Translated letter:
In the name of the holy and individual trinity. Wenceslas, king of the Bohemians by the grace of divine favor, and Cunegund, his most beloved spouse, queen by agency of the same grace, to all who will see this charter extends greetings and the witness of truth to this writing. Since the dignity of our nobility and royal mercy demands this, to give benign and favorable assent to the just requests of all, so that anyone may enjoy the presence of our mercy for his necessity and need, among all whom we support with such consolation of our protection and fostering comfort, we embrace them to the utmost with the very wide arms, of our piety, from whom we hope by merit and prayer not only to be worthy of eternal remedies for our souls with our redeemer, but also to increase the tranquillity and governance of our temporal realm. Indeed it is written: "Do good to the just and you will find great retribution from the Lord" [Eccle:12.2]. Therefore so that our proposal of good will may find favor with God and rewards in the class of the just and perfect, we have chosen the Cistercian order, in recognition of whose continuous labors, untiring prayers, daily fasts, assiduous hospitalities, and other works of piety without pause we have founded and endowed the cloister of St. Marienthal in honor of that virgin and mother of god and have endowed it for the observances of that order and have conferred on lady Adelheid, abbess, and the holy nuns serving god there in the habit and profession of said order to be possessed perpetually without counter-claim. Truly, we declare to all that we have decreed ourselves and our successors advocates for that place and its possessions in such manner that we are defenders without any employment of advocacy or justice, only for the reward of eternal life, as the religion of such an order requires. We wish these to be firmly observed, lest any abbess should presume to grant to any layman possessions of the benefice of our said church by right, and we have inserted this to be noted in this document. Nor should advocates of Bautzen, Gorliz, Lubavia, Reichenbach, Weissenberg, or other judges in whose limits/precincts [lie] possessions they now have or will have by gift from the goods of men or by sale presume to come to the towns of the monastery, except at the summons of the abbess, only for thefts, homicides, mutilation of members, and dishonor by violence (rape), for which only they will provide what is necessary, on account of which it will be necessary for someone to be summoned. If such advocates and judges accept the things reasonably at the time of judgment, we wish two parts to be assigned to the abbess and the convent, the third to our chamber. Also we have had this document written so that that already oft-mentioned house with its tenants (colonis) and inhabitants should enjoy freedom now and always from any tax or any evil claim. Moreover we wish no one of our villagers or grooms to have control over their estates, and we do this not only lest we burden them, but lest we seem to burden them. Otherwise we wish all to know that we have conferred such freedom on that church of St. Marienthal that their carts may cross our lands without payment of tolls, those carts, that is, which carry necessities for the ladies. So that no one presume to infringe on this donation and recognition of freedom to said place by audacious boldness, we have fortified the present page by the impression of our seals and the witness of appropriate men, of whom the names are: Zlauco, abbot in Osek, Theodore monk of that place, Michael monk of the house of St. Mary, Bertold abbot of Pora apostolorum (Postoloprty), Otto, Siger, Thimo our chaplain, Jarozlaus of Hrustice, Gallus of Cowan, Chastolaus of Sitavia, Haul son of Marquard, Bohuzlaus our chamberlain, his son Borso, Mladata son of the sister of Bohuzlaus, John son-in-law of Bohuzlaus, Odelen, Hageno of Zvethiz, Bohuslaus son of Radim, Albert judge of Brychiz (Most), Hothebor of Copiz, Hugo and Jaros brothers from Waldenberc, With of Belosciz (Belusice), Albert Derbniz, John of Vinarice, Conrad of Steinbach, Theodor, Stopan, Swideger of Warta and many others. Enacted in the year of the Lord’s incarnation 1238. Dated by the hand of Wilhelm, our notary, 8th calends of March, 11th indiction, in the rule of our lord Jesus Christ happily amen.
