year: 1201
initiator: King Leon I of Cilician Armenia
recipient: Genoese
text: Mar. 1-31. Leon, Dei gratia rex Armeniorum, filius Stephanus et de potenti genere Rupinorum, postquam divina clementia promotus sum ad regalem dignitatem et sublimatus regali corone per manus Romani Imperii, wishes to encourage the Genoese to come to his kingdom. And so he makes a grant, signed in both Armenian and Latin, to Ogerius de Pallo, representing the Genoese. He gives freedom to come and go and sell throughout his land, entering and leaving through his ports. He gives the Genoese and their goods and merchandise safe conduct thoughout his land and those of his barones, so that the Genoese are freed on their purchases and sales from all servitium, drictura, pactum, exactio, angaria tributi vectigalis. Their goods are to be safe in shipwrecks. He gives land in his cities of Sisum, Mamista and Tharsus, so that in each the Genoese may build a church, a fundum, houses and a curia, in which they will have jurisdiction over Genoese, although if a Genoese has a claim against a man of another nationality the case will be decided in the royal curia. The Genoese are held to defend the rights of the king and men [of Cilician Armenia]. The charter was drawn up by Iohannes archiepiscopus Sisensis, Trium Arcium abbas, totius regni Armenie legatus et cancellarius.
Mar. 1-31. Leon, Dei gratia rex Armeniorum, filius Stephanus et de potenti genere Rupinorum, postquam divina clementia promotus sum ad regalem dignitatem et sublimatus regali corone per manus Romani Imperii, wishes to encourage the Genoese to come to his kingdom. And so he makes a grant, signed in... more
sources: Rovere and Puncuh I Libri 1/2:164-6, no. 344 (RRH no.781)
RRR: Privilege/exemption
1494
year: 1201
initiator: King Leon I of Cilician Armenia
recipient: Doge and citizens of Venice
text: Dec. 1-31. Leon, son of Stephen of the powerful family of Rupinids, dei gratia rex Armeniorum, makes a sealed grant to the doge and citizens of Venice, represented by Jacobus Badoarius, the son of the knight Johannes Badoarius, the emissary of the doge, who has a safe-conduct. He gives all Venetians freedom to go and return to his cities, ports and bridges with their merchandise, to buy and sell and export without paying dues [servitium, drictura, angaria et passagia], except when they are permanenly resident in the East and have come from other ports in the Levant, when they will pay as do all Christians, and except when they bring in silver and gold and mint besants or money, in which case they must pay the same dues [drictura] as do those in the territory of Acre. They will be safe if shipwrecked. They will be free to travel by land to any city, Christian or Muslim [Saraceni] with which Leon has a peace or truce agreement. The goods of those who are dying or die will be secure, but if intestate, the goods will be deposited with Johannes Sisensi archiepiscopus, regis Armenie cancellarius, and will be sent to the doge on his request. Disputes among Venetians will be settled by the Venetians themselves, although if they cannot be resolved, they will be treated in the presence of the archbishop. Disputes between a Venetian and a non-Venetian, including those leading to death, will be heard in the curia regalis. Leon makes an eleemosynary grant to the Venetians of a church and provisions for priests and clergy in Mamistra, together with a fundicum, in which they can store their merchandise, and a site for building a house. The charter was drawn up by dominus Johannes archiepiscopus Sisensis Armenie cancellarius.
Dec. 1-31. Leon, son of Stephen of the powerful family of Rupinids, dei gratia rex Armeniorum, makes a sealed grant to the doge and citizens of Venice, represented by Jacobus Badoarius, the son of the knight Johannes Badoarius, the emissary of the doge, who has a safe-conduct. He gives all... more
sources: Tafel and Thomas, Urkunden 1:373-85, no. 94 (RRH no. 786)
year: 1215
initiator: King Leon I of Cilician Armenia
recipient: Genoese
text: Mar. 15. Leon, Dei gratia rex Armenie, makes a sealed grant to all who call themselves Genoese, represented by Ugo Ferrarius vicecomes Ianuensium. He gives them the right to a free court [libera curia] throughout his land, which will be managed according to the customs of Genoa and will judge all cases and offences involving Genoese, except major theft and homicide. He grants the Genoese the right to buy and sell, come and go by sea or land, without the payment of any dues [drictura et passagium], whether their ships are wrecked or arrive safely or not. Excluded from this grant are the land now held by dominus Ottho de Thabaria, [the land now held by dominus Adam de Gaston], the land called Corc held by dominus Vaharan marescalcus, and the crossing duty [passagium] payable to dominus Leo de Cabban over the river called Iahan. Leon also gives the Genoese a vicus, a church and land in the city of Tarsus, on which to build a bathhouse and oven and plant a garden.
Mar. 15. Leon, Dei gratia rex Armenie, makes a sealed grant to all who call themselves Genoese, represented by Ugo Ferrarius vicecomes Ianuensium. He gives them the right to a free court [libera curia] throughout his land, which will be managed according to the customs of Genoa and will judge all... more
sources: Rovere and Puncuh, I Libri 1/2:168-71, no. 346 (RRH no. 875)