Emperor Otto II gifts large estates on both sides of the Alps, including the Province of Istria, to his wife Theophanu as a dowry.
‡In nomine sanctę et individuę trinitatis.‡
‡Otto divina favente clementia imperator augustus.‡
Creator et institutor omnium ab aeterno Deus quecumque sunt rerum, primordialibus initio nascentis mundi in perfecta elegantia editis naturis, hominem simul qui cunctis a se creatis preesset et dominaretur, ad imaginem et similitudinem Suam artifex summe bonus concedere voluit. Quem solum manere cum nollet, ut in multiplicem propaginem perpetuo duratura posteritas ordini angelico ob superbiam imminuto reparando sufficeret, adiutorium coniugale eidem homini costa corpori eius detracta fabricatus est duosque in carne una deinceps esse mirabili providentia ordinavit, lege sanctissima patrem et matrem relinquendos et adherendum uxori suę decernens. Ad hoc ipse utriusque testamenti institutor, mediator Dei et hominum dominus Iesus Christus in humana carne adveniens, ipse ex inmaculato virginis utero tamquam sponsus egressus de thalamo ad coniungendam sibi sponsam Aeclesiam, ut ostenderet bonas et sanctas esse nuptias legitima institutione celebratas seque auctorem esse earum, ad eas venire et primo maiestatis suę miraculo eas lętificare, dum aquam vertit in vinum, voluit et sanctificare. Edicto denique proprio a Deo factas esse nuptias ostendens in evangelio dicit: “Quod Deus coniunxit, homo non separet.”1 Apostolica item sententia: “Honorabile conubium et thorus inmaculatus.”2 Pluribus quoque sanctorum librorum firmatur testimoniis, ut nuptialis foederis conexio Deo auctore fieri debeat et ad procreandam subolem mutua et indissolubili dilectione persistat.
Unde et ego ‡Otto‡ superno numine imperator augustus, Domino gratissima Sua mihi suffragante clementia, consultu magni et sanctissimi ac serenissimi genitoris nostri ‡Ottonis‡ piissimi imperatoris augusti Deique et sanctę Aeclesię, Imperii quoque nostri fidelium, ‡Theophanu, Iohannis‡ Constantinopolitani imperatoris neptim clarissimam, in maxima Romulea urbe, sancto summoque aeclesiarum principe beato Petro apostolo votis nostris favente domnique ‡Iohannis‡ sanctissimi et universalis papae tertii decimi benedictione prosequente, in copulam legitimi matrimonii consortiumque Imperii despondere ac fausto et felici auspicio Christo propitiante coniugem decrevi assumere.
Noverit igitur omnium sanctę Dei Ęclesie nostrorumque fidelium presentium ac futurorum industria, qualiter eidem dilectissime sponse nostre dote legitima more maiorum nostrorum quedam tam infra Italicos fines quam et in transalpinis regnis nostris habenda et iure perpetuo concedimus possidenda:
[1] Histriam Italię provinciam cum Comitatu Piscariaa,
[2] trans Alpes provintias Walacra, [3] Wigle cum [4] abbatia Nivelle, quattuordecim milibus eo pertinentibus mansis,
[5] imperatorias quoque curtes nostras propria maiestate dignas Bochbarda, [6] Thiela, [7] Herivurde, [8] Dullede, [9] Nordhuse, eo quod avię nostrę domnę Mahthildis semper semperque augustę quoad sibi divinitus vixisse dabatur fuisse dinoscitur.
Ea per hanc nostri precepti paginam eidem sanctissimę et dilectissimę ‡Theophanu‡ sponsę nostrę concedimus, donamus penitusque largimur et de nostro iure et dominio in eius dominium iusque transfundimus et delegamus, unacum castellis, casis, servis et ancillis, terris, campis, vineis, pratis, silvis, montuosa planiemque tenentibus, aquis aquarumque decursibus, molendinis, piscationibus omnibusque rebus ad easdem curtes sive provincias vel abbatiam in integrum pertinentibus, quatinus iure proprietatis ea omnia habeat, teneat firmiterque possideat sitque sibi potestas donandi, vendendi, commutandi vel quicquid exinde iuste decreverit faciendi, omnium hominum contradictione remota.
