Alv Haraldsson and the provost dispute over Hennin
DN 2/567 · 14 April 1401 · Oslo
What the letter says
The knight Jon Darre and Ulv Lavransson, councillor in Oslo, declare that they were in the queen's room in the provost's residence in Oslo on the first day of summer, 14 April 1401, with Queen Margaret present. There Sir Alv Haraldsson promised with a handshake that he and the provost of St Mary's Church, Sir Arne Sigurdsson, would appear before the lawman in Oslo by Michaelmas. They were to receive the lawman's ruling on six markebol of land in Hennin in Nes parish in Romerike. The proviso was that neither of them was called out of the country on the realm's business by the king or the queen.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Jon Darre, knight, and Ulv Lavransson, councillor in Oslo, send God's greeting and their own. We make known that on the first day of summer in the twelfth year of the reign of our worthy lord Sir Erik, by God's grace King of Norway, we were in the room of my lady in the provost's residence in Oslo, while our dear lady Queen Margaret was present there. We saw and heard that the well-born man Sir Alv Haraldsson promised with yes and handshake to the honourable man Sir Arne Sigurdsson, provost of St Mary's Church in Oslo, that before the coming St Michael's Day they would come in to Oslo before the lawman and hear the lawman's ruling on six markebol of land [land with an annual land rent of six marks] in Hennin, which lies in Nes parish in Romerike. Excepted is the case that one of them, the provost or Sir Alv, is called out of the country by our lord the king or by our lady the queen on the realm's business. In truth of this we set our seals to this letter, which was made on the day and in the year stated above (1401). [Endorsement on the back: «Letter about Hennin, six markebol, which Sir Alv gave to the communitas at St Mary's Church».]
Original text
Ollom monnom þæim sæm þetta bref sea edher høyra senda Jon Darre riddare oc Wlfuer Lafrensson raadhman j Oslo quedio gudz oc sina kunniktgerande at a fyrstæ sumars dagh a tolfto are rikis vars wrdoligs herra herra Eriks medh gudz naadh Noreks konungs varom veer j minne frw stofuo j profastæ gardenum j Oslo varre kæræ frw drotningh Margareto þær þaa neerwerande saom oc høyrdom a at velboren man herra Alfuer Haraldzsson lag[d]e medh jaa oc handerbande jntill Oslo firir loghman moth erlighum manne
Background
Alv Haraldsson (Bolt) was a knight and councillor of the realm and was married to Katarina Jonsdatter, sister of Sigurd Jonsson, who later won Giske. St Mary's Church in Oslo was the king's chapel, and its provost was also chancellor of the realm, so Alv faced one of the most powerful clergymen in the kingdom. Queen Margaret was the real holder of power in the Nordic kingdoms, even though Eric of Pomerania was king, and that the agreement was made in her presence shows how close to the court Alv was. The proviso that they might be called out of the country suggests that both were in the realm's service. An endorsement on the back says that Sir Alv gave the six markebol in Hennin to the communitas, the common household of the clergy, at St Mary's Church. This suggests that the dispute ended with the land going to the church.
People: Alv Haraldsson (Bolt)