On behalf of the commune and the podestà of Motovun, syndic John called Charles of Motovun formally protests before the magistrates and the people of Buzet against unauthorized use of Motovun’s forests and marshlands, declares the ancient boundaries of these woodlands, and threatens penalties for future violations.
In nomine Domini.
Anno nativitatis Eiusdem millesimo trecentessimo quarto, indictione 2da, die 15 februarii.
Actum in castro Pinguenti coram sua maiori ecclesia sanctae Mariae in sua platea apud campanille dictae ecclesie, presentibus testibus ad hoc vocatis specialiter et rogatis, videlicet domino presbitero Papone de Iustinopoli plebano Lanischie, Guielmo marico Portullarum, Laurentio vicino Portularum, Sermanda ser Marino mercatore qui fuit de Rotio, Ianco quondam ser Thomae dicti Curselich, Drusatio et Drusos ambobus fratribus dictis testibus, vicinis et habitatoribus Pinguenti et aliis multis.
Ibique vir providus et discretus dominus Ioannes dictus Carlo civis Montonae, nuntios, sindicus, procurator et ambassator nobilis et sapientis domini Nicolai Maripetro honorabilis potestatis Montonae pro inclito domino domino Petro Gradonico Dei gratia dignissimo duce ac Comuni Venetiarum, ab ipsis domino potestate, Consilio et Comuni Montonae directus ad dictum castrum Pinguentis cum litteris credulitatis et fidei adhibendae sibi et cum pleno sindicatu dicti domini potestatis, Consilii et Comunis dictae terrae Montonae – de cuius [s]indicatua patet publica firma scriptab manu Marcabani notarii de Venetiis cancellarii honorandi domini potestatis sub presente millesimo et indictione ac die factum et roboratum –, scilicet ad presentandum quae se cum litteris prefati domini potestatis cum suo sigillo sigillatis coram discreto viro ser Nicolao dicto Micula dicto Sebran gastaldione dicti castri Pinguentis et coram Thoma dicto Zanellich maricho dictae terrae, scilicet de faciendo infrascripta inhibitione et contraditione cum presenti tenore instrumenti protestationis et coram Consilio et Comuni Pinguenti sindicario et procuratorio nomine dictorum domini potestatis et potestatemc Venetorum et Consilii et Comunis Montonae.
Apertis igitur litteris predicti domini potestatis et lectis cum sindicatu Comunis Montonae coram predicto gastaldione, maricho et suo pleno Consilio et coram omni populo dictae terrae Pinguentis, predictus dominus Ioannes sindicus et procurator predicti domini potestatis et Comunis Montonae et specialiter de causa transmissus, invocans nomen domini nostri Iesu Christi viva voce astans coram predicto gastaldione, maricho, Consilio et Comuni Pinguenti, quod ex parte prefactorum domini potestatis et suorum successorum potestatum Venetorum in Montona et prelibati Consilii et Comunis Montonae, quod de cetero et amodo antea et inperpetuum prefacti gastaldioni et maricusd et vicini ac habitantese in Pinguento non veniant nec venire audeant vel presumant ad incidendum vel damnificandum in paludem sive in nemus Comunis Montone, nec ad faciendum aliqua lignamina in infrascriptum nemus Comunis Montonae, scientes et cognoscentes per certum nominati Pinguentini quod, si reperientur de cetero incidendo aliqua ligna vel damnificando in dicto nemore et pallude Comunis Montonae, quod nominati Pinguentini impignorabuntur, capientur et condemnabuntur iuxta arbitrium et voluntatem ipsius domini potestatis et suorum successorum potestatum Venetorum in Montona et Consilii et Comunis Montonae, prout impignorati fuerunt nominati Pinguentini hiis forte sex diebus ellapsis in predicto nemore sive pallude Comunis Montonae desuper bollasium magnum, quod est sub vena ecclesiae sancti Stephani, dum reperti fuerunt faciendo lignamen unius pergami sive mangani sui.
Qui Nicolaus gastaldio et Thomas Zanelich maricus de Pinguento interogantes nominatum dominum Ioannem sindicum de Montona, quod denuntiaret illis limites et confines predicti nemoris et palludis Comunis Montone ad hoc, ut ipsi Pinguentini et sui vicini de Pinguente sciant et cognoscant precavendo sibi, ne sine licentia domini potestatis et Comunis Montonae veniant in ipsam palludem et nemus ad laborandum nec aliquod lignamen ad incidendum.
