A letter from William Bertrandi
Sender
William BertrandiReceiver
Douce of GévaudanRaymond Berenguer III
Translated letter:
I, WIlliam Bertrandi, son of the woman Ermengard, swear to you Raymond Berenguer, count, son of the late woman Matilda, and to Dulcia, countess, and your sons and daughters, that from this hour forward I shall be faithful to you (pl) without fraud and any evil trickery and without any deception and artifice by right faith. And from this hour forward I, said William Bertrandi, shall not deprive you, said count or countess, or your sons or your daughters of your life nor of your members which are held in your bodies, nor your county or county seat (comitatibus vel comitatu), nor your castris or castles, cliffs or hills, developed or barren, stone and honor, alods or fiefs, which you, the aforesaid, have today or ought to have or will have and acquire in the future, earth and honor, cliffs and hills, barren and developed, which I William have and [ought] to have. I shall not take them from you, nor take from them, or deny you or them to you nor will I deceive or deprive you, not I, said William, nor a man or men, woman or women, by my counsel or by my artifice. And I shall be an aid to you to have and hold against all men or women who might take from you, deny all the aforesaid or everything from them. I, said William, fom this hour forward shall not have or hold peace or association with him or her or them (male or female) until you the aforesaid have recovered the whole that you lost from all the said without deceiving you; and for the said aid or aids I shall not deceive you nor refuse to be summoned as often as you seek or summon me [by yourself] or by your messengers or messenger. I shall not deny you justice nor right nor contest it myself or by any man living under heaven. I shall not make or hold or give faith to a[nother] lord or lords and if I have, I shall not hold it without your permission and as much as you will give me leave by your willing spirits without force. I shall not by my knowledge have or hold assocation or friendship with your enemies or enemy, faithful or infidel, by any artifice or to any harm to you. I shall not to my knowledge reveal your counsel or counsels to do you any harm. As written above to you (pl) Raymond said count or countess, so I shall hold with your sons and daughters and keep the whole to yourselves, without deception; and after your death, within the first 40 days that you are dead and I know of it, I shall come into the power of your sons or daughters or him or her to whom you leave said honor after your death by words or will that you have made. And I shall take by the hand and entrust myself to the hands of him or her and swear such oath as today I swear to you, without evil opposition and without other reward. And because of this, as it is written above, I put in pledge to you, said counts (count and countess), every honor or fief or alod which I have or shall have or ought to have in your whole land, that I hold and keep this to you, as written above, without deception. Which if I should not do and keep it as said, all said pledge would be forfeit into your power to do what you will and after your death, in a similar way as said above to you, I put in pledge all the aforesaid to your said sons or daughters, or to him or her to whom you leave your said honor by words or will, that I would hold and keep all this to them as written above. Which if I should not do and not keep it, all the said pledges would be forfeit into their power, without deceiving you or them, to do what they would. As written above, I, said William, will hold and keep all this to you (pl) the aforesaid, without deception, except as much as you the aforesaid release me by your willing spirits without any force and after your death, as much as I am released by your sons or daughters, of said successor, with their willing spirit without force or deception. By God and these holy [relics].
