Alphonse I of Toulouse
Encyclopedia
Alfonso Jordan (1103–1148) was the Count of Tripoli from 1105 until 1109 and thereafter Count of Toulouse
(as Alfonso I) until his death. He was the son of Raymond IV of Toulouse
by his third wife, Elvira of Castile, was born in the castle of Mont-Pelerin, Tripoli
, in today's Lebanon
. He was born while his father was on crusade, attempting to create the County of Tripoli
on the Palestinian coast. He was surnamed Jordan after being baptised in the Jordan River.
His father died when he was two years old and he remained under the guardianship of his cousin, Guillaume Jourdain, count of Cerdagne
(d. 1109), until he was five. He was then taken to Europe
and his brother Bertrand
gave him the county of Rouergue
. In his tenth year, upon Bertrand's death (1112), he succeeded to the county of Toulouse and marquisate of Provence
, but Toulouse was taken from him by William IX
, count of Poitiers
, in 1114, who claimed it by right of his wife Philippa of Toulouse, daughter of William IV of Toulouse
. He recovered a part in 1119, but continued to fight for his possessions until about 1123. When at last successful, he was excommunicated
by Pope Callixtus II
for having expelled the monks of Saint-Gilles
, who had aided his enemies.
He next fought for the sovereignty of Provence against Raymond Berenger III
, and not till September 1125 did the war end in an amicable agreement. Under it Jourdain became absolute master of the regions lying between the Pyrenees
and the Alps
, Auvergne
and the sea. His ascendancy was an unmixed good to the country, for during a period of fourteen years art and industry flourished. About 1134 he seized the viscounty of Narbonne
, only restoring it to the Viscountess Ermengarde
(d. 1197) in 1143. The claim of the now deceased Philippa of Toulouse was pressed again when Louis VII
besieged Toulouse in 1141, in right of his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine
, the granddaughter of Philippa, but without result.
Next year Jourdain again incurred the displeasure of the church by siding with the rebels of Montpellier
against their lord. A second time he was excommunicated; but in 1146 he took the cross at the meeting of Vezelay
called by Louis VII, and in August, 1147 embarked for the East in the Second Crusade
. He lingered on the way in Italy
and probably in Constantinople
. Alphonse might have met Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel I Comnenus during his visit there.
But in 1148 Alphonse had finally arrived at Acre. Among his companions he had made enemies and he was destined to take no share in the crusade he had joined. He was poisoned at Caesarea, either by Eleanor of Aquitaine
, the wife of Louis, or Melisende
, the mother of Baldwin III
, king of Jerusalem
suggesting the draught.
Alfonso married in 1125 Faydiva d'Uzes and had the following issue:
He also had illegitimate issue, including:
Counts of Toulouse
The first Counts of Toulouse were the administrators of the city and its environs under the Merovingians. No succession of such royal appointees is known, though a few names survive to the present...
(as Alfonso I) until his death. He was the son of Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse , sometimes called Raymond of St Gilles, was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Margrave of Provence and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. He was a son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de La Marche...
by his third wife, Elvira of Castile, was born in the castle of Mont-Pelerin, Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
, in today's Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. He was born while his father was on crusade, attempting to create the County of Tripoli
County of Tripoli
The County of Tripoli was the last Crusader state founded in the Levant, located in what today are parts of western Syria and northern Lebanon, where exists the modern city of Tripoli. The Crusader state was captured and created by Christian forces in 1109, originally held by Bertrand of Toulouse...
on the Palestinian coast. He was surnamed Jordan after being baptised in the Jordan River.
His father died when he was two years old and he remained under the guardianship of his cousin, Guillaume Jourdain, count of Cerdagne
Cerdanya
Cerdanya is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it has been one of the counties of Catalonia....
(d. 1109), until he was five. He was then taken to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and his brother Bertrand
Bertrand of Toulouse
Bertrand of Toulouse was count of Toulouse, and was the first count of Tripoli to rule in Tripoli itself....
gave him the county of Rouergue
Rouergue
Rouergue is a former province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan and on the west by Quercy...
