Era
Vol. 4: A 1209 usque ad 1300
Date
Beginning of October, 1238
Place
Regestum

Answering the pleas of Aquileian Patriarch Berthold V, Emperor Frederick II decrees that throughout Friuli and Istria criminal justice administration and everything else pertaining to corporal punishments and coercion (merum et mixtum imperium) resides exclusively with the patriarch of Aquileia, threatening to deprive of their fiefs anyone who would dare to administer criminal justice on patriarchal territories.

Source
The original was pawned in 1303 and is considered lost; the text survives in later copies:
B = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Miscellanea atti diplomatici e privati, busta 10, doc. 333; a vidimus from 1303 with the following heading: Item quoddam privilegium domini Friderici imperatoris cum sigillo eius cereo sigillatum, cuius tenor talis est.
C = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Consultori in iure, ms. 366/2, fol. 13r; 15th-century simple copy under the following heading written in red ink Privilegium serenissimi domini Federici imperatoris per quod declarat quod infeudati patrie Foriiulii non possunt exercere merum et mistum imperium sine licentia domini patriarche, and another title written in black ink on the upper left margin Privilegium domini Phederici Romanorum imperatoris concessum domino Beltrando patriarche Aquilegiensi de anno MCCXXXVIII.
D = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Consultori in iure, ms. 366/3, fol. 13v-15r; a copy included in a codex authenticated by 8 notaries on September 14, 1481, with the following heading added in red ink on the left margin: Prohibitio Federici imperatoris quod feudatarii ecclesie Aquilegiensis non se intromittant in causis et penis sanguinis et meri ac mixti imperii.
E = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Consultori in iure, ms. 366/4: Trattato di Giacomo Gordino arcidiacono di Aquileia per lo Statthalter Girolamo Vendramin, fol. 20v-21r, late-15th-century simple copy (terminus post quem October 18, 1496) under the following heading: Privilegium domini Federici imperatoris quo cavetur ne quis pretextu alicuius pheudi vel advocatie in mansis possit de criminalibus causis, furtis et cetera, que merum et mixtum imperium sapiunt et ab imperio obtinentur cognoscere, sed solum patriarcha et sui officiales, et punit eos qui contra agunt, ut in eo lege feliciter.
F = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Consultori in iure, ms. 366/7: 1193 e susseguenti: Privilegi ed investiture feudali di Enrico e Federico imperatori de Romani a favor del patriarca di Aquileia con altre investiture feudali del conte di Gorizia a favor del detto patriarca, fol. 9r-10r; late-15th/early-16th century simple copy based on C.
Previous Editions
Jean Louis Alphonse Huillard-Bréholles, Frederici secundi historia diplomatica, vol. 5/1 (Paris 1857), pp. 240-242; based solely on older, 17th-century editions.
Pietro Kandler (ed.), Codice diplomatico istriano, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1986), doc. 271, pp. 468-469; based on an unknown manuscript (“Dal libro MS copia di altro che era del Fiscalato di Gorizia”), judging by the emendations, dating from Early Modern era.
FIM Edition
Reconstructive edition based on BCDE (F is excluded as it is based on C), principally following B, a copy of the original. The -ę introduced in D is ignored and is not reported in the critical apparatus; the differences between sibilant -ti and -ci are also not reported in the critical apparatus.
Transcription

Fridericusa Dei gratia Romanorum imperator semper augustus, Ierusalemb et Siciliec rex.

Per presens scriptum notum fieri volumusd universis Imperii fidelibus, tam presentibus quam futuris, quod dilectus princeps noster Bertholduse venerabilisf patriarcha Aquilegensisg in nostrah proposuit presencia constitutus, quod cum quidam in Foroiulioi et in Istriaj existentesk, qui al predecessoribus suis vel ab ipso per Aquilegensem ecclesiam infeudatim sunt in mansis paucis vel pluribus, et quandoquidemn obtinuerunto in eisp advocatiam gratiaq conferentis, idemr infeudati privatis eorum utilitatibus et suis proventibus non contenti, de furtiss et aliis criminalibust causis et penisu iudiciumv sanguinis inferentibus et de quibusdam que spectant ad merum et mixtum imperium, que omnia pertinent iurisdictioniw eiusdem principis nostri ratione regalium, sex auctoritate propria temere intromittanty ex hoc tantum, sicut dicitur, quod mansos cum omni iure obtinentz, ad iuris iniuriama' attemptantesb'. Quare nostre celsitudini supplicavitc' ut, cum hec omnia tam predecessores sui quam ipse auctoritate Imperii obtineantd', dignaremure' temeritati repugnantiumf' obviare et iurisdictionem suam servari integre mandaremusg'.