Quod si quis hoc nostrę dotis preceptum infringere temptaverit, obnoxium se nostrę noverit maiestati, compositurus insuper eidem sponse nostre dilectissime ‡Theophanu‡ nostrisque heredibus auri optimi libras mille.
Quod, ut verius credatur diligentiusque in tempora futura servetur, manu propria roborari et anuli nostri impressione subter iussimus insigniri.
‡Signum invictissimorum domni (SM) magni et pacifici item signum domni (SM) perenniter augustorum.‡
Williisus cancellarius advicem Ruotperti archicapellani recognovi.
Data XVIII kalendas maii, anno Dominicę incarnationis DCCCCLXXII, indictione XV, imperii sanctissimi genitoris nostri ‡Ottonis‡ XI, nostri vero V.
Actum Rome, ad sanctos apostolos.
Feliciter.
a) cum Comitatu Piscaria] add. sup. l. A.
1) VULG, Marcus 10:9.
2) VULG, Hebraeos 13:4.
The wedding charter of Otto II and Byzantine princess Theophanu is a famous document, primarily due to its lavish design – a purple-colored parchment with golden letters, imitating the style of the Eastern Empire’s solemn diplomata. In the contest of Istrian history, it is important due to the first property Otto II gifts as a dowry to his wife: “Istria, the province of Italy, with the County of Piscaria.” This line presents some interpretative difficulties.
Traditionally, the line was interpreted as “Istria, the province of Italy, with the County of Pescara”, as in the present-day Italian province of Pescara in the South which formed part of the Duchy of Benevento already in the 9th century (Deeters, cited above, p. 19). This remains the dominant interpretation to this day. Consequently, Istria and Pescara were interpreted as being gifted as a sort of “land and sea connection to Byzantium” (Ohnsorge, cited above, p. 37; Georgi, cited above, p. 149; Kislinger, cited above, p. 247). Moreover, Giovanni Isabella (cited above, pp. 243–244) hypothesized that the two territories south of the Alps were gifted to “strengthen Ottonian control in areas that had been under the rule of Constantinople precisely through their assignment to a Byzantine princess.”
However, as Georgi (cited above) underlines, the Piscaria could also refer to Peschiera del Garda and Castiglione del Lago in Umbria. The main problem is that the wording of the document (cum Comitatu Piscaria) points towards this Piscaria being in the province of Istria (the very north-west of the Regnum Italicum) and not that far away to the south (in which case it would have to be et Comitatu Piscaria). Moreover, the pertinence clause does not mention any “County” of Comitatus, but it does mention “estates” – curtis. Thus, it was hypothesized that the phrase “cum Comitatu Piscaria”, initially omitted and only later inserted above the line, was originally supposed to be “cum curte Piscaria”, thus an estate Piscaria that would be in the Province of Istria (Georgi, cited above, 149, fn. 33). However, even such a creative reading does not solve this mystery as there are no known toponyms in Istria that could be identified with Piscaria. At this point, it has to be concluded that the mystery of the County (or estate) of Piscaria remains unsolved.
Besides Istria and the mysterious Piscaria, all the other gifted properties are situated north of the Alps, in the territories of present-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. These are: Walcheren and Tiel (Low Countries), Wichelen with Nivelle Abbey and its dependencies (present-day Belgium, south of Bruxelles), Boppard (Middle Rhine), Herford (central Saxony), Tilleda and Nordhausen (northern Thuringia).
Whatever the original intent behind gifting Istria to Theophanu, no historical record survives that would attest to the presence or any sort of governmental action of the Byzantine princess in Istria. The region continued to form part of the Bavarian (later Carinthian) duchy with appointed counts (and later margraves) stemming from “north-of-the-Alps” nobility. For Istria, at least according to the surviving primary sources, the 972 dowry ushered no changes to the governmental landscape.
The digital facsimile of A is available online as a public domain item on Wikimedia Commons.