General Notes

OCCU Count of Toulouse from 1194
EDUC (1209) joined the  Albigensian Crusade
RELI Sources: Taut, Anne. "The Kings and Queens of Great BritainRaymond VI(b. Oct. 27, 1156--d. August 1222, Toulouse, Fr.),  count ofToulouse from 1194, who at first tolerated the heretical
Cathariin Languedoc, then (1209) joined the  Albigensian Crusadeagainst them and afterward fought the crusaders to save his owndominions.The son of Count Raymond V, Raymond VI was a nephew of
KingLouis VII of France and brother-in-law of King Richard I ofEngland. Tolerant toward the many heretics among his subjects,Raymond VI was thought to have been an accessory to the murderof a papal
legate,  Peter of Castelnau, who had been urging himto act against the Cathari. After the Legate's death (Jan. 15,1208), Pope Innocent III proclaimed the crusade, which Raymondjoined, perhaps as
penance. The other crusaders, most of whomwere North Frenchmen seeking lands in the South, were led bySimon de  Montfort (father of Simon de Montfort, earl ofLeicester, famous in English history),
and Raymond found himselfobliged to defend his lands against their ambitions. In theBattle of Muret, near Toulouse (Sept. 12, 1213), Raymond andKing Peter II of Aragon (his brother-in-law by a later
marriage)were defeated by Simon, who was awarded Raymond's countship bythe fourth  Lateran Council (1215).With Aragonese help, however, Raymond reoccupied the city ofToulouse (September 1217). He
then withstood a siege by Simon(who was killed near the city, June 25, 1218) and regained mostof his lands before his sudden death. Twice excommunicated bythe church, he was refused Christian
burial. Related Propaedia TopicsThe growth of the Kingdom of France under the later Capetiandynasty (1180-1328), the Low CountriesCopyright (c) 1996 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All RightsReserved
DATE 14 MAR 1999