Cum igitur specteth' ad imperatoriami' maiestatem principum nostrorum iuri prospicerej', attendentesk' insuper immensaml' devotionem predicti nostri principis, venerabilis patriarche, quem ad nostra et Imperii servicia semper et ubique paratum et expositum invenimus, ut in sua iurisdictione incomodumm' vel iniuriamn' non incurrat, predictamo' abusivam consuetudinem ab eisdem infeudatis inventam vel hactenus approbatam penitus abolemus, presentis scripti auctoritate generaliter inhibentes quod nulli eorumdem infeudatorum in Foroiuliop' vel inq' Istria de cetero liceat occasione mansi siver' mansorum quos ab Aquilegensi ecclesias' feudalitert' obtinere noscuntur vel sub pretextuu' advocatie vel occasione sumptav', quod mansos cum omni iure obtineant, cum verbum ipsumw', silicetx' cum omni iure privatas et anexas ipsisy' mansis utilitates exponat, de criminalibus causis, furtis etz' fustigationibus, vel consimilibus que ad iudiciuma'' sanguinis spectantb'' vel merum et mixtum imperium sapiunt, cognoscere vel temerec'' se intromittere sine predicti patriarche indulgentia vel mandato, sed tantum idem patriarcha et officiales sui, quos auctoritate ordinarie iurisdictionis loco et vice sua duxeritd'' deputandos, predictam iurisdictionem exerceante'' sicut decet.

Si quif'' vero contra presentis nostre prohibitionis edictumg'' venire presumpserith'' et in abusione solitai'' temptaveritj'' permanere, presumptoresk'' ipsos eisdeml'' mansorum sive advocatie feudism'' ingratos decernimus et indignos maxime cum privilegium mereaturn'' amittereo'' qui concessa sibi abutitur potestate.

Ad cuius rei memoriam etp'' stabilem firmitatem presens scriptum fieri et sigillo maiestatis nostre iussimus communiriq''.

Datum in castrisr'' in obsidione Brixie, anno Dominice incarnationis millesimo ducentesimo tricesimo octavos'', menset'' octobrisu'', duodecimev'' indictionis, imperante domino nostro Frederico secundow'' Dei gratia invictissimo Romanorum imperatore semper augusto, Ierusalem et Sicilie regex'', imperii eius anno octavodecimoy'', regni Ierusalem terciodecimoz'', regni vero Sicilie quadragesimo primoa'''.

Feliciter, amen.

Critical apparatus

a) Fredericus C; Federicus DE.  b) Inerusalem D.  cCED; Sycilie B et undique sic.  d) fieri volumus] inv. E.  e) Beltrandus C; Bartholdus D; Bertoldus E.  fCDE; om. B.  g) Acquilegiensis et saepe sic C; Aquileiensis et saepe sic D.  h) nostri E.  i) Foriiulii C.  jDE et undique sic; Histria et undique sic C; Ystria et undique sic B.  kCDE; existens B.  l) qui a] quia E.  m) inpheudati et saepe sic C.  n) quidam D.  o) obtinuerit C; obtineant D; obtinuerunt corr. ex obtinuerit E.  p) obtinuerint in eis] in eis obtinuerit C; in eis obtineant D; in eis obtinuerunt E.  q) gratie CD.  r) iidem CE.  sCDE; furtibus B.  tCDE; criminibus B.  u) poenis D.  v) iudicum C.  w) iurisditioni C.  x) et C.  yDE; intromitant C; intromittunt B.  z) ex hoc—iure obtinent] om. C.  a') in iniuriam C.  b') atemptantes C; attentantes D.  c') suplicavit D.  d') obtinente C.  e') dignemur C.  f'ex obviantium corr. et seq. repugnare canc. D.  g') mandaremur C.  h') spectat D.  i') imperialem C.  j') prosicere E.  k') attentantes D.  l'CDE; inmensam B.  m') incommodum E.  n') incomodum vel iniuriam] iniuriam vel incomodum inv. CDE.  o'om. C.  p'CE; Foroiulii BD.  q'om. C.  r'seu C.  s') ab Aquilegensi ecclesia] CDE; ad Aquilegensem ecclesiam B.  t'om. C.  u') pretestu C.  v') prescripta D.  w'om. C.  x'sic BC; .s. E; om. D.  y') ipsius D.  z'om. CDE.  a'') iudicum C.  b'') spectat C; om. D.  c''CDE; om. B.  d'') duxerunt D.  e'') exerceat E.  f'') quis C.  g'') editum C.  h'') presumpserint E.  i'') abusione solita] abusionem solitam D.  j''C; tentaverit D; temptaverint BE.  k'') presumptuosos C.  l'') eorumdem D.  m'') feudi D; pheudis E.  n'') meretur D.  o''CDE; ammittere B.  p''om. E.  q'') conmuniri D.  r''CDE; castro B.  s'') millesimo ducentesimo tricesimo octavo] MCCXXXVIII CD.  t'') mensis CDE.  u''CDE; octubris B.  v'') XII CDE.  w'') Frederico secundo] inv. C.  x'') Ierusalem—rege] om. C.  y'') XVIII CD.  z'') XIII CD.  a''') quadragesimo primo] XLI CD.

