This is the fifth scroll text I’ve done (for those keeping score – the fourth one has not yet been given out, so no blog post yet). It is for the Order of the Maunche, the East Kingdom Order of High Merit for Arts & Sciences. This is the first text I’ve done for a scroll of this level.
The text was based on Charter # 3, p. 142 – 1328-1341, Inheritance Charter of Knyaz Andrei Ivanovich granting a lot of land in the town of Staritse. From ДУХОВНЫЕ ГРАМОТЫ КНЯЗЕЙ (Charters of Inheritances of the Princes) from Исторические записки, Том 2 (Historical notes, vol 2), Moscow, 1948.
Се язъ кънѧзь велики Омега Змеев и его кънѧгиня Эфельдрэда, пожаловали еи Катрюши Скоморхи Негодѧева дочи, членство в нашем ордене Рукава.
И еи надобе моя кнѧжо дань, ни ѧмские денги, ни посошная слγжба, ни намеснич корм, ни праведчиков побор, ни поворотное, ни в ыные в мои пошлины не тѧнγт ни во что, ни в какие проторы, ни в розметы. А намесницы наши новогородскии и их тиγны ее не сγдѧт ни в чом, опричь дγшегγбства и татьбы с поличным. А комγ бγдет чего искати на ее, – ино их сγдим мы, кънѧзь велики Омега Zmeev и кънѧгиня Эфельдрэда, или комγ прикажим. А грамота дана в Конкордии Снежной лета 7523 маяа в 23 день. γ той даной восковая печать.
Literal translation:
And so, King Omega Serpentius and his Queen Etheldreda bequeathed to her Katrusha Skomorokh Negodiaeva doch’, membership in our order of the Maunche.
And she will not need to pay my royal tax, nor postal tax, nor militia service, nor support nobles, nor judicial tax, nor import duties, nor any other of my dues be pulled into of any kind, nor any expenses, nor troubles.
And our Novgorod nobles and their administrators her will not sue for anything except murder and theft caught in the act.
And whoever will seek from this yard or these people – them we will sue, King Omega Serpentius and Queen Etheldreda, or to someone will order.
And this charter is granted in the year 7523 may on the 23 day.
That grant is sealed with wax.
Figurative translation, which I read in court:
We, King Darius Aurelius Serpentius, called Omega, and his Queen Etheldreda Ivelchyld induct Katrusha Skomorokh Negodiaeva doch’ into our order of the Maunche.
And further, she shall be excused from our royal taxes, and from the postal taxes, and from militia service, and from in kind taxes for the nobles, and from the judicial taxes, and from import duties, nor shall she be encumbered or disturbed in any way.
Further, our nobles of Novgorod and their stewards shall have no criminal authority over her, except for murder and theft if caught red-handed.
Whoever claims against her will face the royal judgment and command of King Darius Aurelius Serpentius, called Omega, and Queen Etheldreda Ivelchyld
Granted on the 23rd day of May, AS 50, or 7523* since the creation of the world, or 2015 CE.
*Medieval Russia used the Byzantine Calendar, in which 2015 would be approximately 7523.
Final Scroll (C&I by Lady Lada Monguligin):
This, however, was the final version of the text. There was another version. In the original charter, prince Andrei Ivanovich bequeathed to a monastary a plot of land (двор) in the town of Staritse, and then granted broad tax and duty exemptions to the residents of that plot. This would, presumably, allow the monastary to operate something like a duty-free shop out of the space. In my first draft, I gave a similar plot of land to the recipient. I was then told that in the SCA it is not generally appropriate to grant lands, so I wrote the version you see above, stripping out the land grant and leaving in the tax exemptions. Here is the first version:
Russian:
Се язъ кънѧзь велики Омега Zmeev и его кънѧгиня Эфельдрэда, пожаловали еи Катрюши Скоморхи Негодѧева дочи, членство в нашем ордене Рукава, и дали есми еи дворцовое место под двор, что был двор Фетьки огородника, в своей отчине в городе в Новгороде возле Гаврилков двор Комовников. И хто γ нее в ее дворе γчнет жити людей, – и тем людем не надобе моя кнѧжо дань, ни ѧмские денги, ни посошная слγжба, ни намеснич корм, ни праведчиков побор, ни поворотное, ни города ни делают, ни двора нашего не ставѧт, ни в ыные в мои пошлины не тѧнγт ни во что, ни в какие проторы, ни в розметы. А намесницы наши новогородскии и их тиγны тех их людей не сγдѧт ни в чом, опричь дγшегγбства и татьбы с поличным. А комγ бγдет чего искати на этом дворе и на их людех, – ино их сγдим мы, кънѧзь велики Омега Zmeev и кънѧгиня Эфельдрэда, или комγ прикажим. А грамота дана в Конкордии Снежной лета 7523 маяа в 23 день. γ той даной восковая печать.
Literal translation:
And so, King Omega Serpentius and his Queen Etheldreda bequeathed to her Katrusha Skomorokh Negodiaeva doch’, membership in our order of the Maunche, and gave we her palatial place for a yard, which used to be the yard of Fetka the vegetable farmer, in our homeland in the city of Novgorod near the yard of Gavrila Komovnikov. And whoever the people who with her in her yard begin to live – to those people will not need to pay my royal tax, nor postal tax, nor militia service, nor support nobles, nor judicial tax, nor import duties, nor will be made into a town, nor into o yard, nor any other of my dues be pulled into of any kind, nor any expenses, nor troubles. And our Novgorod nobles and their administrators those people will not sue for anything except murder and theft caught in the act. And whoever will seek from this yard or these people – them we will sue, King Omega Serpentius and Queen Etheldreda, or to someone will order. And this charter is granted in the year 7523 may on the 23 day. That grant is sealed with wax.
Figurative translation:
We, King Darius Aurelius Serpentius, called Omega, and his Queen Etheldreda Ivelchyld induct Katrusha Skomorokh Negodiaeva doch’ into our order of the Maunche, and grant to her lands suitable for a manor, and these lands which once belonged to Fetka the vegetable farmer, in our homeland in the city of Novgorod near the lands of Gavrila Komonvnikov.
And whoever resides on these lands, they shall be excused from my royal tax, and from the postal tax, and from militia service, and from in kind taxes for the nobles, and from the judicial tax, and from import duties, nor shall these lands be incorporated into any towns or into our own lands, and will not be encumbered or disturbed in any way.
Further, our nobles of Novgorod and their stewards shall not prosecute any residents of these lands, except for murder and theft if caught red-handed.
Whoever disturbs these lands or their residents will face our royal judgment and command.
Granted on the 23rd day of May, AS 50, or 7523 since the creation of the world, or 2015 CE.
