Vita Caroli
War on Every Side
Charles campaigns against the Count of Gorizia in the Puster Valley while his father defeats the Duke of Austria, even as enemies press Tyrol from every direction and two bishoprics are filled.
In the time following Easter, on the day after, we had assembled an army from the county of Tyrol and entered the Puster Valley, in the diocese of Brixen, against the Count of Gorizia, and we captured the castle on Mount Saint Lambert. We advanced further against the count I mentioned and laid waste to his lands as far as the pass called Lienz. And we were in the open fields with the aforementioned army for three weeks in that devastation, because he was an ally of the dukes of Austria, our enemies. On the morrow of the blessed martyr George, my father put Otto, the duke of Austria, to flight beyond the Danube and captured many castles in Austria. Louis, however, who was acting as emperor, was aiding the dukes of Austria, and as a result all of Germany — and the governors of the cities in Lombardy, and especially Mastino della Scala, governor of Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Treviso, Brescia, and the cities of Parma and Lucca. All of them were invading us and the county of Tyrol with all their strength, so that the city of Trent and the entire Eisack Valley were in great danger from the Lombards. But to the Inn Valley, great dangers threatened both from the Swabians and from the Bavarians, so that the entire county of Tyrol was in grave danger as if from every side. At that time we made Nicholas, by nation a man of Brno, our chancellor, bishop of Trent, and a man named Matthew, chaplain of my brother, bishop of Brixen, because both bishoprics were vacant at the same time.
The Bavarian Campaign and a Fragile Peace
Louis the Bavarian invades Bavaria with the Duke of Austria; Charles attempts a relief expedition but is blocked at Kufstein, and a negotiated settlement restores territory and money to the family.
That same summer, Louis, who was acting as emperor, led a great army with all the princes of Germany against Henry, duke of Bavaria, our brother-in-law, who was then with us. The duke of Austria came to Louis's aid through Passau, and our father, coming to help Henry, they encamped near a stream by Landau. Then Louis came with the duke of Austria and others, with a great army. Because the stream denied them access, they laid waste to Bavaria for a month. Although Duke Henry's army was smaller, Louis and the duke of Austria returned home without accomplishing their purpose. At the same time, wishing to come to the aid of our father and brother-in-law from the county of Tyrol with a great force of foot soldiers and horsemen, we could not get through Kufstein, where Louis's son was. We besieged him there with that same force for as long as the princes lay encamped against us in the fields. But when they had pulled back, we returned toward Tyrol. After these things, around the feast of Michael, an agreement was negotiated between our father and the duke of Austria: the duke would restore the city of Znaim, which our father had given to him along with his daughter as a dowry, and would give a large sum of money to our father and certain forts near the river Drava in the county of Tyrol to our brother; but the duchy of Carinthia he was to keep for himself.
The Failed Prussian Expedition
Charles and his father march against the Lithuanians in Prussia, but an unseasonably mild winter without ice forces them to abandon the campaign.
At last that same winter we went with our father toward Prussia against the Lithuanians. And there were with us in the same place the counts William, a young man from Holland, from Montibus, a young man from Lo, and very many other counts and barons.1 The winter, however, was so mild that there was no ice; and so we could not advance against the Lithuanians, but each of us returned to our own affairs.2
Flight Through Hostile Seas
Denied safe-conduct by Austria, Charles travels through Hungary to the Adriatic, is trapped by Venetian galleys, and escapes by slipping away in a fishing boat disguised under sacks and nets, finally reaching Aquileia on foot.