Medieval Recollections

“Item privilegium concessum per Federicum imperatorem quod nullus de Foroiulio vel Istria intromittat se de iurisdictione sanguinis vel aliis criminalibus causis sine licentia domini patriarche in MCCXXVIII cum bulla cerea.” – Thesauri claritas, opus saec. XIV, ed. Bianchi, Thesaurus ecclesiae Aquileiensis (Udine 1847), n. 1166, p. 340.

Selected Bibliography
Pio Paschini, “Bertoldo di Merania patriarca d'Aquileia (1218–1251),” Memorie storiche forogiuliesi 16 (1920): pp. 31.
Giovanni de Vergottini, Lineamenti storici della costituzione politica dell'Istria durante il Medio Evo, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1974), pp. 89.
Heinrich Schmidinger, Patriarch und Landesherr: Die weltliche Herrschaft der Patriarchen von Aquileia bis zum Ende der Staufer (Graz-Cologne 1954), p. 95.
Heinrich Schmidinger, “Federico II e il Friuli,” in Il Friuli dagli Ottoni agli Hohenstaufen, ed. Giuseppe Fornasir (Udine 1984), p. 314.
Editor's Notes

The oldest surviving copy dates to 1303 and it is a vidimus on the basis of the lost original (ms. B, digitally reproduced below).

However, there was once a vidimus made in 1262, also on the basis of the original, authenticated by three notaries. This 1262 vidimus is also considered lost, but it was used as a template for the copy in D. Based on ms. D, the heading of this 1262 vidimus is the following: Hoc est exemplum sumptum ex auctentico cuiusdam privilegii integri domini Federici Romanorum imperatoris sigillati eius sigillo cereo integro et ilęso, cuius tenor talis est, and the notarial attestations are the following: Ego Hermannus de Perticha imperiali auctoritate notarius ex mandato mihi facto per venerabilem patrem dominum Gregorium sancte sedis Aquilegensis patriarcham presens exemplum cum eius originali integro vidi, tenui ac fideliter auscultavi, ipsum verbo ad verbum, sicut in eo erat et legabatur, rescribens nihilque addens in eo quod sententiam variet sive sensum, sub anno Domini Mo CCo LXIIo, indictione V, die decimo intrante februario in Austria Civitate in camera patriarchali. Ego Iohannes de Lupico Sacri Imperii publicus notarius vidi et cetera. Ego Conradus imperiali auctoritate notarius et cetera.

Editor's Apology:

In my article "King Otto IV's Donation of the Margraviate of Istria to the Patriarchate of Aquileia" published in 2022 in Historijski zbornik (available here), I have made an embarrassing error: although I originally stated correctly that the 1303 parchment contains the copies of Frederick II's confirmations of Berthold's regalian rights issued in 1232 and 1238 (the hereby edited charter), I have subsequently, in table 1 on page 20, erroneously equated the 10th vidimus of 1303 parchment as "Frederick II’s promulgation and confirmation of the peace treaty signed between Patriarch Berthold and the Commune of Koper issued in 1238". This is not true; the 10th vidimus of 1303 charter is the document hereby edited, whereas the 1238 confirmation of the treaty signed between Patriarch Berthold and the Commune of Koper is preserved in a different manuscript tradition *edited here as 1238_FBI).

How to Cite
First citation: Josip Banic (ed.), Fontes Istrie medievalis, vol. 4: A 1209 usque ad 1300, doc. 1238_FB, fontesistrie.eu/1238_FB (last access: date).
Subsequent citations: FIM, 4: doc. 1238_FB.
Facsimile
Right arrow
Image Source and Info

The publication of the facsimile of B (Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Miscellanea atti diplomatici e privati, busta 10, doc. 333) 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 Archivio di Stato di Venezia.

The editor has overlaid a red arrow onto the facsimile simply to mark the exact place on the parchment where the edited document begins.

The facsimile remains under the exclusive copyright of Archivio di Stato di Venezia.