Original letter:
Iuro ego, Guillelmus Bertrandi, filius qui fui Ermengardis, femine, tibi, Raimundo Berengarii, comiti, filius Mahaltis, femine, quondam, atque Dulcie, comitisse, et filiis et filiabus vestris, quod de ista hora in antea fidelis ero vobis sine fraude et ullo malo ingenio et sine ulla decepcione et sine engan, per directam fidem. Et de ista hora in antea ego, prephatus Guillelmus Bertrandi, non te dezebre, prephatum comitem, vel comitissam sive filiis vestris vel filiabus vestris de vestra vita neque de vestris membris que in corporibus vestris se tenent neque de vestris comitatibus vel comitatu neque de vestris castris aut castellis, rochas vel puios, condirectos vel heremos, petram et honorem, alodes vel fevos, quos vos, predicti, hodie habetis vel habere debetis vel habueritis et in antea adquisieritis, terram et honorem, rochas et puigs, heremos et condirectos, quos Willelmus habeo et habere [debeo]. No ls vos tolre ni te n tolrem ni vos o vedare ni no vos vedare ni no vos enganare ni no vos dezebre nec ego, Guillelmus prephatus, nec homo nec homines, femina nec femine, per meum consilium nec per meum ingenium. Et adiutor vos sere a tener et ad aver contra omnes homines vel feminas qui tibi tollat vel tollant, vetet vel vetent predicta omnia aut [de] predictis omnibus. Ego, prephatus Guillelmus, de ista hora in antea finem nec societatem non aure ne tenre cum illo vel cum illis, cum illa vel cum illas, donec vos, predicti, recuperatum habeatis hoc totum quod perdideritis de iam dictis omnibus sine vestro engan; et de predicto adiutorio vel adiutoriis no vos enganare ne comonir no me <n> vedare per quantes vegades me n recherras o me n comonras [per te ipsum] vel per vestros missos aut missum. Iusticiam ne dret no vos vedare nec contendre de me ipso neque de ullo homo vivente sub celo. Seniorem nec seniores no fare ni tenre ne affidare ni aure et, si feit le, no l tenre sine vestro solvimento et de quanto me n absolveratis vestris gradientibus animis sine forcia. Societatem non aure ne tenre cum vestris inimicis aut inimico, fidelibus vel infidelibus, vel amiciciam per ullum ingenium aut per ullum vestrum dampnum, me sciente. Vestrum consilium aut consilia no desc(r)ubrire ad ullum vestrum dampnum, me sciente. Sicut superius scriptum est de vobis, Raimundo, prephatis comitis vel comitisse, si o tenre et filiis et filiabus vestris, o atendre ad vos ipsos, sine vestro engan, totum; et, post mortem vestram, infra primos XL dies, quod mortuus fueris et ego hoc sciero, veniam in potestate de vestris filiis vel filiabus sive de illo vel illa cui dimiseris prephatum honorem dictis vel testamento quod habeas post mortem tuam factum. Et per suam manum adprehenderem et manibus ad illum vel ad illam me n comanare et talem sacramentum le n iurare, quale hodie iuro ad vos, sine mala contencione et sine ullo alio lucro. Et propter hoc, sicut superius scriptum est, mitto in pignora ad vos, predictos com[it]es, omnem honorem vel fevos vel alodium, quod habeo vel habuero vel habere debeo, in tuam totam terram, ut tibi hoc totum teneam et attendam, sicut superius scriptum est, sine vestro engan. Quod si non fecero et ita non attendero sicut predictum est, incurrat predicta omnia pignora in vestra potestate faciendi quod volueritis et, post mortem tuam, simili modo sicut de te dictum est, mitto in pignora omnia predicta ad tuos filios vel filias predictos, sive ad illum vel ad illam, cui dimiseris dictis vel testamento predictum honorem tuum, ut hoc vel eis teneam et attendam totum sicut superius scriptum est. Quod si non fecero et ita non attendero, predicta omnia pignora incurrant in eius vel eorum potestate, sine tuo vel eorum engan, ad faciendum quod voluerint. Sicut superius scriptum est, ego, predictus Guillelmus, si t o tenre et o atendre ad vos predictos totum, sine vestro engan, exceptum quantum vos predictis me n absolveratis vestros gradientis animis sine ulla forcia et, post mortem vestram, quantum vel de quantum me n absolveran vestris filiis vel filias predicti, vel successor predictus, suo vel eorum gradiente animo sine ulla forcia vel eorum engan. Per Deum et hec sancta.
Historical context:
Oath of fidelity of William Bertrandi, brother of Bernard Bertrandi to the count and countess. This differs from other oaths in that it includes a pledge that might be forfeited. A castrum is an administrative unit with a fortification/castle at its center.
Printed source:
Liber Feudorum Maior 2.166-67, #657.