Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse was a powerful count from southern France and one of the first noblemen to take the cross and lead an army in The Crusades.

Biography of Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse (figure 1) was a powerful count from southern France, who belonged to the House of Toulouse.

The life of Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse was born in 1041 or 1042 (the precise date is unknown) in Toulouse, France, as the son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de la Marche. In 1094, Raymond became Count of Toulouse and was gifted Saint-Gilles, in southern France, by his father. This gift earned him the nickname Raymond of Saint-Gilles. By making Raymond a count, Philippa of Aquitaine, Raymond’s cousin, was now prevented from inheriting Toulouse. Also in 1094, Raymond became Marquis of Provence.

When Raymond became Count of Toulouse, he began to reassemble his ancestral lands which had been lost to other families over the years. After 30 years he had built up a significant power base in southern France, where he now controlled 13 counties. This made him even more powerful than the king himself!

Spouses and descendants of Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse was married three times and excommunicated twice for marrying someone he was closely related to by having a common ancestor.

1. His first wife, of unknown name, was the daughter of Godfrey I, Count of Arles. It is rumoured they were closely related. They married in 1066, but she was disgraced and cast off in 1076. They had one son, Bertrand (born circa 1065), but due to the repudiation of his wife, he became illegitimate.

2. His second wife was Matilda (Mafalda), daughter of Count Roger I of Sicily. They married in 1080, and Matilda died in 1094.

3. His third wife was Elvira of Castille, the illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso VI of León. They married in 1094, and Elvira died sometime after 1151. They had one son, Alfonso Jordan (born 1103).

Image of Raymond IV of Toulouse

Fig. 1 - Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse and the crusaders

Raymond IV played a big part in the First Crusade and was one of its leaders.

Raymond IV of Toulouse and the First Crusade

Raymond IV of Toulouse was a deeply religious man and had previously been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He was no stranger to fighting as he briefly fought the Moors in Spain in 1096. When, in 1095, Pope Urban II made his call for a Crusade, he wanted Raymond to be a leader and the Pope waited for him to finish his fight against the Moors. Raymond was not only the first ruler to take up the cross, but also the most effective, the wealthiest, and oldest, being well in his 50s when the Crusade began! He left his lands in the hands of his son, Bertrand, and went on the journey to the Holy Land with his third wife, Elvira.

Raymond initially disliked the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. He never swore an oath of fealty to the emperor, but he did swear an oath of friendship and offered support against their mutual enemy, Frankish Crusader Bohemond I, Prince of Antioch.

Raymond IV of Toulouse’s army

Raymond’s army was one of the first armies to be formed. He left Toulouse in October 1096, taking the land route to the Holy Land. The known members of his army, several thousand, were almost all French.

The army comprised of:

• The Commander’s (Raymond’s) household, including:- Raymond’s third wife Elvira- The Standard-Bearer (flag-bearer), Heraclius I, Viscount of Polignac- Chamberlain to Raymond, Raymond of Vigeois

• Clergy (church) members

• Historians

• Nobles

• Knights

• Soldiers

Which major battles did Raymond IV of Toulouse and his army take part in?

The army took part in most major battles of the First Crusade. Some were successful, and others weren’t.

Siege of Nicaea

Nicaea was an ancient Greek city in north-western Anatolia (Turkey). It was located near modern-day Iznik in Turkey. This was the first major battle of the First Crusade, from 14 May to 19 June 1097. Nicaea was captured by the Seljuk Turks from the Byzantine Empire, but on 20 May 1097 the advanced army sent by Seljuk leader Kilij Arslan, was defeated by the crusader force led by Raymond IV of Toulouse and Robert II of Flanders. On 21 May 1097, Kilij Arslan was defeated, but that did not stop him from fighting the crusader force again in the Battle of Dorylaeum.

Battle of Dorylaeum

Dorylaeum was an ancient city in Anatolia. This battle took place on 1 July 1097 between the crusaders and the Seljuk Turks. The battle did not start out well for the crusaders as part of the force was ambushed. Reinforcements from Raymond and other leaders arrived just in time to help tip the scales in favour of the crusaders. Eventually, the Turkish army fled, forcing Kilij Arslan to withdraw from the battlefield.

Sieges of Antioch

Antioch was an ancient Greek city, located in modern-day Antakya in Turkey. These sieges took place from 20 October 1097 to 3 June 1098 (first siege) and 3 June to 28 June 1098 (second siege), and the crusaders were once again fighting against the Seljuk Turks.

Fig. 2 - Norman tympanum showing St George rescuing crusaders at the Siege of Antioch in 1097.

Raymond IV of Toulouse was the only one in favour of assaulting the city, with the crusaders eventually choosing to advance on Antioch and establish a siege close to the city. Raymond, alongside Adhemar of Le Puy, positioned himself and his force outside the Dog Gate on either side where the Orontes river penetrated Antioch defences. With other crusader leaders and their forces placed strategically in other places, the siege started. This siege also had a negative effect on the crusaders as food supplies were low, leading to famine. Soon, however, the crusader forces reorganised, Raymond took control of La Mahomerie, the crusader siege was finally having some effect on the well-defended city, and food conditions improved.

