1199_PP

The document ought to be viewed together with the subjection of Barban, explicitly mentioned in this charter as well, edited here as doc. 1199_BP. For the context, the quartese and the herbaticum, see the “Editor’s Comments” for doc. 1199_BP.
The most recent analysis of this charter was the one published by Lujo Margetić (cited above), which, however, features many errors.

First, Margetić errs when he reads the date as “VIIII” instead of “IIII” as read by Kandler and Antoljak. Thus, Kandler made no mistake when he dated the charter to March 4, 1199.

Second, Margetić interpreted the document as if the people of Prnjani subjected their village not to the Commune of Pula, but to Giroldus and his companions. Thus, reasons Margetić, the incomes of Prnjani, the quartese and the herbaticum, were to be paid to Giroldus, not to the Commune of Pula. Margetić explains this subjection as fueled by “the latent, and often acute enmity between the commune and the bishopric” typical for Istria during the period. This entire interpretation is absolutely incorrect.

First, the people of Prnjani subjected they village to the Commune of Pula, just as the people of Barban did in February of the same year (doc. 1199_BP). Giroldus was here merely as the representative of the Commune of Pula, as explicitly states in the charter: “recipientibus [Giroldus and his associates] pro se et universo populo Polensi.” The incomes from the quarter of the tithe and the grazing tax were thus to go to the Commune of Pula, just as in the case of Barban. Finally, just as in the case of Barban, the villagers of Prnjani promised to henceforth receive justice only from the podestà and the magistrates of Pula.

The Giroldus who acts as the representative of the Commune of Pula is a notable lord. He enjoyed the possession of Gradina (Ital. Calisedo) by Lim Bay from the Bishopric of Trieste (Kandler, Codice diplomatico istriano, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1986), doc. 176, p. 334; document soon to be edited here as well), bestowing upon the entire possession the name “Geroldia”.

The Bernardus vicecomes Barbane remains a mysterious character. Antoljak (cited above) equated him with the eponymous gastald in Sveti Lovreč mentioned in 1183 (Kandler, Codice diplomatico istriano, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1986), doc. 170, p. 323; document soon to be edited here as well) and the viscount of Pula in 1199. This interpretation is highly unlikely, especially bearing in mind that he is mentioned as “vicecomes Barbane” and that gastalds were usually appointed from among the local population.

Margetić (cited above) interpreted the viscount as “the representative of the count of Gorizia in the Barban area.” This must also be judged as erroneous because the counts of Gorizia received Barban from Patriarch Raymond della Torre only in 1277 (see Peter Štih, I conti di Gorizia e l’Istria nel Medioevo (Rovinj 2013), pp. 127–129).

Since the viscount in Barban is mentioned after the subjection of Barban to the Commune of Pula, it is possible that this Bernard was, in fact, the representative of the superior jurisdiction in Barban, that is, the Commune of Pula.