William III of Toulouse
Encyclopedia
William III Taillefer (975 – September 1037) 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 (c.975) from Raymond II of Rouergue
.
His parentage has been subject to reevaluation. He has traditionally been called son of Raymond III Pons
and Garsinda. However, recent research has revealed that William was instead son of Adelais of Anjou, known to have married a Raymond, "Prince of Gothia
". This discovery has required a complete reevaluation of the succession to the County of Toulouse during this period, and no scholarly consensus has developed.
He and his vassals were notorious usurpers of church property. He stole from the abbey of Lézat
, but gave it back between 1015 and 1025. Pope John XIX
ordered him to stop his vassals from taking the lands of Moissac
, a problem later remedied by his successor, Pons
, who gave Moissac to Cluny
.
William became the most powerful prince in western Languedoc
and he saw the rise of the House of Capet
in France
and a corresponding decrease in royal authority recognised in the south. He bore the title of marchio prefatus in pago Tholosano: "prefect margrave in the Toulousain country." His influence extended into the Narbonensis and even Provence
, on behalf of his wife. His power did not remain undiminished in his own city of Toulouse
, where he was forced by a council of local noblemen and clerics to give up dues imposed on the market there.
Before 992, William married Emma
, daughter of Rotbold III of Provence
. From her he gained titles and lands to Provence. From a prior marriage, he had two sons, Raymond and Hugh, who died young. His eldest son by Emma, Pons
, inherited Toulouse and the title of Margrave of Provence. His second son Bertrand became Count of Forcalquier, a Provençal fief. He had two daughters: Rangarda, wife of Peter Raymond of Carcassonne by Emma, and Ildegarda Elisa, wife of Fulk Bertrand of Provence
by Emma. He had an illegitimate daughter who married Otto Raymond of L'Isle-Jourdain.
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
, which he inherited (c.975) from Raymond II of Rouergue
Raymond II of Rouergue
Raymond II was the count of Rouergue and Quercy from 937 to his death...
.
His parentage has been subject to reevaluation. He has traditionally been called son of Raymond III Pons
Raymond Pons of Toulouse
Raymond Pons was the Count of Toulouse from 924. He was the last head of his house to rule in Toulouse before the power passed to his cousins the counts of Rouergue....
and Garsinda. However, recent research has revealed that William was instead son of Adelais of Anjou, known to have married a Raymond, "Prince of Gothia
Prince of Gothia
The title Prince of Gothia or Prince of the Goths was a title of nobility, sometimes assumed by its holder as a sign of supremacy in the region of Gothia and sometimes bestowed by the sovereign of West Francia to the principal nobleman in the south of the realm, in the ninth and tenth centuries...
". This discovery has required a complete reevaluation of the succession to the County of Toulouse during this period, and no scholarly consensus has developed.
He and his vassals were notorious usurpers of church property. He stole from the abbey of Lézat
Lézat
Lézat is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
, but gave it back between 1015 and 1025. Pope John XIX
Pope John XIX
Pope John XIX , born Romanus, was Pope from 1024 to 1032.He succeeded his brother, Pope Benedict VIII , both being members of the powerful house of Tusculum...
ordered him to stop his vassals from taking the lands of 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:...
, a problem later remedied by his successor, Pons
Pons of Toulouse
Pons William was the Count of Toulouse from 1037. He was the eldest son and successor of William III Taillefer and Emma of Provence. He thus inherited the title marchio Provincæ. He is known to have owned many allods and he relied on Roman, Salic, and Gothic law.Already in 1030, he possessed a...
, who gave Moissac 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...
.
William became the most powerful prince in western Languedoc
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...
and he saw the rise of the House of Capet
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and a corresponding decrease in royal authority recognised in the south. He bore the title of marchio prefatus in pago Tholosano: "prefect margrave in the Toulousain country." His influence extended into the Narbonensis and even 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...
, on behalf of his wife. His power did not remain undiminished in his own city of 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...
, where he was forced by a council of local noblemen and clerics to give up dues imposed on the market there.
Before 992, William married Emma
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:...
, daughter of Rotbold III of Provence
Rotbold III of Provence
Rotbold III was the Count and Margrave of Provence from 1005 to his death. He was the only son of Rotbold II and Emilde, daughter of Stephen, Viscount of Gévaudan. He inherited all his father's titles on his death in 1008...
. From her he gained titles and lands to Provence. From a prior marriage, he had two sons, Raymond and Hugh, who died young. His eldest son by Emma, Pons
Pons of Toulouse
Pons William was the Count of Toulouse from 1037. He was the eldest son and successor of William III Taillefer and Emma of Provence. He thus inherited the title marchio Provincæ. He is known to have owned many allods and he relied on Roman, Salic, and Gothic law.Already in 1030, he possessed a...
, inherited Toulouse and the title of Margrave of Provence. His second son Bertrand became Count of Forcalquier, a Provençal fief. He had two daughters: Rangarda, wife of Peter Raymond of Carcassonne by Emma, and Ildegarda Elisa, wife of Fulk Bertrand of Provence
Fulk Bertrand of Provence
Fulk Bertrand I was the joint Count of Provence with his elder brother William IV from 1018 and with his younger brother Geoffrey I from at least 1032 if not earlier. After William's death, Fulk assumed the title of margrave, indicating headship of the dynasty...
by Emma. He had an illegitimate daughter who married Otto Raymond of L'Isle-Jourdain.
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.
- Thierry Stasser, "Adélaïde d'Anjou. Sa famille, ses mariages, sa descendance", Le Moyen Age 103,1 (1997): 9-52