. In his tenth year, upon Bertrand's death (1112), he succeeded to the county of Toulouse and marquisate 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...
, but Toulouse was taken from him by William IX
William IX of Aquitaine
William IX , called the Troubador, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitou between 1086 and his death. He was also one of the leaders of the Crusade of 1101...
, count of Poitiers
Count of Poitiers
Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers are:*Guerin **Hatton **Renaud...
, in 1114, who claimed it by right of his wife Philippa of Toulouse, daughter of William IV of Toulouse
William IV of Toulouse
William IV of Toulouse was Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence, and Duke of Narbonne from 1061 to 1094. He succeeded his father Pons of Toulouse upon his death in 1061. His mother was Almodis de la Marche, but she was kidnapped by and subsequently married to Ramon Berenguer I, Count of...
. He recovered a part in 1119, but continued to fight for his possessions until about 1123. When at last successful, he was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
by Pope Callixtus II
Pope Callixtus II
Pope Calixtus II , born Guy de Vienne, the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy , was elected Pope on February 1, 1119, after the death of Pope Gelasius II . His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, which he was able to settle through the Concordat of Worms...
for having expelled the monks of Saint-Gilles
Saint-Gilles
Saint-Gilles is the name of several places, most of them named after Saint Giles.-Belgium:* Saint-Gilles is the French name for a municipality in the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region...
, who had aided his enemies.
He next fought for the sovereignty of Provence against Raymond Berenger III
Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1082 , Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131...
, and not till September 1125 did the war end in an amicable agreement. Under it Jourdain became absolute master of the regions lying between the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
and the sea. His ascendancy was an unmixed good to the country, for during a period of fourteen years art and industry flourished. About 1134 he seized the viscounty of Narbonne
Viscount of Narbonne
The Viscount of Narbonne was the secular ruler of Narbonne in the Middle Ages. Narbonne had been the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania, until the eighth century, after which it became the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. Narbonne was nominally subject to the Carolingian Counts of...
, only restoring it to the Viscountess Ermengarde
Ermengarde of Narbonne
Ermengarde , was a viscountess of Narbonne from 1134 to 1192...
(d. 1197) in 1143. The claim of the now deceased Philippa of Toulouse was pressed again when Louis VII
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
besieged Toulouse in 1141, in right of his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
, the granddaughter of Philippa, but without result.
Next year Jourdain again incurred the displeasure of the church by siding with the rebels of Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
against their lord. A second time he was excommunicated; but in 1146 he took the cross at the meeting of Vezelay
Vézelay
Vézelay is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. It is a defendable hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and the Basilica of St Magdelene are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites....
called by Louis VII, and in August, 1147 embarked for the East in the Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
. He lingered on the way in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and probably in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. Alphonse might have met Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel I Comnenus during his visit there.
But in 1148 Alphonse had finally arrived at Acre. Among his companions he had made enemies and he was destined to take no share in the crusade he had joined. He was poisoned at Caesarea, either by Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
, the wife of Louis, or Melisende
Melisende of Jerusalem
Melisende was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153, and regent for her son between 1153 and 1161 while he was on campaign. She was the eldest daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, and the Armenian princess Morphia of Melitene. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Melisende of...
, the mother of Baldwin III
Baldwin III of Jerusalem
Baldwin III was king of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and the grandson of Baldwin II of Jerusalem.-Succession:...
, king of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
suggesting the draught.
Alfonso married in 1125 Faydiva d'Uzes and had the following issue:
- Raymond V of ToulouseRaymond V of ToulouseRaymond 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....
- Faydiva (d.1154), wife of Humbert III of SavoyHumbert III of SavoyUmberto III , surnamed the Blessed, was Count of Savoy from 1148 to 1189. His parents were Amadeus III of Savoy and Mahaut of Albon, the sister of Guy IV of Dauphinois. His memorial day is March 4.According to CopeHis first wife died young; his second marriage ended in divorce...
- Agnes (d.1187)
- Alphonso
He also had illegitimate issue, including:
- Laurentia, wife of Bernard III of Comminges)