With the crusaders holding most of the city except the citadel, a second siege commenced, eventually leading to the Battle of Antioch on 28 June 1098.

Battle of Antioch

This was a military engagement fought between the Frankish forces of the First Crusade and a Muslim coalition led by Kerbogha, atabeg of Mosul. The latter wanted to recapture Antioch. The sieges of Antioch left the Frankish crusader force starved and outnumbered. Kerbogha grossly underestimated the size of the crusader army and with the Frankish forces advancing further he attempted to establish an embassy between them to broker a truce. The leaders of the Crusade ignored Kerbogha's emissary and attacked. The Frankish forces were too strong and many Emirs started to desert Kerbogha. The Turkish army fell apart and fled with the crusader force chasing them, slaying many of them. The crusaders won the battle.

Fig. 3 - The Battle of Antioch

After helping to capture Antioch from the Turks, Raymond tried, unsuccessfully, to restore Alexios as prince of the city. Raymond then organised a march on Jerusalem and took part in its capture on 15 July 1099. He refused the Crusaders’ crown of Jerusalem which was therefore given to Godfrey of Bouillon.

Battle of Ascalon

Ascalon, sometimes written as Ashkelon or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel. This battle took place on 12 August 1099, shortly after Jerusalem was captured by the crusaders.

The crusaders attacked the Fatimid army on 12 August 1099 and defeated them. The first attempt of the Muslims to recapture Jerusalem ended in the Muslim’s defeat. The Fatimid army was willing to surrender, but only to Raymond IV of Toulouse, something that Godfrey of Bouillon did not accept. This led to the Fatimid army staying in Ascalon, causing troubles for the crusaders. The Egyptian army came to help the Fatimid army but to no avail. In the end, the crusaders won a victory over the Fatimid and Egyptian armies.

Fig. 4 - Battle of Ascalon

Crusade of 1101

Not every siege and battle that Raymond was a part of was a success. The Crusade of 1101 was a minor Crusade made up of three separate movements, which were organised in 1100 and 1101. Some of the people involved were First Crusaders who had broken their initial vows. For this reason, this Crusade was called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted, rather than the Second Crusade, which was not for another 45 years.

Raymond was part of this Crusade alongside other crusader armies. They were, however, not successful and eventually, during the Battle of Mersivan, which lasted several days, they were defeated. Raymond managed to escape and he returned to Constantinople by ship.

Raymond IV of Toulouse in the crusader state of Tripoli

In 1102, Raymond travelled from Constantinople to Antioch by sea. Here he was imprisoned by Tancred. Raymond was let go after promising to keep his nose clean and not attempt any conquests. However, Raymond did not keep that promise and he marched on Tripoli with an army of about 300 men. Fakhr al-Mulk, the qadi of Tripoli called for assistance from Damascus and Homs, but once those troops reached Tripoli they switched sides and the qadi was defeated in early April. Raymond could not capture Tripoli itself, but he did capture Tortosa (sometimes also written as Tartus), which became the base of all future undertakings against Tripoli.

In the following year, Raymond, with the help of Byzantine engineers, constructed the fortress Mons Peregrinus. This fortress was built to help with the siege of Tripoli by blocking Tripoli’s access inland. When Raymond began to conquer Tripoli, he got the title of Raymond I of Tripoli.

In September 1104, Fakhr al-Mulk attacked Mons Peregrinus, resulting in the death of many Franks and one burned-down wing of the fortress.

When did Raymond IV of Toulouse die?

Raymond IV of Toulouse died on 28 February 1105, aged 62 or 63. Raymond was badly injured during the battle on Mons Peregrinus five months earlier, ultimately resulting in his death. On his deathbed, he had reached an agreement with the qadi: if the qadi would stop attacking the fortress, the crusaders would stop interfering with the trade of Tripoli. The qadi accepted. Raymond did not live long enough to see Tripoli being captured.

What happened after the death of Raymond IV of Toulouse?

Elvira, who had accompanied her husband on the First Crusade, had given birth to their son Alfonso Jordan, in 1103, during the siege of Tripoli.

Following Raymond’s death in 1105, his two-year-old son and heir became Count of Tripoli with William II Jordan acting as regent until Alfonso turned five.

In 1109, William II Jordan, with the help of King Baldwin I, finally managed to capture Tripoli and establish the County of Tripoli. In the same year, however, William was removed from his position by Raymond’s eldest son, Bertrand. The county of Tripoli remained in the possession of the counts of Toulouse throughout the twelfth century.

When Bertrand took over as count of Tripoli, Alfonso was taken back to Europe, where he was given the county of Rouergue. When Bertrand died in 1112, Alfonso became Count of Toulouse, alongside a few other titles, until he died in 1148.