A letter of reward

Sender

Elizabeth of the Cumans

Receiver

Public

Translated letter:

Elizabeth by the grace of God queen of Hungary to all the faithful of Christ present and future to whose notice the present writing will have come, greetings in the bestower of salvation to all.  The office of reginal benevolence admonishes and induces us to meet with worthy retribution responding favorably to the merits of those who gave us loyalties and services opportunely with willing spirit since, when we offer favor and assent to their labors and services honorably, we invite others to more ample deeds of loyalty by similar example, and we render to the prompt very promptly; therefore we wish to make manifest to the notice of all of you by the contents of the presents, that we expecting and wishing to respond to the loyalties and services of the noble man count Benedict son of count/ispán Iwanche (Ivánka) who, not fearing to commit his person to the course of fortune in prosperous and adverse circumstances to lord Béla and lord Stephen, renowned kings of Hungary and lately to lord king Ladislaus, our dearest son, and to us, laudably with consummate diligence, in recompense to him for his services and some payment of retribution, though he might be worthy of greater generosity,  we have given, donated, and conferred a certain land called lower Urbua in the county/ispánate of Pozsega pertaining to our granting, which Mortunus son of Myke formerly held with all its uses and appurtenances, on that count Benedict and through him on his heirs and their successors to be possessed perpetually and irrevocably, with the good will of that lord Ladislaus, king, our dearest son and the consent of his barons with certain knowledge.  The boundaries of that land, lower Urboa are designated in this way.  The first boundary begins in the south beside the river Churnuch from an oak (thul) tree in which there is a cross, thence it proceeds northward into Zava forest through trees signed by a cross and coming out of that wood where it extends to a field and there is a land boundary under a thul tree, thence it goes north to a land boundary, thence goes down through a field eastward to a land boundary, from here it goes to a nut tree beside the Urbua river having a certain stone among the leaves (interfrondens), thence having crossed the Urbua river it goes to another nut tree signedby a cross, thence it nears a certain road beside which is a land boundary from there it extends eastward to a certain rise (berch) where there is a land boundary thence it turns east where it crosses a certain creek under a nar tree a land boundary, thence to a pear tree signed with the cross, then it falls into a creek called Bokoleznyk and up to that creek it shares a continual boundary with the land of higher Urbua, and there it begins to share with the land of count Cheh, thence it proceeds through the course of that creek south to a great road which comes from Urbua, where there is a land boundary, then it goes along the road to the east and falls into the Zlopchenyk water in which it goes south where there is a land boundary, thence it proceeds southward in that water and comes out towards the east and from there turns again to the south under Dastiulaz where there is a syl  tree as a boundary, from there it proceeds south to Dobouch creek and crosses that Doboch creek eastward and goes to a tul tree signed with a cross which is for a boundary and there falls onto a great road a course that goes south to Treztenapola and crossing that field comes to the Luky water where there is a tul tree signed with a cross and in that Luky water it goes southward to a place called a Heleusca polya and from there it goes out eastwards and moves south to the Churnuch waters and on the other side of the water in that place the Zauyna water falls into the Churnuch and there is separated from the Cheh land, thence it progresses and goes west, it comes to a prior boundary and there it ends.  So that this grant may remain unbroken and cannot be undone by anyone in the course of time, we have granted the present letters to that count Benedict fortified by the protection of our double seal.  Dated by the hand of master Gregory our faithful chancellor of our court in the thousand two hundred seventy fifth year of the lord.

Original letter:

E]lyzabeth dei gracia regina Hungarie vniuersis Christi fidelibus tam presentibus quam futuris ad quorum noticiam presens scriptum peruenerit salutem in salutis omnium largitore.  Reginalis benignitatis officium nos ammonet et inducit, vt quorumlibet fidelitatibus et seruiciis commode nobis inpensis gratanti animo occuramus condigna retribucione meritis eorundem fauorabiliter respondentes, quia dum eorum laboribus et honesti seruiciis fauorem prebemus et assensum, ceteros ad ampliora fidelitatis opera exemplo simili inuitamus, et de promptis reddimus prompciores; proinde vniuersitatis uestre noticie tenore presencium fieri uolumus manifestum, quod nos fidelitates et seruicia nobilis uiri comitis Benedicti filii comitis Iwanche, qui domino Bele et domino Stephano inclitis regibus Hungarie et tandem domino Ladizlao regi karissimo filio nostro ac nobis personam suam casibus fortune committere non formidans in prosperis pariter et aduersis cum sumpma diligencia laudabiliter exhibuit, attendentes uolentesque eidem in recompensacionem seruiciorum suorum aliquali retribucionis stipendio, licet ampliori munificencia dignus esset, respondere, quandam terram inferiorem Vrbua nuncupatam in comitatu de Posaga existentem et collacioni nostre pertinentem, quam quondam Mortunus filius Myke detinebat cum suis vtilitatibus et pertinenciis vniuersis de beneplacito eiusdem domini Ladizlay regis karissimi filii nostri et baronum suorum consensu ex certa consciencia dedimus, donauimus et contulimus ipsi comiti Benedicto et per eum suis heredibus heredumque suorum successoribus perpetuo et irreuocabiliter possidendam.  Mete autem ipsius inferioris terre Vrboa hoc ordine distinguntur.  Prima siquidem meta incipit a meridie iuxta fluuium Churnuch ab arbore thul in qua est crux, ab inde procedit ad partem septemtrionalem in silua Zaua per arbores cruce signatas et in exitu eiusdem silue vbi ad campum protenditur est meta terrea sub arbore thul, deinde tendit adhuc ad septemtrionem ad metam terream, deinde declinat per campum ad orientem ad metam terream, ab hinc tendit ad arborem nucum iuxta fluuium Vrbua habentem interfrondens lapidem quendam, deinde transito fluuio Vrbua tendit ad aliam arborem nucis cruce signatam, deinde appropinquat cuidam vie, iuxta quam est meta terrea, ab inde protenditur uersus orientem ad quoddam berch ubi est meta terrea, deinde reflectitur ad orientem ubi transito quodam potok sub arbore nar est meta terrea, deinde ad arborem piri cruce signatam, deinde cadit in potok Bokoleznyk nominatam et usque ad eundem potok semper comitatur superiori terre Vrbua, ibi vero incipit cometari terre comitis Cheh, deinde procedit per meatum illius potok ad meridiem usque ad magnam viam que de Vrbua venit ubi est meta terrea, deinde per eandem viam tendit ad orientem et cadit ad aquam Zlopchenyk et in eadem aqua tendit uersus meridiem ubi est meta terrea, deinde progreditur uersus meridiem in eadem aqua et inde exit uersus orientem et ab hinc uergit iterato uersus meridiem sub Dastiulaz ubi est arbor syl pro meta, de hinc progreditur adhuc uersus meridiem ad Dobouch potaka et transit ipsam aquam Doboch potoka ad orientem et uadit ad arborem tul cruce signatam que est pro mete et ibi cadit ad magnam viam currus que uadit uersus meridiem usque ad Treztenapola et transeundo illum campum peruenit ad aquam Luky ubi est arbor tul cruce signata et in eadem aqua Luky tendit uersus meridiem ad locum qui vna Heleusca polya uocatur et inde exit uersus orientem et tendit ad meridiem ad aquam Churnuch et ex alia parte aque in eodem loco cadit aqua Zauyna in aquam Churnuch et ibi separatur a terra Cheh, deinde progreditur et uadit ad occidentem, peruenit ad priorem metam ibique terminatur.  Vt igitur hec collacio inconcussa permaneat, nec processu temporum possit per quempiam retractari, per presentes eidem comiti Benedicto concessimus litteras dupplicis sigilli nostri munimine roboratas.  Datum per manus magistri Gregorii aule nostre cancellarii fidelis nostri [anno domini M.] CC. septuagesimo quinto.

Historical context:

The queen betows land on  a man who has served her father-in-law, her husband, her son and herself, and gives its boundaries in detail.

Printed source:

Codex diplomaticus regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, ed. T. Smiciklas (Zagreb, 1904-34), 6.141-42, #125.  

Date:

1275

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7916/c8ax-2138

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