Original letter:
In nomine sancte et individue trinitatis. Watizlavs, divina favente gratia Bohemorum rex, et Cvnegvndis, dilectissima eius coniunx, eadem procurante gratia regina, omnibus hanc cartam inspecturis salutem et huic scripto veritatis testimonium perhibere. Cum nobilitatis nostre decus et regalis hoc deposcat clementia, universorum iustis peticionibus tam benignum prebere assensum ac favorabilem, ut quivis pro sua necessitate et exigentia patrocinatus nostri misericordiam sibi adesse gaudeat, inter omnes, quos ac tali nostre protectionis consolatione et refrigerio confovendo suscipimus, illos maxime laxioribus pietatis nostre amplexamur brachiis, quorum merito et oratione speramus non solum animarum nostrarum apud redemptorem nostrum eterna mereri remedia, sed etiam temporalis regni nostri tranquillitatem et gubernacula dilatari. Scriptum quippe est: Benefac iusto et magnam invenies a Domino retributionem [Eccles.XII.2]. Ut ergo bone voluntatis nostre propositum favorem dei consequatur et premia in forma iustorum et perfectorum, ordinem Cisterciensem preelegimus, cuius labores continuos, orationes indefessas, ieiunia cottidiana, hospitalitates assiduas et cetera sine intermissione pietatis opera ibi considerantes, claustrum Vallis sancte Marie in honore eiusdem virginis et genitricis dei de iustis nostris possessionibus fundatum et dotatum ad observantias eiusdem ordinis construximus et domine Adelheidi, abbatisse, sacrosanctisque monialibus ibidem deo sub habitu et professione iam dicti ordinis militantibus contulimus sine omni reclamatione perpetuo possidendum. Sane universis denuntiamus, quod eidem loco et possessionibus eius tali modo nos et successores nostros advocatos fore decrevimus, ut absque ulla utilitate advocatie seu iusticia, pro solius videlicet eterne vite remuneratione defensores existamus, sicut etiam talis ordinis exigit religio. Volumus pretera firmiter observari, ne aliqua abbatissa alicui laico iure beneficii possessiones predicte ecclesie nostre presumat concedere, et idem huic carte inserimus denotandum. Nec advocati de Bvdesin, de Gorliz de Lvbavia, de Richembach, de Wizenburch vel alii iudices, in quorum terminis ex bonorum hominum largitione vel emptione possessiones vel nunc habent, vel habiture sunt, ad villas monasterii venire presument, nisi de vocatione abbatisse, tantum de furtis homicidiis, menbrorum mutilatione et stupri violentia iudicaturi, quibus necessaria providebunt solum illi, propter quos eorum aliquem contigerit advocari. Res vero, si quas idem advocati et iudices racionabiliter tempore iudicii acceperint, duas partes abbatisse et conventui, terciam partem nostre camere volumus assignari. Ipsa etiam domus iam sepe dicta cum suis colonis et habitatoribus ut ab omni exactione et sinistra impetitione liberam se nunc et semper esse gaudeat, hanc cartam sibi conscribi fecimus. Insuper volumus, ne aliquis nostorum villicorum aut nuntiorum dominium in prediis ipsarum habeat, et hoc facimus, ne non solum eas gravemus, set ne etiam eas gravare videamur. Ceterum scire volumus universos, quod tantam libertatem eidem ecclesie Vallis sancte Marie contulimus, ut currus ipsarum sine exactione thelonei terras nostras pertranseant, currus inquam deferentes dominarum res necessarias. Ut autem hanc donationem et libertatis recognitionem loco prefato ausu temerario nullus aut in presentiarum aut in posterum presumat infringere, paginam presentem et sigillorum nostrorum impressione et idoneorum virorum communimus testimonio, quorum istat sunt nomina: Zlauco abbas in Ozzech, Theodericus monachus eiusdem loci, Mychael monachus Celle sancte Marie, Bertoldvs abbas de Porta apostolorum, Otto, Sigerus, Thimo capellani nostri, Jarozlaus de Hruscith, Gallus de Cowan, Chastolaus de Sitavia, Haul filius Marquardi, Bohuzlaus camerarius noster, Borso fiius eius, Mladata filius sororis Bohuzlai, Johannes gener Bohuzlai, Odelen, Hageno de Zvethiz, Bohuslavs filius Radim, Albertvs iudex de Brvchiz, Chotebor de Copiz, Hvgo et Jaros fratres de Waldenberch, With de Belosciz, Albertus Derbeniz, Johannes de Wineriz, Cvnradvs de Steinbach, Theodericvs, Stopan, Swidegervs de Warta et alii quam plures.
Acta sunt hec anno incarnationis Domini millesimo ducentesimo tricesimo octavo.
Datum per manum Wilhelmi, notarii nostri, VIII kalendas martii, indictione XI, regnante domino nostro Jesu Christo feliciter amen.
Historical context:
The king and queen confer the monastery of St. Marienthal, founded by the queen, with its possessions on the nuns of the Cistercian order in perpetuity, take them under protection and grant them specified freedoms.
The king’s seal has been lost, but the queen’s remains on the document.
Printed source:
Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolarius Regni Bohemiae, ed. Gustavus Friederich (Prague: 1942), 3.1.217-20, ep.176.
Date:
1238, February 22
