Archbishop Eskil hears witnesses in the dispute over Giske
DN 1/699 · 3 Novbr. 1424 · Nidaros
What the letter says
Archbishop Eskil of Nidaros makes known that Sigurd Jonsson and Magnus Magnusson met in the chapter house in Nidaros on 3 November 1424 to have the case of Giske and the Giske estate decided. Two witnesses swore that the parties, by handshake at Giske in September, had promised to lay the case before the archbishop. Sigurd declared Håkon Sigurdsson's will suspect, Magnus did not have all his letters with him, and the archbishop summoned them to the lawthing in Bergen at St Botolph's Mass, 17 June the following year.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
We, Eskil, by the grace of God Archbishop of Nidaros, send all friends of God and ours who see or hear this letter God's greeting and our blessing, and make known that in the year 1424 after God's birth, on the Friday next after All Saints' Day (3 November), well-born men came before us in our chapter house in Nidaros, at the proper time of summons: Sigurd Jonsson on the one side as plaintiff, and Magnus Magnusson on the other side as defendant. Present were the well-born men Sir Jakob Fastolfsson, knight, Narve and Mattis Jakobssønner, and our korsbrødre (canons) in Trondheim, Sira Arne Sørlesson, Sira Olav Jonsson, Sira Bersvein Nikolasson, Sira Ivar Gunnarsson, Sira Vinald Steinfinnsson and Sira Gudmund Pedersson, the well-born man Olav Nikolasson, the king's lawman in Trondheim and Trøndelag, and Odd Jonsson, Nikolas Knutsson and Jon Tordsson, town councillors in the same town. Then Sigurd Jonsson spoke to Magnus Magnusson: «Do you acknowledge, Magnus Magnusson, that you have agreed to meet me here in Trondheim before my lord the archbishop and the other good men he will call to him, and to lay the case of Giske and the whole Giske estate, the will and the gifts, under a final judgement?» Magnus Magnusson answered: «Yes, I acknowledge that I have agreed to this with you concerning Håkon Sigurdsson's letter of testament and the other letter.» Then Sigurd Jonsson had two trustworthy witnesses come forward, Herlog Gøtstavsson and Nisse Jønisson. They testified and swore a full book oath that they were
Original text (excerpt)
Wer Eskil med gudz nad erchibiskuper i Nidharoos. helsom allom gudz vinom ok varom sæm thetta bref sea eller høyra med q. g. ok varre blezzan. kunnuktgerande at areno eptir gudz byrd m cd xxiiii vppa freadaghin nw nest eptir helghona messo dagh. i waro sømpnherberghe i Nidharoos i rettom stefno thima kommo fyre oos velborne men Sigurd Ionsson aa einne holfo swa sæm tiltalande. en aa annare holfo Magnus Magnusson swa sæm swarande. hiawærandom velbornom mannom herra Jacob Fastolfsson riddare. Narf
Background
The letter belongs to the inheritance dispute over Giske that lasted from 1409 to 1426. According to the widow Sigrid Erlendsdatter, Håkon Sigurdsson, son of Sigurd Havtoresson and Ingeborg Erlingsdatter, had bequeathed Giske to her, and her second husband Magnus Magnusson pursued the case for her. Sigurd Jonsson, daughter's son of Sigurd Havtoresson and later drottsete (steward of the realm) and regent, believed he was the rightful heir. The letter is a letter of witness and a summons: the archbishop takes evidence from witnesses and sends the case on because most of the estate lay in the law district of Bergen, where Håkon had lived and where the marriage gifts and the will had been made. A lawthing was the regional court, and lagrettemenn were farmers who sat as judges. That the case concerned both a will and gifts at marriage shows how much women's inheritance rights and marriage settlements could matter for large estates.
People: Sigurd Jonsson, Magnus Magnusson, Håkon Sigurdsson