Alv Haraldsson receives authority over the inheritance of Jon Torgilsson
DN 2/584 · 24 April 1405 · Skopthveit
What the letter says
The knight Gyrd Gyrdsson, Vigleik Arnesson and Anund Eiriksson declare that they were at Skofteveit in Svinndal in Råde ship district on the Friday of Easter week, 24 April 1405. There Torleiv Olavsson and his wife Ragnhild Håkonsdatter gave Sir Alv Haraldsson full and lawful authority over the whole inheritance after Jon Torgilsson, movable and immovable, wherever it could be found. Ragnhild said that she was Jon's legitimate maternal aunt and his heir. The end of the letter is damaged, but the couple probably promised not to hand the inheritance to anyone else before it might be taken from Alv by law.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Sir Gyrd Gyrdsson, knight, Vigleik Arnesson and Anund Eiriksson send God's greeting and their own. We wish to make known to you that we were at Skofteveit, which lies in Svinndal in Råde ship district, on the Friday of Easter week in the sixteenth year of the reign of our worthy lord Sir Erik, by God's grace King of Norway. We saw and heard that Torleiv Olavsson and Ragnhild Håkonsdatter, his wife, gave the well-born man Sir Alv Haraldsson their full and lawful authority over the whole inheritance that was left after Jon Torgilsson, movable and immovable, wherever he can find it. The said Ragnhild also said that she was the legitimate maternal aunt of Jon Torgilsson, born of legitimate parents, and his heir by law. The said married couple Torleiv and Ragnhild [promised not to] hand it over to any other man before it is taken from the said Sir Alv Haraldsson by law, [and concerning] Tufn, movable or immovable, as we two have done before [uncertain reading, the text is damaged]. In truth of this we set our seals to this letter, which was made on the day and in the year stated above (1405). [Endorsement on the back, later: «Letter of authority».]
Original text
Ollum monnum þæym sum þetta bref sea æðr heyra seinder herra Giurðr Giurdarsson riddare Wigleykar Arnæsson ok Annundar Eyrikxsson q. g.ok siina. mer willium yðr kunukt ghera at mer warum (a) Skopþweyt sum *liðr j Swindallum j Rodo skipreydho a fredagin j passka wiku aa xvi are rikis wars wirdulikx herra Eyrikx med gudz naad Norikx kunghx sagum ok heyrdum a at Þolleyfuar Olafzsson ok Ragnilda Hakunna dotter eyginkonna hans feingho wel bornum mannæ herra Alf Haraldzssyni syt fult wmbod ok loglikt
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. From another letter of the same spring we know that Alv had made a settlement with Jon Torgilsson about the farm Tufn in Råde, and that he owed Jon's widow Ingerid Andresdatter money under this settlement (DN 5/441). The authority gave Alv the right to claim and manage the inheritance on behalf of the heirs, and this suggests that he had interests of his own in Jon's property. A maternal aunt is a mother's sister, and Ragnhild stressed that she was legitimate and born of legitimate parents, because legitimate kin came first in the order of inheritance under the national law. The damaged end of the text mentions Tufn, but the context is uncertain. Svinndal lies in present-day Våler in Østfold.
People: Alv Haraldsson (Bolt)