Quibus Pinguentinis responsum fuitf a nominato sindico domino Ioanne de Montona, ut infra habetur et nobis declaravit limites et confines dicti nemoris Comunis Montonae, dicens nominatus sindicus:
“Ecce declaro et denuntio omnibus vobis Pinguentinis audientibus, et assero hos antiquos limites et confines predicti nemoris et palludis Montonae: in Christi nomine, incipiendo a primo capite versus orientem; respiciendo apud valles et prata castri Petrae Pillosae, quae sunt prope ipsum nemus; et sic limitando et girando versus saxum sive venam quae dicitur de Sincino, quae vena est desuper ipsum nemus sive palludem in costa unius montis de Sovignaco, qui mons est desuper ipsa pallude; et inde girando et limitando dictum nemus, veniendo usque ad insulam montis Sancti Quirini; et extendit se dictum nemus usque ad valles Segnae et usque ad prata et valles Charsiclae villarum Comitatus; et postea revertendo usque ad valles Sdegnae; et veniendo desuper bollasium maius, quod est sub vena ecclesiae sancti Stephani, super qua vena est castrum vel fuit castrum quod dicitur Gradaz; et postea respiciendo versus occidentem, veniendo per viam que recedit a dicto Gradaz prope dictum nemus Montonae, quae via est prope palludem dictam; et vadit dicta via per costas terreni, quod est sub vineis Sdregnae villae domini Viccardi de Petra Pillosa; et sic se extendit dictum nemus Montonae, prout vadit predicta via, que est prope nominatam palludem Comunis Montonae et quae vadit in pede montium castri Portullarum et quae via est prope vallem olim domini Dionisii de Montona, in qua valle est molendinum heredum domini Dionisii de Montona; et inde eundo per dictam viam sub montibus Portullarum, veniendo ad vallem domini Pizzimani de Montona, in qua valle est molendinum quod olim fuit dicti domini Picimani; et sic se extendit prescriptumg nemus Montonae prope dictam viam, qua itur ad vales quae sunt prope ecclesiam sancti Ioannis, iuxta quas valles et iuxta quam viam est pratum olim Melenti de Montona, per quod pratum vadit prescripta via, iuxta quam se extendit predictum nemus Montonae, per quam viam itur in pedemontium castrorum Portullarum, Piemontis et villarum Castagnae et Hysichii a[c]h castri Grisignani; et se extendit prescriptum nemus Montonae usque ad districtum castrorum Sancti Georgii et Grigani, ibi faciendo finem.”
Confitentes igitur nominati Nicolaus gastaldio et Thomas Zanelich maricus de Pinguento cum omnibus testibus suprascriptis suprascriptos esse antiquos limites et confines prelibati nemoris et palludis Comunis Montonae, prout ab antiquis paesaniis ipsi Pinguentini audiverunt, promiserunt et dixerunt nominati omnes Pinguentini se amplius non debere venire ad laborandum nec ad incidendum in ipso nemore et pallude Comunis Montonae superius confinato et limitato absque licentia et expressa voluntate dominorum potestatum et Comunis Montonae.
De quibus in inhibitionei et contraditione ac de confessione limitum et confinium prelibati nemoris de Montona facta, nominati Pinguentini coram testibus supradictis denominatus dominus Ioannes sindicus Comunis prelibati de Montona sindicario et procuratorio nomine Comunis Montonae est ibidem protestatus de iure et mero imperio denominati Comunis Montonae, utendo suis quibuslibet temporibus atque locis coram quocunque sive quibuscunque ad omnia supradicta constitutus et deputatus, rogans prenominatus sindicus de Montona me supradictum notarium inde sibi capere et publicare presentem protestum toties quoties sibi et prelibati Comuni fuerit necesse et opportunum.
Ego Nasinguerra de Montona imperiali auctoritate notarius et Comunis nunc Montonae cancellarius hiis omnibus interfui et rogatus scripsi et roboravi.
a) indicatu C; em. Banić. b) publica firma scripta] sic C: certe pro publicum instrumentum scriptum. c) sic C: pro potestatum. d) prefacti gastaldioni et maricus] sic C: seu pro prefacti gastaldio et maricus seu pro prefacti gastaldiones et marici. e) sic C: pro habitatores. f) seq. quod canc. C. g) seq. no canc. C. h) a C; ac ed. Kandler. i) in inhibitione] sic C.
