Raimund I. Trencavel

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the murder of Raymond I Trencavel, by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre

Raimund I. Trencavel , often simply called Raimund von Béziers , († October 15, 1167 in Béziers ) was a vice-count of Béziers and Agde from the family of Trencavel since 1129 . Since 1150 he was also Vice Count of Carcassonne , Razès and Albi .

Raimund was the second of three sons of Bernard Aton IV Trencavel and Cecile von Provence, a daughter of Count Bertrand II of Provence . At the death of the father in 1129 the extensive inheritance was distributed among the sons as follows:

Life

For his inherited property, Raimund was a vassal of Alfons Jordan of Toulouse , whom he accompanied on the second crusade to the Holy Land in 1147 . After the count died there in 1148, Raimund returned home. In 1150 his older brother, Roger I. Trencavel, died, whose inheritance fell entirely to Raimund. He compensated his younger brother, Bernard Atton V. Trencavel, only with Agde. Raimund was now in a double feudal relationship, because for Carcassonne and Razès the Count of Barcelona was his feudal lord, to whom he also paid homage.

Immediately Raimund came into conflict with Count Raimund V of Toulouse after he concluded an assistance pact with the Vice Countess Ermengarde of Narbonne in 1151. The vice countess was also a vassaless of Toulouse, whose count saw the opportunity to unite her territory with his domain. Raimund, on the other hand, tried to prevent Toulouse from gaining further power and since his "Catalan" fiefs enclosed the land of the vice countess, he was able to act as her patron. The conflict culminated in the capture of Raimund by the Count of Toulouse in 1153, from which he was able to buy himself free the following year after paying 3,000 silver marks.

In 1159 Raimund had the opportunity to attack Toulouse offensive. This was made possible by Henry II Plantagenet , who on behalf of his wife, the Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine , demanded supposed rights to Toulouse and marched on the city with a large army. Raimund joined this campaign and contributed his own troops to the siege of the city of Toulouse . A victory by the allies was prevented by the French King Louis VII , who entered the city and revealed himself to the besiegers. As Plantagenet was dependent on the French crown, he felt compelled to break off the siege. Raimund himself and his troops were unable to take the heavily fortified city and had to withdraw as well. In the following years a balance of power was established between the princes of the French south, which in 1163 enabled a formal peace between Raimund and the Count of Toulouse. He even got the ransom refunded with which he had once had to buy himself free.

death

On October 15, 1167, Raimund took up his judicial duties in Béziers, where he was sitting in court in a conflict between a nobleman and a citizen of the city. He ruled in favor of the nobleman and imposed a mild sentence on the citizen. Nevertheless, the bourgeoisie of Béziers revolted against the judgment and arranged a meeting with the vice-count. To this end, the city delegates appeared armed and killed Raimund, who had fled to the Sainte-Madeleine church. Béziers was imposed for this act with a papal interdict .

Over forty years later, during the Albigensian Crusade , the chronicler Pierre des Vaux de Cernay justified the massacre of the population of Béziers (1209) as God's punishment for the murder of the vice-count.

progeny

Raimund Trencavel was married successively to two women, Adelheid and Saurice. With them he had several children, including:

literature

  • Elaine Graham-Leigh: The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade . The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2005, ISBN 1-84383-129-5 .

Individual proof

  1. ^ A b Geoffroy du Breuil : Ex Chronico Gaufredi coenobitæ , in: Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la France (RHGF) Vol. 12 (1781), p. 436; to the name: Vicecomes Biterrensis Raymundus cognomento Trenchavel
predecessor Office successor
Bernard Aton IV. Trencavel Vice Count of Béziers
1129–1167 		Roger II Trencavel
Bernard Aton IV. Trencavel Vice Count of Agde
1129–1150 		Bernard Aton V. Trencavel
Roger I. Trencavel Vice Count of Carcassonne , Razès and Albi
1150–1167 		Roger II Trencavel
personal data
SURNAME Raimund I. Trencavel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Raymond of Béziers
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Vice Count of Beziers
DATE OF BIRTH 11th century or 12th century
DATE OF DEATH October 15, 1167
Place of death Beziers