The House of Toulouse, sometimes called ''House of Saint-Gilles'' or Raimondines, is the name of the dynasty that ruled the

County of Toulouse The County of Toulouse ( oc, Comtat de Tolosa) was a territory in southern France consisting of the city of Toulouse and its environs, ruled by the Count of Toulouse from the late 9th century until the late 13th century. The territory is th ...

History

Creation of the County of Toulouse

The

county of Toulouse The County of Toulouse ( oc, Comtat de Tolosa) was a territory in southern France consisting of the city of Toulouse and its environs, ruled by the Count of Toulouse from the late 9th century until the late 13th century. The territory is th ...

is a former county in southern France, the holder of which was one of six primitive lay peers. A count of Toulouse was appointed in 778 by Charlemagne in favor of a certain Torson, following the defeat of

Roncesvalles Roncesvalles ( , ; eu, Orreaga ; an, Ronzesbals ; french: Roncevaux ) is a small village and municipality in Navarre, northern Spain. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of some in the Pyrenees, about from the French bord ...

, to coordinate the defense and the fight against the

Basques The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Bas ...

, and integrated into the duchy of Aquitaine, when it was created three years later: William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, had the title of Count of Toulouse. From the death in 852 of Fredelo son of Fulcoald, count of Rouergue and Senegund of Toulouse, who was governor (''custos civitas'') of Toulouse, Pailhars, Rodez, and Limoges, the center of Aquitaine moves to Poitiers and Count of Rouergue, were also rulers of Toulouse. Starting with Fulcoald of Rouergue, the County of Toulouse became hereditary. His son Fredelo becomes Count of Toulouse in 849. His brother Raymond I succeeded him in 852.

The House of Toulouse

From the ninth century, the House of Toulouse was established in its fief. The elder line of the House of Rouergue became Counts of Toulouse. The functions of the Marquis of Gothia and Duke of Narbonne, which they also possessed, became empty and meaningless titles which were transmitted to the younger branch of Rouergue. At the death of the Countess Bertha of Rouergue, these titles were inherited by a scion of the senior line, Raymond, Count of Saint-Gilles, which allowed him to be an early territorial power. Pons, Count of Toulouse, father of Raymond of Saint Gilles, bequeathed all his possessions to his eldest son

William William is a male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sex ...

, on the condition that if William were to die without a son, the properties would then pass to Raymond. Hence, when

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded ...

died, Raymond succeeded his brother as Raymond IV of Toulouse, although the succession was claimed by

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include '' Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is '' Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders ...

, William IV's daughter, who married

William IX, Duke of Aquitaine William IX ( oc, Guilhèm de Peitieus; ''Guilhem de Poitou'' french: Guillaume de Poitiers) (22 October 1071 – 10 February 1126), called the Troubadour, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitou (as William VII) between 1086 a ...

. Raymond of Saint-Gilles managed to establish the principality as a power, which he gave to his son

Bertrand Bertrand may refer to: Places * Bertrand, Missouri, US * Bertrand, Nebraska, US * Bertrand, New Brunswick, Canada * Bertrand Township, Michigan, US * Bertrand, Michigan * Bertrand, Virginia, US * Bertrand Creek, state of Washington * Saint- ...

, after departing for the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

. Bertrand, with his brother

Alfonso Jordan Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso wa ...

, must fight against the Duke of Aquitaine, who seized Toulouse several times, but had to evacuate each time due to popular revolt. Then the counts of Toulouse fought against the

Counts of Barcelona The Count of Barcelona ( ca, Comte de Barcelona, es, Conde de Barcelona, french: Comte de Barcelone, ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality o ...

as they competed for expanding their influence in Languedoc and Provence. Peace was finally concluded in the second half of the 12th century. At that time, the city of Toulouse is one of the largest in Europe, and the House of Toulouse reigned over a rich and powerful territory. The counts of Toulouse, who played a significant part in the Crusades, also possessed the

County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, Dru ...

in the Holy Land.

