizi, Boguzlawe cum suis pertinenciis, et ipsi tam dominium quam possessionem tradimus corporalem, dantes libertatem et licenciam, ut predictum circuitum donando, vendendo et quolibet alio modo ius suum transferendo in alium, prout placuerit, alienet. Ut igitur nostra liberalitas plena securitatis gaudeat prerogativa, et ut omnes contra ipsam inquietudinis aditus excludatur, prefate matris nostre presens tradimus instrumentum confectum per manum Willehelmi, notarii nostri, et nostri sigillum carectarii roboratum. Testes autem huius rei sunt hii: venerabiles viri abbas Bernardus de Buch, abbas Petrus de Strahov, abbas Hermannus Syloensis, Arnoldus cancellarius regie aule, Wissegradensis prepositus, Gerhardus canonicus eiusdem ecclesie, Johannes notarius, Willehelmus notarius, Henricus de Nouop castro, Vatto subcamerarius et Boguzlaus frater eius, Henricus filius Zmil, Zauisse filius Witegonis, Nostup de Frinberc, Nevlaz filius Radim, Budizlaus Jarozlay, Zulizlaus, Zlaunik, Ypoch, Pribizlaus cum fratre Bunone, Pribizlaus filius Spere, Zbrazlaus subpincerna, Gallus filius Marquardi, Fridricus filius Nacherath, Witla de Stancowic, Cunradus de Walkeberc, Nothat, Champonosius et Lambinus; fratres de domo Tevtonicorum: Volcmarus et iterum Volcmarus, Ladota, Hermannus et alii quam plures. Datum Prage anno incarnationis dominice MCCXXXIII, indictione VI, VIII idus februarii, per manum Arnoldi cancellarii.

Historical context:

The king gives his mother permission to transfer the towns named.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolarius Regni Bohemiae, ed. Gustavus Friederich (Prague: 1942), 3.1.28-29, ep.30.

Date:

1233, February 6