In the name of Berthold V, the patriarch of Aquileia, John of Portis swears to uphold the peace and the treaties signed between the Aquileian patriarchs and the Commune of Venice.
In nomine Domini, amen.
Anno Domini Mo CCo XXVII, II idus madii, indictione XV.
Iohannes de Portis de mandato domini Bertholdi Dei gratia sancte sedis Aquilegensis patriarche et in presencia sua iuravit ad sancta Dei ewangelia in anima ipsius domini patriarche, quod ipse dominus patriarcha atendet et observabit condiciones et pacta atque consuetudines hactenus habitas inter Aquilegensem patriarcham et terram suam ex una parte et dominum ducem et Comune Veneciarum ex altera secundum quod continetur in publico instrumento manu mei Leonardi notarii facto in omnibus et per omnia anno Domini Mo CCo XXII, VIII die exeunte iunio, indictione X.1
Et ut hoc firmius credatur et robur obtineat firmitatis, hanc cartam inde scribi iussit et autenticari et sui sigilli munimine consigniri.
Actum apud Aquilegiam in ecclesia maiori iuxta altare sancte Marie in presencia testium rogatorum domini Stephani abbatis Sextensis, Ottonis Sancti Wolrici prepositi, Conradi decani Aquilegensis, Henrici prepositi Concordiensis, Hartvici de Strasov, Rodulfi de Areis, Conradi dapiferi domini patriarche, domini Phillippi Aquilegensis canonici et aliorum multorum.
Ego L[e]onardus inperialis notarius interfui et iussu [domini] patriarche h[anc cartam] scripsi et [autenti]cavi [et sigillo suo ins]ignivi.2 (SN)
1) Reference to the pact of 1222, edited as here doc. 1222_VB.
2) The completio cannot be read due to parchment damage. Härtel reconstructed the completio in the following way: "Ego Leonardus inperialis notarius interfui et iussu [domini] patriarche h[anc cartam] scripsi et [sigilli ipsius domini patriarche munimine con]signivi." The problem with this reconstruction is that the letters "cavi" are clearly visible after the "scripsi et" part, something that Härtel did not take into account. Based on notary Leonard's usual completio, "scripsi et autenticavi", the "cavi" in the charter most surely belongs to the word "autenticavi". The only other visible part is the "ignivi" in the very last line. Since the charter was originally sealed with Berthold's hanging seal, this surely refers to the act of sealing. Leonard's charter issued in 1217, preserved as an insert in a charter from 1291 and edited by Laura Pani (referenced above), has the following completio: "Ego Leonardus imperialis notarius interfui et iussu supradicti domini W(olfkeri) patriarce hanc cartam scripsi et autenticavi et sigillo suo corroboravi." Thus, mutatis mutandis, it seems most probable that the final line went similarly here as well: "et sigillo suo insigniri". While it should be noted that both Härtel's and mine own reconstructions are conjectural, they are grounded in the notarial practices of this particular scribe.
The period between 1225 and 1227 was marked by epidemic warfare, plundering, and overall insecurity in the northern Adriatic region, a climate so perilous for the travelling merchants that Venice at one point even ouright forbade trading with Padua, the Patriarchate of Aquileia and Trieste, without the specific permission from the doge (cf. Härtel, cited above, pp. 94–95).
The situation calmed down in the early spring of 1227 when the Paduans reached an accord with Venice, opening the door wide for a reconciliation with the Patriarchate of Aquileia, which arrived soon thereafter, in the following May. The promise to uphold the old treaty was essentially, as Härtel puts it, “a unilateral renewal of the previous accord” (cited above, p. 96).
The pact would be renegotiated in 1248, following yet another crisis in the Patriarchate of Aquileia which resulted in the open warfare plaguing the region – see doc. 1248_VB.
The publication of the facsimile of A (Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Miscellanea ducali e atti diplomatici, busta 7, doc. A/7) is granted free of charge by Archivio di Stato di Venezia by way of the “simplified procedure” of publishing archival facsimiles (La circolare della Direzione generale archivi n. 39 del 29 settembre 2017: procedura semplificata: pubblicazioni online che perseguano finalità scientifiche o pedagogiche, non beneficino di inserzioni pubblicitarie o commerciali e non siano soggette ad accesso a pagamento).
Photo by the editor.
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