The “document of protest” (instrumentum protestationis) that the Commune of Motovun presented to the Commune of Buzet in 1304 is notable for several important features.
First, and this garnered the most attention from positivist historians in the late 19th and early 20th century, this is the first document in which the territories of the counts of Gorizia in Istria are referred to as “Comitatus”. It was already Benussi and then De Vergottini (both cited above) who correctly noted that this term does not prove the existence of an autonomous county in Istria, but that this is merely a name given by the locals (and other jurisdictional factors) to the lands under the secular dominion of the counts of Gorizia. That this patchwork of jurisdictions in Istria did not form a single administrative entity is further demonstrated by the fact that Istrian territories were conceptualized as forming part of the “Comitatus Goricie” (see doc. 1271_DG).
Second, the document is notable for delineating in detail the famous Motovun forest, one of the principal natural resources of the Istrian peninsula. The boundaries seem to be described in a clockwise loop, starting in the east, proceeding south and west, and then returning north. Beginning at the eastern edge, the boundary extended toward the valleys and meadows surrounding the castle of Petrapilosa. From there, the line turned toward a ridge or watercourse known as Sincino, situated above the forest on the slope of Mount Sovinjak. Continuing southward, it reached the hill of Saint Quirinus, that is Drobežija or Soviština of present day, and spread further toward the valleys of Senj and the fields and lowlands of Kršikla, the villages of the Comitatus, that is, appertaining to the counts of Gorizia. The line then turned back northward to the valleys near Zrenj. From this point, the boundary stretched above a large marsh beneath the ridge by the Church of Saint Stephen, near the now-lost site of castle Gradac located west of Gradinje near Oprtalj. Heading westward, the line followed a road leaving Gradac, running alongside the forest and marsh, and passing below the vineyards of Zrenj, in territory held by Lord Weichard II of Petrapilosa. The forest continued along this path toward the base of the hills near Oprtalj, Završje, Kostajnica, and Iški (to the west of present-day Ipši). It then passed the valley of the late Lord Dionisius of Motovun, which contained a mill, and likewise the valley of Lord Pizzimanus of Motovun, where another mill was located. Proceeding onward, the route followed the valleys near the Church of Saint John and passed a meadow once owned by a Melenti of Motovun, through which the main forest road ran. This road continued along the foothills of the surrounding castles and villages, ultimately reaching the districts of Castle Sveti Juraj and Nigrinjan, where the boundaries of the Motovun forest and marshland came to an end. The delineation is very unsystematic, not to say chaotic, but it is possible that the description focused more on defining contested areas. Nevertheless, the document is a veritable goldmine for historical toponymy of the River Mirna Valley.
Third, the document sheds light on the communal structures of Istrian communities. Motovun was at this point already under Venice and therefore organized as a typical Venetian reggimento, under the administration of a regularly rotating Venetian nobleman elected by the Venetian Great Council to serve a fixed term as the podesta. This rector governed the community together with the local communal magistracies and the communal council. Buzet was not organized according to the same principles, and if the office of the regularly rotating foreign podestà is taken as the defining feature of communal organization, then Buzet cannot be properly characterized as a “commune” in this specific sense of the term. Buzet was governed by a gastald and a “maricus”, that is a meriga or župan – the former is an official designated by the margrave from among the local population and tasked with iurisdictio simplex and tax collection; the latter is, it would seem, elected by the heads of households to oversee the safety of the community and aid gastald’s administration. Motovun mirrors the Venetian reggimenti typical of the Dogado and Venetian Istrian communities along the western coast of Istria; Buzet represents the Aquileian and, to a degree, Gorizian Istria, governed by the local elites under the control of the regional officials delegated by the princeps.
Finally, it was Kurelić (cited above) who first highlighted the unequal power relations animating this document. It was Motovun and Venice that dictate the terms, that define the boundaries, and threaten punitive enforcement in case of disobedience. By contrast, the Aquileian subjects appear as transgressors, ultimately submitting to the judgment and accepting the territorial delineation imposed by the Venetian podestà and the Commune of Motovun.