Pons William (abt 1020 – 1060) was the Count of Toulouse from 1037. He was the eldest son and successor of William III Taillefer

William III of Toulouse

William III Taillefer was the Count of Toulouse, Albi, and Quercy from 972 or 978 to his death. He was the first of the Toulousain branch of his family to bear the title marchio, which he inherited from Raymond II of Rouergue.His parentage has been subject to reevaluation...

 and Emma of Provence

Emma of Provence

Emma was the daughter of Rotbold III of Provence and Ermengarda. She inherited the title Margrave of Provence from her elder brother William III in 1037 and married William III of Toulouse.With William, she had four children:...

. He thus inherited the title marchio Provincæ. He is known to have owned many allods and he relied on Roman

Roman law

Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...

, Salic

Salic law

Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...

, and Gothic law.

Already in 1030, he possessed a lot of power in the Albigeois. In 1037, he gave many allodial churches and castles, including one half of that of Porta Spina, in the Albigeois, Nimois

Nîmes

Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...

, and 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...

 as a bridal gift to his wife Majore.

In 1038, he split the purchase of the Diocese of Albi with the Trencavel

Trencavel

The Trencavel were an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th through 13th centuries. The name "Trencavel," originally a nickname and later a family name, may derive from the Occitan words for "nutcracker"...

 family. In 1040, he donated property in Diens to Cluny

Cluny

Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...

. In 1047, he first appears as count palatine

Count palatine

Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...

 in a charter donating Moissac

Moissac

Moissac is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is famous world-wide mostly for the artistic heritage handed down by the ancient Saint-Pierre Abbey.-History:...

 to Cluny.

Pons married first wife, Majore, in 1022. She died in 1044. In 1045, he married, Almodis de La Marche

Almodis de la Marche

Almodis de la Marche was the daughter of Bernard I, Count of Marche and wife Amélie. She married Hugh V of Lusignan around 1038 and they had two sons and one daughter:* Hugh VI of Lusignan * Jordan de Lusignan...

, former wife of Hugh V of Lusignan

Hugh V of Lusignan

Hugh V , called the Fair or the Pious, was the fifth Lord of Lusignan and Lord of Couhé. He succeeded his father, Hugh IV, sometime around 1026....

, but he too repudiated her in 1053. His only child by Majore, Pons the Younger, did not inherit his county and march. His eldest sons by Almodis, William IV

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...

 and Raymond IV

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...

, originally just count 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...

, succeeded him in turn. His son Hugh became abbot of Saint-Gilles. He had one daughter, Almodis, who married the Count of Melgueil.

Pons died in Toulouse

Toulouse

Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...

 and was buried in Saint-Sernin

Saint-Sernin

Saint-Sernin may refer to the following places in France:* Basilique St-Sernin, Toulouse, the basilica of Toulouse, France* Saint-Sernin, Ardèche, a commune in the department of Ardèche* Saint-Sernin, Aude, a commune in the department of Aude...

, probably late in 1060 or early in 1061.

Sources

• Lewis, Archibald R. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Toulouse.

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