When a great war had broken out among the Lombards — the very conflict we had discussed before leaving Tyrol, namely on account of the league the Venetians, Florentines, Milanese, Ferrarese, Mantuans, Bolognese, and very many others had formed against Mastino della Scala, governor of Verona and Padua, who was our enemy, as appears above — at that same time, in the month of April, we traveled through Moravia into Austria, wanting to enter Lombardy, where the Duke of Austria refused to grant us a safe-conduct. Then, placing ourselves on ships, we crossed over to the King of Hungary, who from the city of Buda gave us a safe-conduct through Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia, all the way to the city of Senj on the seashore, where we put out to sea. Because the Venetian captains had learned of us — though we were their friends — they wanted to capture us. Thereupon they surrounded our galley with their galleys, so that our galley could not possibly escape. And when on the ninth day we had arrived before their city of Grado, following the advice of Count Bartholomew of Wegle and Senj, who was with us in the galley, we sent word through our men to them, so that it might be said to them: 'Look, lords, we know we cannot escape your hands at all. Would it please you to send ahead to the city and to arrange how you would wish to receive us into the city?' And while they were speaking with them through fine words through the openings of the galley, we dropped down into a small fishing boat, together with the aforesaid Bartholomew and John of Lipa. And so, covered with sacks and nets, we passed through their galleys and reached the harbor among the reeds. And so, escaping their hands, we went on foot all the way to Aquileia.
Sanctuary and Honor in Aquileia
After the Venetians capture Charles's galley and household, he finds refuge in Aquileia where the patriarch receives him with great honor, hosts him for four weeks, and escorts him safely back to Tyrol.
They themselves indeed captured our galley along with the entire household, and they held it in captivity for several days and then released it. And when we were in Aquilegia, we notified our host, who at the city's counsel quickly passed word along; and the citizens indeed brought the matter all the way to the patriarch's attention.3 The patriarch, having entered the city soon afterward with great honor from the clergy and the people, the bells having been rung, received us and led us into his own palace. And so, with great honor, as our household arrived to us from captivity in his land, he treated us well for four weeks, having become our firm ally; he escorted us through the Cad valley all the way into the county of Tyrol, where at that time we were presiding on behalf of our brother, who was a boy and still small.45
Read the original Latin
Tempore succedente post pascha die sequenti congregaveramus exercitum de comitatu Tyrolis et intraveramus vallem Pustharie, Prixiensis diocesis, super comitem Goricie, et acquisivimus castrum montis sancti Lamberti. Et transivimus ulterius super predictum comitem et devastavimus terras suas usque clausam, que vocatur Luncz. Et fuimus in campis cum predicto exercitu tribus septimanis in illa devastacione, quia erat adiutor ducum Austrie, inimicorum nostrorum. In crastino beati Georgii martiris fugavit pater noster Ottonem, ducem Austrie, ultra Danubium et acquisivit multa castra in Austria. Ludovicus vero, qui se gerebat pro imperatore, adiuvabat duces Austrie, et per consequens tota Almania, gubernatoresque civitatum in Lombardia, et specialiter Mastinus de la Scala, gubernator Veronensis, Vindencie, Padue, Tervisii, Brixie, Parmensis et Luccanensis civitatum. Omnes hii nos et comitatum Tyrolis invadebant toto posse, ita quod civitas Tridentina et tota vallis Arthisi erat in magno periculo a Lombardis. Valli vero Eni tam a Suevis quam a Bavaris pericula magna imminebant, ita quod totus comitatus Tyrolis erat in magnis periculis quasi ex omnibus partibus. Illo tempore fecimus Nicolaum nacione Brunensem, cancellarium nostrum, episcopum Tridentinum, et Brixinensem nomine Matheum, capellanum fratris nostri, quia ambo episcopatus vacabant tempore eodem.
Estate vero eadem Ludovicus, qui se gerebat pro imperatore, magnum exercitum cum omnibus principibus Almanie [duxit] contra Henricum, ducem Bavarie, sororium nostrum, qui tunc nobiscum erat. Dux autem Austrie venit in subsidium eidem Ludovico per Pataviam; pater vero noster veniens dicto Henrico in auxilium, metati sunt castra penes unum rivum iuxta Landow. Tunc venit dictus Ludovicus cum duce Austrie et cum aliis cum exercitu magno. Et quia propter rivum eis accessus non patebat, devastantes Bavariam per unum mensem, licet exercitus ducis Henrici minor esset, tamen dictus Ludovicus cum duce Austrie sine voluntatis eorum complemento ad propria sunt reversi. Tempore vero eodem volentes venire patri nostro et predicto sororio in auxilium de comitatu Tyrolis cum magna gente tam peditum quam equitum, non poteramus transire per Cupfsteyn, ubi erat filius Ludovici, quem cum eadem gente ibidem obsedimus tanto tempore, quanto predicti principes adversus se iacebant in campis. Cum autem separati ipsi fuissent, versus Tyrolis sumus reversi. Post hec circa festum Michaelis tractata fuit concordia inter patrem nostrum et ducem Austrie, sic quod dux Austrie restituit civitatem Znoymensem, quam pater noster dederat eidem cum filia sua in dotem, magnamque partem pecunie dedit patri nostro et quedam castra circa fluvium Drave ad comitatum Tyrolis fratri nostro; ducatum vero Karinthie pro se debuit retinere.
