A letter from Isabella

Sender

Henry of Champagne, king of Jerusalem
Isabella of Jerusalem

Receiver

Henry, prior of the church of the Teutons

Translated letter:

Be it known to all present and future that I, Henry count palatine of Troyes, with the consent and will of lady Isabella, my wife, daughter of the illustrious former king Almaric,1 give for the salvation of my soul and grant in free and perpetual alms to you Henry, prior of the church of the Teutons, which is in Acre, with all its brothers and the sick, so that like the Templars and Hospitallers, for the clothes and food which they buy for their own use and give me no tax or customary duty in my land, so you should give no tax or customary duty in the whole land for all the clothes and food which you will buy for your own use.  That this be held in force, I have confirmed the present charter with my seal and the subscribed witnesses.  Witnesses of this thing are:  Hugo of Tiberias; Reynald of Sido; Ralph of Tiberias, royal seneschal.  Azmarus of Caesarea; Baldwin of Bethany; Walter of Bethany; Dieter of Orca; Milo Brebanz; Thomas, chamberlain, viscount of Acre.  This was done in the 1194th year of the lord’s incarnation in the month of October.  Give by the hand of lord Joscius, archbishop of Tyre and royal chancellor. 

Original letter:

Notum sit omnibus presentibus et futuris, quod ego Henricus Trecensis comes palatinus assensu et voluntate domine Ysabelle, uxoris mee, illustris quondam regis Amalrici filie, dono pro salute anime mee et in liberam et in perpetuam elemosinam concedo tibi Henrico, ecclesie Alamannorum, que est in Accon, priori, cum omnibus eiusdem fratribus et infirmis, ut, sicut Templarii et Hospitalarii de indumentis et victualibus, que sibi ad proprios usus emunt, nullum ius nullamque consuetudinem in terra mea dant, ita et vos de universis indumentis ac victualibus, que ad vestros proprios usus emeritis, in tota terra mea nullum ius nullamque consuetudinem detis. Quod ut ratum habeatur, presentem cartam sigillo meo et testibus subscriptis confirmavi. Huius rei testes sunt: Hugo Tyberiadis; Rainaldus Sydonis; Radulfus Tyberiadis, regni senescalcus; Azmarus Cesariensis; Balduinus de Bethan; Galtherus de Bethan; Dietericus de Orca; Milo Brebanz; Thomas camerarius, Acconensis vicecomes. Factum est hoc anno dominice incarnationis m° c° xciiii0 mense octobris. Datum per manum domini Ioscii Tyrensis archiepiscopi regnique cancellarii.

Historical context:

With the consent of his wife, Henry gives the the brothers of the church of the Teutons immunity from charges throughout the kingdom for clothes and food bought for their own use.

Scholarly notes:

1  The adjective, illustris, can refer to father or daughter, but more likely to the father here.

Printed source:

Tabulae Ordinis Theutonici:  Ex tabularii Regii Berolinensis Codice Potissimum, ed. Ernestus Strehlke (Berlin:  Weidman, 1869), 26, #30.

Date:

1194

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7916/q6nh-tt08

This is an archived work created in 2024 and downloaded from Columbia University Academic Commons.