A letter from Cunegund of Swabia, Queen of Bohemia (1244)

Translated letter:

In the name of the Lord amen. Since the memory of men is fleeting, therefore lest those things which are done in time should fall away in time, they are usually secured by writings and witnesses. Let it be known to all present and future that we, Cunegund, bv the grace of god queen of Bohemia, for the comfort and honor of the house of St. Mary at the foot of the bridge in Prague, have sold the courtyard belonging to our chapel of St. Desiderius in Lysa with its pertaining fields in Tynec, for 40 less* marks to be possessed peacefully in perpetuity and for that sale we have directed an equivalent exchange with the town of Melnicka Vrutice from the goods of our kingdom. And so that our sale to the house of said St. Mary and the exchange of our chapel of St. Desiderius of Lysa has valid force perpetually, we have had the present writing fortified by the protection of our seal displayed, observed by these witnesses: Gothard our subchamberlain, who also went around it, lord Sdibor judge of the land, Matidruh, Henry and his brother Scaztolaus, Gallo with his brother Benes, Slavnic, Volkmar, Lambino, Cressone, lord Eppo provost of Prague, Vito decan of Prague, Engelbert decan of Vysehrad and many others. In the year of incarnation of the lord 1244, 15th indiction, dated by the hand of lord Frederic, master of Wissegrad and our beloved notary.

Original letter:

In nomine Domini amen. Quoniam labilis est memoria hominum, ne ea igitur, que fiunt in tempore, simul labantur cum tempore, solent scriptis et testibus communiri. Notum sit omnibus quam presentibus tam futuris, quod nos Kvnegvndis, dei gracia regina Boemie, attendentes comodum et honorem domus sancte Marie ad pedem pontis Prage, curiam cum agris attinentibus in Tinec, pertinentem ad capellam nostram in Liza sancti Desiderii, vendidimus pro quadraginta minus* marci in perpetuum pacifice possidendam et pro eadem vendicione in villa Nawrvtici de bonis regni nostri equipellens concambium fecimus assignari. Et ut vendicio nostra domui predicte sancte Marie et commutacio capelle nostre sancti Desiderii de Liza robur habeat perpetuo valiturum, presens scriptum pro maiori cautela fecimus exhiberi nostri sigilli munimine roboratum, hiis testibus annotatis: Gothardo subcamerario nostro, qui et circuivit, domino Sdiborio iudice terre, Mztidruhone, Heynrico et fratre suo Scaztolao, Gallo cum fratre suo Beneso, Slavnico, Wolkmaro, Lambino, Cressone, domino Eppone preposito Pragensi, Vito decano Pragensi, Engelberto decano Wissegradensi et aliis multis. Anno dominice incarnacionis millesimo ducentesimo quadragesimo quarto, indictione quintadecima, datum per manum domini Fridrici, scolastici Wissegradensis ac dilecti notarii nostri.

Historical context:

The queen sells a courtyard to the house of St. Mary in Prague that belonged to her chapel in Tynec and restored the loss of the chapel from the goods of the kingdom.

Scholarly notes:

* The editor notes that a number was omitted here, probably duobus (two).

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolarius Regni Bohemiae, ed. Gustavus Friederich, Jindrich Sebanek and Sasa Duskove (Prague: 1962), 4.142-43, ep. 57.

Date:

1244