Fall

In the 12th century, a new heresy,

Catharism Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. F ...

, developed in the region, supported by many local lords. Count

Raymond V Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

demanded the aid of Cîteaux to fight against the Cathars, but in the early 13th century, their presence is such that Raymond VI cannot fight against them without alienating a large part of the population. The murder of the papal legate

Pierre de Castelnau Pierre de Castelnau (? - died 15 January 1208), French ecclesiastic, made papal legate in 1199 to address the Cathar heresy, he was subsequently murdered in 1208. Following his death Pope Innocent III beatified him by papal order, excommunicated ...

triggered the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

. Launched in 1208 by

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

, it aimed to crush heresy and to subdue the powerful lords of the south and their wealthy domains. In 1215, Simon de Montfort, who took the leadership of the Crusade, defeated the army of Toulouse and entered the city. He proclaimed himself Count of Toulouse but was killed in 1218 by the inhabitants. After this event, the counts of Toulouse sided with the people against the royal armies. But after a new offensive launched by King

Louis VIII Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216 ...

, Raymond VII gave in and signed the Treaty of Meaux in 1229. The repression against the Cathars increased and the County of Toulouse gradually passes under the domination of royal power. Joan of Toulouse, daughter of Raymond VII, married Alphonse of Poitiers, brother of St. Louis. As Count of Toulouse, Alphonse administered the city from Paris. In 1271, the county of Toulouse merged into the crown as an inheritance of Philip III, King of France, nephew of Alphonse.

Genealogy and descendants of the House of Toulouse

* Fulcoald of Rouergue ** Fredelo, Count of Toulouse **

Raymond I, Count of Toulouse Raymond I (died 865) was the Count of Limoges (from 841), Rouergue and Quercy (from 849), and Toulouse and Albi (from 852). He was the younger son of Fulcoald of Rouergue and Senegund, niece of William of Gellone through his sister Alda. In 852 ...

*** Bernard II, Count of Toulouse *** Fulgaud, viscount of Limoges **** ''House of Limoges'' *** Odo, Count of Toulouse ****

Raymond II, Count of Toulouse Raymond II (died 924) was the Count of Toulouse, Nîmes, and Albi. He was the, probably elder, son of Odo of Toulouse Odo (or Eudes) (also ''Odon'' or ''Odonus'') was the count of Toulouse from 872 to 918 or 919, when he died. He was a son of Raym ...

*****

Raymond Pons, Count of Toulouse Raymond Pons (''Regimundus Pontio''; died after 944), who may be numbered Raymond III or Pons I,He has traditionally been called Raymond III, but with the discovery of at least one and perhaps two additional Raymonds, this numerical designation is u ...

******

Raymond III, Count of Toulouse Raymond III is the designation assigned to distinct or possibly-distinct counts of Toulouse in the mid-to-late 10th century. Recent scholarship has overturned the traditional account of the counts during this period without consensus arising for a n ...

******* Raymond (IV), Count of Toulouse ********

William III, Count of Toulouse William III Taillefer (also spelled ''Tallefer'' or ''Tallifer''; – September 1037) was the Count of Toulouse, Count of Albi, Albi, and Count of Quercy, Quercy from 972 or 978 to his death. He was the first of the Toulousain branch of his famil ...

********* Raymond ********* Hugh ********* Pons, Count of Toulouse ********** William IV, Count of Toulouse **********

Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), sometimes called Raymond of Saint-Gilles or Raymond I of Tripoli, was a powerful noble in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He was the Count o ...

***********

Bertrand, Count of Toulouse Bertrand of Toulouse (or Bertrand of Tripoli) (died 1112) was count of Toulouse, and was the first count of Tripoli to rule in Tripoli itself. Bertrand was the eldest son of Raymond IV of Toulouse, and had ruled Toulouse since Raymond left on t ...

(questionable legitimacy) ************

Pons, Count of Tripoli Pons ( 1098 – 25 March 1137) was count of Tripoli from 1112 to 1137. He was a minor when his father, Bertrand, died in 1112. He swore fealty to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in the presence of a Byzantine embassy. His advisors sent ...

