Trencavel
Encyclopedia
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
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" (trenca avelana). The name was traditionally restricted in actual use only to those family members named Raymond, but the last Trencavel viscount, Raymond II
Raymond II Trencavel
Raymond II Trencavel was the last ruler of the branch of the Trencavel viscounts of Béziers...
, preferred the surname over his given name and adopted it for his charters.
The first well-known member of the family was Ato I, viscount of Albi in the early 10th century. He was followed by five generations of viscounts of Albi in direct father-to-son descent. During this same period the family came to dominate the episcopacy of Languedoc. Each of the viscounts from Ato II on had a younger brother named Frotarius (or Frothaire) who was a bishop, be it of Albi, Cahors, or Nîmes.
In 1069 the three daughters of Peter II of Carcassonne sold their rights to the Counties of Carcassonne and Razès
County of Razès
The County of Razès was a feudal jurisdiction in Occitania, south to Carcassonne, in what is now southern France. It was founded in 781, after the creation of the Kingdom of Aquitania, when Septimania was separated from that state.-History:...
and the Béziers and Agde to Raymond Berengar I of Barcelona for 4,000 mancuso
Mancuso
Mancuso is the most common surname in Sicily, and may refer to:*Alejandro Mancuso, a retired Argentine footballer*Ciro Mancuso, a Nevada-based drug dealer convicted of running a $140-million marijuana smuggling operation*David Mancuso, an American DJ...
s. By marriage to Ermengard, daughter of Peter II, Raymond Bernard, son of Bernard Ato III, became viscount of Carcassonne, having already acquired Nîmes. By 1070 he was viscount of Béziers. His son Bernard Ato IV
Bernard Ato IV
Bernard Ato IV was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1074 to his death.Bernard Ato was the son of Raymond Bernard of Nîmes and Ermengarde of Carcassonne.In 1125, Bernard Ato retook Carcassonne....
was viscount of Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Razès. He thus held all the lands of the counts of Carcassonne, but never assumed the comital title. Bernard Ato was formally proclaimed viscount after the death of his mother in 1101.
The sons of Bernard Ato IV divided their inheritance. The eldest, Roger I
Roger I Trencavel
Roger I Trencavel was the eldest son of Bernard Ato IV, Viscount of Albi, Agde, Béziers, Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Razès. On his father's death in 1130 he inherited Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès, while his younger brother Raymond inherited Agde and Béziers and his youngest brother Bernard Ato V...
, took Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès, but had no children. The second, Raymond I
Raymond I Trencavel
Raymond I Trencavel was the Viscount of Agde and Béziers from 1130 and Viscount of Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès from 1150. He was a member of the Trencavel family, ruling the lands of the elder branch....
took Béziers and Agde. The youngest, Bernard Ato V
Bernard Ato V
Bernard Ato V was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1129 to his death.In 1138, Bernard Ato swore an oath of fidelity to Alfonso Jordan, Count of Toulouse, along with his brothers Roger of Carcassonne and Raymond of Béziers...
, inherited Nîmes and married Guilhelma, daughter of William VI of Montpellier
William VI of Montpellier
William VI or Guillem VI was the eldest son of William V and his wife Ermessende, daughter of Count Peter II of Melgueil. William succeeded his father in the lordship of Montpellier in 1121, while still a minor, under his mother's guardianship...
. In 1132 Roger and Raymond agreed that on the event of Roger's death without heirs, Carcassonne would pass to Raymond. In 1150 Roger died and his three viscounties all passed to Raymond. After a series of disputes, the viscounty of Agde was divided between Raymond and Bernard Ato, with the latter holding the title. The elder branch of Béziers-Albi-Carcassonne-Razès and the younger of Nîmes-Agde were to remain separate for the remainder of the family's existence. The practical capital of the elder branch was Béziers.
During this period there was considerable urban unrest as the growing cities tried to assert their independence. Raymond I was killed during one such revolt in Béziers. There was also revolts in Carcassonne in 1107 and 1120–1124, during which four years the Trencavel were expelled from the city.
Their complex of lands in the centre of Languedoc gave the Trencavel considerable power in the 11th and 12th centuries. The counts of Barcelona and Toulouse
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...
both had large territories to the east and west, and valued a potential alliance with a family that stood in the middle. For the most part the Trencavels allied with Barcelona against Toulouse. But as a result of the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
, the last Trencavels lost their lands and titles.
Roger II
Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul, usually as proconsul de Bitteris , but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon...
, son of Raymond I, inherited his father's four viscounties. His son, Raymond Roger also held them, and was captured after the fall of Carcassonne to the Crusaders. He died in prison at the end of 1209, a watershed for Languedoc. Meanwhile, Bernard Ato VI
Bernard Ato VI
Bernard Ato VI was the posthumous son and successor of Bernard Ato V, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
, son of Bernard Ato V, ceded his rights as viscount of Nîmes and Agde to the Crusading leader Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
in 1214. Raymond Roger's son, Raymond II
Raymond II Trencavel
Raymond II Trencavel was the last ruler of the branch of the Trencavel viscounts of Béziers...
, formally ceded his titles in 1210, though he reclaimed Carcassonne in 1224, only to lose it to Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
in 1226. He continued to call himself viscount until 1247, when he once again formally ceded his rights, this time to Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, and symbolically broke his vicecomital seals, after several failed attempts to recover his patrimony. He and his sons are the last known Trencavels, and they ruled only the castle of Limoux
Limoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
.
List of ruling members
Viscount Ato I (died early 10th century) Bernard Ato I (died 937) Ato II (died 942) Bernard Ato II (died 990) Aton III (died 1030) Bernard Ato III (died 1060) Raymond Bernard (died 1074) Bernard Ato IV Bernard Ato IV Bernard Ato IV was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1074 to his death.Bernard Ato was the son of Raymond Bernard of Nîmes and Ermengarde of Carcassonne.In 1125, Bernard Ato retook Carcassonne.... (died 1129) Roger I Roger I Trencavel Roger I Trencavel was the eldest son of Bernard Ato IV, Viscount of Albi, Agde, Béziers, Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Razès. On his father's death in 1130 he inherited Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès, while his younger brother Raymond inherited Agde and Béziers and his youngest brother Bernard Ato V... (died 1150) Bernard Ato V Bernard Ato V Bernard Ato V was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1129 to his death.In 1138, Bernard Ato swore an oath of fidelity to Alfonso Jordan, Count of Toulouse, along with his brothers Roger of Carcassonne and Raymond of Béziers... (died 1163) Raymond I Raymond I Trencavel Raymond I Trencavel was the Viscount of Agde and Béziers from 1130 and Viscount of Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès from 1150. He was a member of the Trencavel family, ruling the lands of the elder branch.... (died 1167) Roger II Roger II Trencavel Roger II Trencavel was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul, usually as proconsul de Bitteris , but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon... (died 1194) Raymond Roger (died 1209) Bernard Ato VI Bernard Ato VI Bernard Ato VI was the posthumous son and successor of Bernard Ato V, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester and leader of the Albigensian Crusade... (died after 1214) Raymond II Raymond II Trencavel Raymond II Trencavel was the last ruler of the branch of the Trencavel viscounts of Béziers... (died 1263/7) |
Viscounties Albi Albi Albi Albi Albi Albi Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, and Nîmes Agde, Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, Nîmes, and Razès Albi, Carcassonne, and Razès Agde and Nîmes Agde, Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, and Razès Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, and Razès Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, and Razès Agde and Nîmes Albi, Béziers, Carcassonne, and Razès |