Roger II Trencavel
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Roger II Trencavel
(died March 1194) 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 (of Béziers), but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon
. His government of his lands was characterised by increasing complexity, such as the development of the offices of seneschal
and sub-vicar, but his later years are characterised by financial troubles and a "general malaise" perhaps brought about by his poor relations with the Church hierarchy in light of his favourable attitude towards Catharism.
Roger was the elder of two sons of Raymond I Trencavel
and Saure. As a child in 1153 he was placed in the "custody and service" of Ermengard of Narbonne. Eventually he inherited all four of Raymond's viscounties on his death in 1167. However, Raymond V of Toulouse
objected to the young Roger and instead enfeoffed Roger-Bernard I of Foix
with the viscounties in December 1167 at Narbonne
. Roger rebelled. He retook Béziers
in 1169 with the assistance of troops from Aragon
and Catalonia
. After taking the city, Roger brought the Aragonese inside to murder the citizens who had handed the city over to his rival. However, in November 1171, Raymond drew Roger away from Alfonso II of Aragon
by enfeoffing him with the viscounties and depriving the count of Foix.
Roger married the young Adalais
, daughter of Raymond of Toulouse, in 1171. It opened the only (brief) period of alliance between Roger and Raymond. Adalais' dowry was the town of Minerve
, a fief of the King of France. In 1176, Roger held a public inquiry to prove his lordship of the village of Mèze
. About the same time (c. 1175), Alfonso of Aragon held a public inquiry to prove that Carcassonne was his possession and that Roger II merely held it from him at his pleasure. In the late 1180s, Roger began the compilation of a cartulary to collect the charter evidence for his rule. The cartulary contained 248 folios and was written in proto-Gothic script.
Roger was a close ally of Ermengard of Narbonne from 1171 onwards, when the viscount and viscountess swore oaths of mutual alliance. In 1177, he joined an alliance with Ermengard and William VIII of Montpellier
to prevent Raymond from seizing Narbonne. In 1179, he was forced to forswear his former alliance with Raymond of Toulouse and return to the fold of Alfonso of Aragon. He recognised that he held his fiefs from Alfonso. Roger agreed to hold Minerve from the king of Aragon instead of the king of France, significant of a realignment in the politics of the lords of Languedoc with respect to central authority. Some have suggested that Roger was driven to the side of Alfonso by the results of the Third Lateran Council and by Raymond of Toulouse' request for assistance in dealing with heresy in his domains. Roger appears therefore as lenient towards heretics.
Around 1175, Roger imprisoned Gerard, the bishop of Albi, probably over the disputed lordship of Albi. Roger succeeded in establishing a vicar (Pierre Raimond d'Hautpoul) in Albi between 1175 and 1177, but he was forced to come to humiliating terms with the bishop William of Dourgne in 1193. In 1178 Henry of Marcy
, who was leading a papal legation
in the region, marched on Albi, whence Roger fled to Ambialet
, and the on Castres
, where they declared him a heretic and excommunicated him after releasing the bishop Gerard. In 1179, he was excommunicated again by Pons d'Arsac
for his "conspicuous lack of enthusiasm for the extirpation of heresy" under the twenty-seventh canon of the Third Lateran Council and the decretal Ad abolendam
of Pope Lucius III
. He was also accused of hiring routiers. In 1181, Henry of Marcy returned to the south of France and besieged Roger and his wife in Lavaur
, which was promptly surrendered.
In 1185, Alfonso was making war on Raymond over the possession of Provence
. From Aix
he travelled to Najac
, where, probably in April, he made a treaty with Richard the Lionheart and with Roger against Raymond of Toulouse. Roger in gratitude followed Alfonso into Spain and to the siege of Valencia, where, in June, he adopted the king's son Alfonso II of Provence as his heir, even though his wife was expecting. Perhaps the adoption was cautionary in case the child of Adalais was a girl. Alfonso of Provence did not succeed Roger, rather that child, which was a boy named Raymond Roger, did. In 1188, Alfonso of Aragon came north of the Pyrenees
again to defend Roger at Carcassonne, but he also granted away that viscounty as well as the Razès
to Raimond-Roger of Foix
in a move to dispossess the Trencavels entirely.
In 1189, Roger fell seriously ill and made his will. After his recovery in 1191, however, he gathered his vassals and made them swear fealty to his son, which they did.
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"...
(died March 1194) was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
, usually as proconsul de Bitteris (of Béziers), but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
. His government of his lands was characterised by increasing complexity, such as the development of the offices of seneschal
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
and sub-vicar, but his later years are characterised by financial troubles and a "general malaise" perhaps brought about by his poor relations with the Church hierarchy in light of his favourable attitude towards Catharism.
Roger was the elder of two sons of Raymond I Trencavel
Raymond I Trencavel
Raymond I Trencavel 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....
and Saure. As a child in 1153 he was placed in the "custody and service" of Ermengard of Narbonne. Eventually he inherited all four of Raymond's viscounties on his death in 1167. However, Raymond V of Toulouse
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....
objected to the young Roger and instead enfeoffed Roger-Bernard I of Foix
Roger-Bernard I of Foix
Roger Bernard I the Fat was the fourth Count of Foix from 1148. He made peace with the church.At Pamiers in 1149 and again in 1163, he had to make restitution of confiscated lands to the church of Saint-Antonin of Fredelas. He made a paréage with the church dividing the government of the lands...
with the viscounties in December 1167 at 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...
. Roger rebelled. He retook Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
in 1169 with the assistance of troops from Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
and Catalonia
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
. After taking the city, Roger brought the Aragonese inside to murder the citizens who had handed the city over to his rival. However, in November 1171, Raymond drew Roger away from 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...
by enfeoffing him with the viscounties and depriving the count of Foix.