*************

Raymond II, Count of Tripoli Raymond II ( la, Raimundus; 1116 – 1152) was count of Tripoli from 1137 to 1152. He succeeded his father, Pons, Count of Tripoli, who was killed during a campaign that a commander from Damascus launched against Tripoli. Raymond accused the lo ...

**************

Raymond III, Count of Tripoli Raymond III (1140 – September/October 1187) was count of Tripoli from 1152 to 1187. He was a minor when Assassins murdered his father, Raymond II of Tripoli. Baldwin III of Jerusalem, who was staying in Tripoli, made Raymond's mother, Hodier ...

***********

************

Raymond V, Count of Toulouse Raymond V ( oc, Ramon; c. 1134 – c. 1194) was Count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194. He was the son of Alphonse I of Toulouse and Faydida of Provence. Alphonse took his son with him on the Second Crusade in 1147. When Alph ...

*************

Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse Raymond VI ( oc, Ramon; October 27, 1156 – August 2, 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190. Early life Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gar ...

**************

Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse Raymond VII (July 1197 – 27 September 1249) was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. Family and marriages Raymond was born at the Château de Beaucaire, the son of Raymond VI of Toulous ...

*************** Joan, Countess of Toulouse ************** Bertrand (illegitimate) *************** ''Viscounts of Bruniquel'' ************* Aubri ************* Baldwin ************ Alfonso ********** Hugh, Abbot of Saint-Gilles ********* Bertrand ****

Ermengol of Rouergue Ermengol (or Ermengaud) (870-937) was a son of Odo of Toulouse and Garsindis. His father gave him the County of Rouergue and Quercy in 906 and he governed it to his death. His brother was Raymond II of Toulouse and together they governed the vast ...

*****

Raymond II of Rouergue Raymond II, sometimes numbered Raymond I (c. 904 – 961) was the count of Rouergue and Quercy from 937 to his death. He was the son of Ermengol of Rouergue and Adelaide. Under Raymond, Rouergue achieved a suzerainty over neighbouring counties and ...

****** Raymond III of Rouergue ******* Hugh of Rouergue ******** Bertha of Rouergue ****** Hugh, Bishop of Toulouse ***** Hugh, Count of Quercy *** Aribert, abbot of Vabres

The Counts of Rouergue

From 852, the County of Toulouse is the possession of the counts of Rouergue, and transmitted hereditarily.

The Counts of Toulouse

The Counts of Rouergue settled their capital in Toulouse. The senior line became Counts of Toulouse while a cadet branch retained the County of Rouergue.

The Counts of Tripoli

During the Crusades, Raymond of Saint-Gilles established the county of Tripoli. It remained in the family until 1187, when it passed to the House of Antioch.

Toulouse-Bruniquel

The last agnatic descendant of the Counts of Toulouse, of the "Raymondine" branch, died on 13 August 1577 in the person of Jean Antoine, Viscount of Montclar and Baron of Salvagnac. A Protestant captain, he was killed by Catholics in a skirmish in the countryside. He belonged to a cadet branch descended from Bertrand of Toulouse, Viscount of Bruniquel and natural son of Raymond VI.

Toulouse-Lautrec

According to a genealogy established in the 17th century, this family is considered a branch of the House of Toulouse which they represented in their coat of arms. According to recent research, the Toulouse-Lautrec would agnatic descendants of the viscounts of Lautrec, a line which could be traced back to the end of the ninth century, which would also be the origin of the TrencavelPhilippe Zalmen Ben-Nathan - ''Une généalogie inédite des vicomtes de Lautrec - Annales du midi'' ISSN 0003-4398, 2002, vol 114, p. 369 à 379.

The House of Limoges

Second son of

, Foucher of Limoges founded the House of Limoges in 876 that ruled Limoges until 1139.

Arms

References

{{Reflist Counts of Toulouse Counts of Rouergue Counts of Tripoli