Demum eadem hieme ivimus cum patre nostro versus Prussiam contra Litwanos. Fueruntque nobiscum ibidem comites Wilhelmus iuvenis de Holandia, de Montibus, iuvenis de Lo et quam plures alii comites et barones. Hiemps vero tam mollis erat, quod glacies non erat; unde procedere contra Litwanos non potuimus, sed reversi sumus unusquisque ad propria.
Cum autem orta fuisset inter Lombardos magna guerra, quam tractaveramus antequam exiremus de Tyrolis, scilicet propter ligam, quam fecerant Veneti, Florentini, Mediolanenses, Ferrarienses, Mantuani, Bononienses et quam plures alii contra Mastinum de la Scala, gubernatorem Veronensem [et] Paduanum, qui inimicus noster erat, ut supra apparet, eodem tempore de mense Aprilis ivimus per Moraviam in Austriam volentes Lombardiam intrare, ubi dux Austrie noluit nobis prestare conductum. Tunc locantes nos ad naves, transivimus ad regem Ungarie, qui de civitate Bude dedit nobis conductum per Ungariam, Chorvatiam, Dalmaciam usque in civitatem Senii supra litus maris, ubi intravimus mare. Quod Venetorum capitanei rescientes, nos, quamvis essemus eorum amici, captivare voluerunt. Unde galliam nostram circumvallaverunt per gallias suas, ita quod gallia nostra minime evadere poterat. Et cum nona die pervenissemus ante civitatem eorum Gradensem, acquiescentes consilio Bartholomei comitis Wegle et Senii, qui nobiscum erat in gallia, mandavimus, ut ipsis per nostros diceretur: "Ecce domini, scimus, quod manus vestras minime possumus evadere, placeat vobis ad civitatem premittere et tractare qualiter nos velitis suscipere in civitatem." Et dum cum eis pulchris verbis loquerentur, per foramina gallee cecidimus in parvam parcham piscatoris cum dicto Bartholomeo et Johanne de Lipa. Et sic cooperti saccis et retibus transivimus per galleas eorum et pervenimus ad portum inter arundines. Et sic manus eorum evadentes ivimus pedes usque Aquilegiam.
Ipsi vero captivaverunt galleam nostram cum omni familia, quam per aliquot dies tenuerunt in captivitate et ipsam dimiserunt. Et cum essemus in Aquilegia, notificavimus nos hospiti nostro, qui consilio civitatis mox notificavit, cives vero usque ad patriarche noticiam perduxerunt. Patriarcha mox civitatem ingressus cum magno honore cleri et populi campanis pulsatis nos suscipiens in palacium suum deduxit. Et sic cum magno honore familia nostra ad nos de captivitate perveniente in terra sua per quatuor septimanas nos tractans, confirmatus est nobiscum deducens nos per vallem Cad usque in comitatum Tyrolis, [ubi pro tunc pro fratre nostro, qui puer et parvus erat, presidebamus].
Notes
- 1 ↩Montibus is a place name of uncertain modern identification; rendered as given.
- 2 ↩Hiemps is an unusual medieval orthography of hiems ('winter'); translated accordingly.
- 3 ↩patriarche: manuscript form uncertain; expected patriarchae (gen. sg.). Rendered as 'the patriarch' on the most plausible reading.
- 4 ↩Cad: place name identification uncertain. Rendered as 'the Cad valley' on the most plausible reading.
- 5 ↩confirmatus est nobiscum: rendered 'having become our firm ally' to capture the sense of a confirmed alliance or bond, not a sacramental confirmation.
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