Raymond I Trencavel
Encyclopedia
Raymond I Trencavel (died 1167) was the Viscount of Agde and Béziers from 1130 and Viscount of Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès from 1150. He was a member of the Trencavel
family, ruling the lands of the elder branch.
He was the second son of Bernard Ato IV
, who died in 1130 and redistributed his six viscounties between his three sons. The eldest, Roger I
received Carcassonne, Albi, and Razès; Raymond received Béziers and Agde; while the youngest, Bernard Ato V, received Nîmes. In 1132 Roger and Raymond agreed that on the event of Roger's death without heirs, Carcassonne would pass to Raymond. In 1150 Roger died and his three viscounties all passed to Raymond. After a series of disputes, the viscounty of Agde was divided between Raymond and Bernard Ato, with the latter holding the title.
In November of the same year that he inherited his brother's viscounties, Raymond made a treaty with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona whereby he swore fealty to the count of Barcelona and agreed to hold Carcassonne, Razès, and Lautrec
from the count as a vassal. Gerónimo Zurita, in his sixteenth-century Anales de la Corona de Aragón, wrote that the count had marched an army to Narbonne
in order to intimidate the viscount into submitting, but there is no primary source which verifies this. However, the count had been at Arles
in September to negotiate a truce with Raymond des Baux to put an end to the Baussenque Wars
and was probably accompanied by an armed host, so it is at least probable that he had an army present in the region at the time when he made the treaty with Raymond Trencavel. In 1151 Raymond made a mutual defence treaty with Ermengard of Narbonne, but he included a clause which prevented him from having to make war on Toulouse. That Raymond was still trying to maintain his rapidly disintegrating alliance with Toulouse following his submission to Barcelona may imply that his submission had not been voluntary. In 1152 Raymond acquired Mèze
in a purchase from his nephew Gerald de Roussillon. In 1158 the agreement with Raymond Berengar was renewed.
Throughout his career Raymond had very good relations with Alfonso Jordan, Count of Toulouse, and accompanied him on the Second Crusade
in 1147. He remained with Alfonso until the latter died in 1148. After his return to Europe, however, relations with Toulouse went sour — possibly concerning Raymond's sworn allegiance to Barcelona — and he quarrelled with Alfonso's son Raymond V
, who imprisoned him in 1153. He was released only on the payment of a 3,000 mark ransom in 1154. Though William of Newburgh
states that Raymond was deprived of his lands by the count of Toulouse, charter evidence from 1155 to 1157 indicates that he lost no major possession. Out of hatred for the count of Toulouse, Raymond participated in Henry II of England
's expedition against Toulouse in 1159. By 1163 he had made peace with Toulouse and the count had reimbursed him for the ransom of 1153.
In 1131, at the very onset of his reign, Raymond Trencavel was confronted with the formation of a consulate, a political office then becoming popular in the cities of southern France. Consuls were usually high-ranking citizens, but they could be noblemen or courtiers as well. Towards the end of his reign Raymond seems to have supported the nobles against the citizens and this got him murdered in the cathedral of Béziers in 1167. While he was campaigning with his nephew Bernard Ato VI
against Raymond of Toulouse, he was forced to mediate between a knight and a citizen and, choosing in favour of the knight, he punished the citizen (apparently moderately). Nonetheless, there was outrage among citizenry and Raymond arranged a meeting in Béziers. The bourgeoisie arrived secretly armed and, on a signal, assaulted and killed the viscount. By his wife Saure, Raymond left a son and successor, Roger II
, who inherited all his viscounties, but was unable to occupy Béziers until 1168, despite a siege led by Alfonso II of Aragon
on his behalf in 1167. Roger punished the citizens of Béziers by permitting the Aragonese troops to enter the city and kill them.
Raymond's death possibly forms the subject matter of the poem A People Grieving for the Death of their Lord by Guillem Augier Novella
. His death is recorded by such diverse chroniclers as William of Newburgh, Robert of Torigny, Gaufred de Vigeois, and Pierre des Vaux-de-Cernay. The chronicle of Newburgh, however, refers to Raymond as "Guillem" and can thus not be counted as completely reliable, though the details surrounding his death are largely corroborated. Vaux-de-Cernay, on the other hand, describes the massacre of 7,000 citizens of Béziers by the Albigensian Crusade
n in 1209 as divine justice on the city for the treachery shown to their lord and their bishop, who had had his teeth knocked out trying to defend Raymond from attack.
Trencavel
The Trencavel were an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th through 13th centuries. The name "Trencavel," originally a nickname and later a family name, may derive from the Occitan words for "nutcracker"...
family, ruling the lands of the elder branch.
He was the second son of Bernard Ato IV
Bernard Ato IV
Bernard Ato IV was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1074 to his death.Bernard Ato was the son of Raymond Bernard of Nîmes and Ermengarde of Carcassonne.In 1125, Bernard Ato retook Carcassonne....
