Magnus Magnusson of Giske owes King Eric 300 marks
DN 1/691 · 11 Septbr. 1423 · Kjöbenhavn
What the letter says
In Copenhagen on 11 September 1423, Magnus Magnusson, «with the arms of Giske», issues a bond of debt to King Eric of Pomerania. He owes 300 lødige marks, reckoned at 45 Lübeck shillings per mark, for the revenues of the fief (len) in Trøndelag which he had administered for the king for several years. The debt is to be paid at 100 marks a year over three years, delivered on Michaelmas, 29 September, in the king's treasury in Copenhagen. The bishops of Århus and Oslo and two knights set their seals as witnesses.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
I, Magnus Magnusson, with the arms of Giske, make known with this my open letter that by right and acknowledged debt I owe the high-born and mighty lord and prince, my gracious lord King Eric, by the grace of God King of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, King of the Wends and the Goths and Duke of Pomerania. The debt is three hundred lødige marks (marks reckoned in full-weight silver) in good and current money, with five and forty Lübeck shillings reckoned for each lødig mark. It is to be paid within the first three years following one after another, one hundred lødige marks each year, and delivered without dispute on Michaelmas (29 September) in his fatebur (treasury) in Copenhagen. The Michaelmas that comes next after this day shall not be counted as one of the due dates. The three Michaelmases that follow after it shall be kept and counted as the three due dates, as is written above. I promise on my good faith and truth to pay this sum of money to my gracious lord as is written, without any hindrance or further delay. The debt concerns what I collected from the fief, that is the part of Trøndelag which I held in keeping for His Grace for several years at Trondheim. Should I owe my gracious lord more from this fief than this sum covers, I will settle it with His Grace when the sum of money has been paid at the appointed times, as is written. For greater security and certainty of all this I have
Original text (excerpt)
Jek Magnuss Magnusson a wapn aff Geische gør witerlicht meth thette mit opne breff at jek aff ræt witerlich skyld gældskyldich er høyboren oc mechtugh herre oc første myn natoghe herre konung Erik meth gudz nadhe Norges Da(n)marks Sweriges Wendes oc Godes konung oc hertugh j Pommeren, thry hundrethe løthighe marck gothe peninghe oc geffue fæm oc ffiretij schilling lubische rechnethe fore hwer løthich march for jnnen thry samfælde næst efterfølghende aar swo som er hwert aar hwndrethe løthich mar
Background
Magnus Magnusson was the second husband of Sigrid Erlendsdatter, the widow of Håkon Sigurdsson, and together they claimed that Håkon had bequeathed Giske to her. That he calls himself «with the arms of Giske» shows that he used the Giske arms and laid claim to the estate while the inheritance dispute with Sigurd Jonsson was going on. A fief (len) was an area where a magnate collected taxes and dues on the king's behalf and kept a share himself; the rest was to be delivered to the king. Lødige marks means marks reckoned in full-weight silver, and the fact that the value is given in Lübeck shillings shows how closely the Nordic monetary system was tied to the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. King Eric ruled the three Nordic kingdoms from Denmark, and that is why the debt had to be paid in Copenhagen.
People: Magnus Magnusson