An Embarrassment of Riches
Page 14
PART III Prologue
IMBOLYA OF HEVES
Prologue
Text of a letter from Notay Tibor of Kaposvar at Kaposvar to Przemysl Otakar II at Praha, dictated to Frater Deodor and delivered by him twenty-nine days after it was written.
To the most excellent Konig, Przemysl Otakar II of Bohemia, the most respectful greetings of Notay Tibor of Kaposvar, on the 15th day of January, in the 1270th year of Grace, in accordance with the wishes of the dear Royal.
Most exalted Konig of all Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, Styria, Carinthia, and Carinola,
When you sent me back to my estates last autumn and ordered my wife, Rozsa of Borsod, to return here from your Konige's Court, I was afraid this would mean dismissal from your Court for me and from the Konige's for my wife, given the state of affairs between Hungary and Bohemia. But at that time you assured me that once Rozsa became pregnant and the pregnancy was verified by a capable midwife, my wife might return to the Konige's Court until her delivery is less than two months away, at which time she is to return here for the sake of our child, so that it may be born here at Kaposvar, or so you assured me would be the case. This will provide you what intelligence you may need to put into place the fulfillment of your pledge so that with your approval of these arrangements, I will be permitted to rejoin you on campaign.
As you will recall from our discussion on this point, I believe that Rozsa of Borsod will be far safer in your Konige's Court than here once I am gone from here, at least until her delivery is near, when she will be able to command the company of her cousins and her brother for her guards, and the attention of Sorer Sagitta of Santa-Trava, who will receive Rozsa of Borsod into the convent to await the birth. Too many of my relatives are eager to make a claim on my estates, and if they can control my wife and make a hostage of my child, they will then seek to gain complete hold over Kaposvar and the fiefs within its limits, a development that I fear would bode ill for us all. It is true that Bohemia and Hungary are not truly at peace, but both you and Konig Bela are united against Rudolph von Hapsburg, Comes of Austria, and so I am convinced that Rozsa of Borsod, while she is once again in the Konige's Court, will help ensure that continuing cause to contain von Hapsburg is not allowed to falter, to the benefit of both you and Konig Bela.
Therefore I rejoice to tell you that according to Matra Novea, the midwife for Kaposvar, my wife is two months pregnant and the pregnancy is well-settled. With your permission, I will inform my wife that she may come to Konige Kunigunde's Court from April until Mid-Summer, where she may once again serve the Konige for the honor of Hungary and the protection of our child. She has told me that she is looking forward to seeing the other ladies-in-waiting, and will, if you give your permission, travel with the two new women commanded to serve Konige Kunigunde in Praha. I believe my wife will add to the Konige's comfort and will provide a cushion against intrigue as one who will lessen the degree of mistrust among the ladies-in-waiting as well as give an example of Christian conduct and piety.
To that point I will say that it is a pity about Erzebet of Arad, but her family has always been treacherous, so it may be just as well that she took so deadly a fever and died of it, for then she had no chance to cause harm to the dear Royal or her children, as some of us feared she might. Had she been well for all her days at the Konige's Court, she would have proven to be as disruptive there as she has been in Buda-Pest. I praise God for keeping Erzebet from bringing misfortune to the Konige and her children, for the Hungarian and Bohemian Crowns. I myself have instructed my wife to be vigilant against all efforts to compromise the Konige's Court and the honor of Bohemia; you may rely on her good-will implicitly, for as a Hungarian in Bohemia, she knows that she must consider both kingdoms in all she does. May God send more such worthy women to serve the Konige this time.
My scribe, Frater Deodor, has expressed my thoughts for me with true elegance and accuracy, far better than I, myself, would do, if I had the knowledge of letters he does. Through his service to Kaposvar he has earned my trust and my high regard, for he is a man of many God-given gifts, all of which are useful to our shared interests. For his talents as a scribe and his abilities as a recorder, I ask that you permit him to travel with my wife to the Konige's Court so that I may be kept informed of the progress of her pregnancy.
In all fealty and devotion to you as the Konig of Bohemia and the champion of many, many Christians, I submit this petition for your consideration, and I pray that you will grant my pleas to you in every particular. May God show you His Mercy and His Protection, may your kingdom flourish and become the Empire you so ardently seek, may the mantel of the Holy Roman Empire fall upon your shoulders, may the riches with which God has blessed you be the source of prosperity and strength for your House for generations to come, and for all Bohemia; for as long as the Moltava flows may Praha be a beacon of prosperity for all the world.
With the pledge of my duty and honor,
Notay Tibor of Kaposvar
by the hand of Frater Deodor, Redemptionist monk