, who died in 1130 and redistributed his six viscounties between his three sons. The eldest, Roger I
Roger I Trencavel
Roger I Trencavel was the eldest son of Bernard Ato IV, Viscount of Albi, Agde, Béziers, Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Razès. On his father's death in 1130 he inherited Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès, while his younger brother Raymond inherited Agde and Béziers and his youngest brother Bernard Ato V...
received Carcassonne, Albi, and Razès; Raymond received Béziers and Agde; while the youngest, Bernard Ato V, received Nîmes. In 1132 Roger and Raymond agreed that on the event of Roger's death without heirs, Carcassonne would pass to Raymond. In 1150 Roger died and his three viscounties all passed to Raymond. After a series of disputes, the viscounty of Agde was divided between Raymond and Bernard Ato, with the latter holding the title.
In November of the same year that he inherited his brother's viscounties, Raymond made a treaty with Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona whereby he swore fealty to the count of Barcelona and agreed to hold Carcassonne, Razès, and Lautrec
Lautrec
Lautrec is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.- Demography :-Remarkable sites:Lautrec is listed among "The Most Beautiful Villages of France" as well as a "Remarkable Site for Taste" thanks to its renowned pink garlic...
from the count as a vassal. Gerónimo Zurita, in his sixteenth-century Anales de la Corona de Aragón, wrote that the count had marched an army to Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
in order to intimidate the viscount into submitting, but there is no primary source which verifies this. However, the count had been at Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
in September to negotiate a truce with Raymond des Baux to put an end to the Baussenque Wars
Baussenque Wars
The Baussenque Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the House of Barcelona, then ruling in Provence, and the House of Baux...
and was probably accompanied by an armed host, so it is at least probable that he had an army present in the region at the time when he made the treaty with Raymond Trencavel. In 1151 Raymond made a mutual defence treaty with Ermengard of Narbonne, but he included a clause which prevented him from having to make war on Toulouse. That Raymond was still trying to maintain his rapidly disintegrating alliance with Toulouse following his submission to Barcelona may imply that his submission had not been voluntary. In 1152 Raymond acquired Mèze
Mèze
Mèze is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Its inhabitants are called Mézois.-Geography:...
in a purchase from his nephew Gerald de Roussillon. In 1158 the agreement with Raymond Berengar was renewed.
Throughout his career Raymond had very good relations with Alfonso Jordan, Count of Toulouse, and accompanied him on the Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
in 1147. He remained with Alfonso until the latter died in 1148. After his return to Europe, however, relations with Toulouse went sour — possibly concerning Raymond's sworn allegiance to Barcelona — and he quarrelled with Alfonso's son Raymond V
Raymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V was count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.He was the son of Alphonse-Jordan. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, at the time 14 years old....
, who imprisoned him in 1153. He was released only on the payment of a 3,000 mark ransom in 1154. Though William of Newburgh
William of Newburgh
William of Newburgh or Newbury , also known as William Parvus, was a 12th-century English historian and Augustinian canon from Bridlington, Yorkshire.-Biography:...
states that Raymond was deprived of his lands by the count of Toulouse, charter evidence from 1155 to 1157 indicates that he lost no major possession. Out of hatred for the count of Toulouse, Raymond participated in Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
's expedition against Toulouse in 1159. By 1163 he had made peace with Toulouse and the count had reimbursed him for the ransom of 1153.
In 1131, at the very onset of his reign, Raymond Trencavel was confronted with the formation of a consulate, a political office then becoming popular in the cities of southern France. Consuls were usually high-ranking citizens, but they could be noblemen or courtiers as well. Towards the end of his reign Raymond seems to have supported the nobles against the citizens and this got him murdered in the cathedral of Béziers in 1167. While he was campaigning with his nephew Bernard Ato VI
Bernard Ato VI
Bernard Ato VI was the posthumous son and successor of Bernard Ato V, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
against Raymond of Toulouse, he was forced to mediate between a knight and a citizen and, choosing in favour of the knight, he punished the citizen (apparently moderately). Nonetheless, there was outrage among citizenry and Raymond arranged a meeting in Béziers. The bourgeoisie arrived secretly armed and, on a signal, assaulted and killed the viscount. By his wife Saure, Raymond left a son and successor, Roger II
Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul, usually as proconsul de Bitteris , but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon...
, who inherited all his viscounties, but was unable to occupy Béziers until 1168, despite a siege led by Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
on his behalf in 1167. Roger punished the citizens of Béziers by permitting the Aragonese troops to enter the city and kill them.
Raymond's death possibly forms the subject matter of the poem A People Grieving for the Death of their Lord by Guillem Augier Novella
Guillem Augier Novella
Guillem Augier Novella was a troubadour from Vienne in the Dauphinois who lived most of his adulthood in Lombardy and was active as a minstrel in the early or mid thirteenth century...
. His death is recorded by such diverse chroniclers as William of Newburgh, Robert of Torigny, Gaufred de Vigeois, and Pierre des Vaux-de-Cernay. The chronicle of Newburgh, however, refers to Raymond as "Guillem" and can thus not be counted as completely reliable, though the details surrounding his death are largely corroborated. Vaux-de-Cernay, on the other hand, describes the massacre of 7,000 citizens of Béziers by the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
n in 1209 as divine justice on the city for the treachery shown to their lord and their bishop, who had had his teeth knocked out trying to defend Raymond from attack.
Sources
- Graham-Leigh, Elaine. The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2005. ISBN 1 84383 129 5.