Raimund III. (Termes)

Reconstruction drawing of the Cathar castle of Termes including the castra in front of it before it was captured and destroyed in 1210

Raimund III. von Termes (* around 1170; † around 1210 in Carcassonne ) was the castle and landlord ( seigneur ) of Termes Castle and other possessions in the area at the time of the Albigensian Movement in southern France .

biography

Not much is known about his life - he was the son of Wilhelm III. and his wife Adalmurs (de Fénouillet); Benoît de Termes , who later became Albigensian bishop of County Razès , may have been his brother. He was formally a vassal of the Vice Counts of Carcassonne , but in fact he practiced the lordship over his possessions largely independently. He was accused of supporting the heresy and of preventing the reading of mass in the castle; under the protection of the castle there was a terraced settlement or outer bailey ( castrum ) surrounded by walls , in which many Albigensians and their families sought protection. Right at the start of the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229), Termes Castle was one of the first to be besieged by the knights, mostly from northern France; it surrendered after four months in December 1210 because of a lack of water and food. Raimund was captured and taken to Carcassonne in jail , where he died a short time later.

progeny

Raimund III. had two sons and two daughters: Olivier de Termes (around 1200–1274) became one of the most famous knights of the High Middle Ages; the second eldest son Bernard died during the fighting to recapture the island of Mallorca (1228/29). The two daughters Blanche and Raimonde married descendants of important families in Languedoc .

See also

• Albigensians (chronological table)

Web links

• Termes - Link to family genealogy, photos + information (French)