Roger married the young Adalais
Azalais of Toulouse
Azalais of Toulouse was the daughter of count Raymond V of Toulouse and Constance of France. Her maternal grandparents were Louis VI of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne....
, daughter of Raymond of Toulouse, in 1171. It opened the only (brief) period of alliance between Roger and Raymond. Adalais' dowry was the town of Minerve
Minerve, Hérault
Minerve is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-History:In 1210 a group of Cathars sought refuge in the village after the massacre at Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade. The village was besieged by Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester. The...
, a fief of the King of France. In 1176, Roger held a public inquiry to prove his lordship of the village of Mèze
Mèze
Mèze is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Its inhabitants are called Mézois.-Geography:...
. About the same time (c. 1175), Alfonso of Aragon held a public inquiry to prove that Carcassonne was his possession and that Roger II merely held it from him at his pleasure. In the late 1180s, Roger began the compilation of a cartulary to collect the charter evidence for his rule. The cartulary contained 248 folios and was written in proto-Gothic script.
Roger was a close ally of Ermengard of Narbonne from 1171 onwards, when the viscount and viscountess swore oaths of mutual alliance. In 1177, he joined an alliance with Ermengard and William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII.He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on...
to prevent Raymond from seizing Narbonne. In 1179, he was forced to forswear his former alliance with Raymond of Toulouse and return to the fold of Alfonso of Aragon. He recognised that he held his fiefs from Alfonso. Roger agreed to hold Minerve from the king of Aragon instead of the king of France, significant of a realignment in the politics of the lords of Languedoc with respect to central authority. Some have suggested that Roger was driven to the side of Alfonso by the results of the Third Lateran Council and by Raymond of Toulouse' request for assistance in dealing with heresy in his domains. Roger appears therefore as lenient towards heretics.
Around 1175, Roger imprisoned Gerard, the bishop of Albi, probably over the disputed lordship of Albi. Roger succeeded in establishing a vicar (Pierre Raimond d'Hautpoul) in Albi between 1175 and 1177, but he was forced to come to humiliating terms with the bishop William of Dourgne in 1193. In 1178 Henry of Marcy
Henry of Marcy
Blessed Henry of Marcy was a Cistercian abbot first of Hautecombe and then of Clairvaux from 1177 until 1179. He was created Cardinal Bishop of Albano at the Third Lateran Council in 1179....
, who was leading a papal legation
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
in the region, marched on Albi, whence Roger fled to Ambialet
Ambialet
Ambialet is a commune of the Tarn department in southern France.Ambialet is also home to a campus of Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania. Classes are held in the centuries old former Franciscan Monastery in Ambialet, in Paris, France, and at Champollion campus of the University of...
, and the on Castres
Castres
Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....
, where they declared him a heretic and excommunicated him after releasing the bishop Gerard. In 1179, he was excommunicated again by Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac was the Archbishop of Narbonne from 1162 until 1181. He was archbishop at an important time in the history of Narbonne and Languedoc in general; a time when heresy, in the form of Catharism, was spreading and gaining power and acceptance while the Roman Catholic Church was forming a...
for his "conspicuous lack of enthusiasm for the extirpation of heresy" under the twenty-seventh canon of the Third Lateran Council and the decretal Ad abolendam
Ad abolendam
Ad abolendam was a decretal and bull of Pope Lucius III, written at Verona in November 1184. It was developed after the Council of Verona settled some jurisdictional differences between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa...
of Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...
. He was also accused of hiring routiers. In 1181, Henry of Marcy returned to the south of France and besieged Roger and his wife in Lavaur
Lavaur
Lavaur is the name of several communes in France:* Lavaur, Dordogne, in the Dordogne département* Lavaur, Tarn, in the Tarn département...
, which was promptly surrendered.
In 1185, Alfonso was making war on Raymond over the possession of Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. From Aix
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
he travelled to Najac
Najac
Najac is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.Najac is a picturesque village set along a ridge above a bend in the Aveyron River. In the earlier part of the last century the village had around 2000 people but it suffered marked population decline as workers migrated to towns and...
, where, probably in April, he made a treaty with Richard the Lionheart and with Roger against Raymond of Toulouse. Roger in gratitude followed Alfonso into Spain and to the siege of Valencia, where, in June, he adopted the king's son Alfonso II of Provence as his heir, even though his wife was expecting. Perhaps the adoption was cautionary in case the child of Adalais was a girl. Alfonso of Provence did not succeed Roger, rather that child, which was a boy named Raymond Roger, did. In 1188, Alfonso of Aragon came north of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
again to defend Roger at Carcassonne, but he also granted away that viscounty as well as the Razès
Razès
Razès is a historical area in southwestern France, in today's Aude département.Several communes of the département include Razès in their name:* Bellegarde-du-Razès* Belvèze-du-Razès* Fenouillet-du-Razès* Fonters-du-Razès...
to Raimond-Roger of Foix
Raimond-Roger of Foix
Raimond Roger was the fifth count of Foix from the House of Foix. He was the son and successor of Roger Bernard I and his wife Cécilia Trencavel....
in a move to dispossess the Trencavels entirely.
In 1189, Roger fell seriously ill and made his will. After his recovery in 1191, however, he gathered his vassals and made them swear fealty to his son, which they did.
Sources
- Cheyette, Fredric L. Ermengard of Narbonne and the World of the Troubadours. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001.
- Graham-Leigh, Elaine. The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2005. ISBN 1 84383 129 5