A small county between Montpellier and Lunel, on the lagoons east of the Lez, whose worth lies in its mint: the melgorien denier struck at Melgueil (Mauguio) is the common money of Lower Languedoc.
Raymond VI holds it in his own right since his first marriage. Because it is a papal fief, it is the one part of his lands that Rome can take back by law, which happens after his excommunication: in 1215 the pope gives it to the bishop of Maguelone.
Who he is
- Name
- Raymond VI of Toulouse
- Title
- Count of Melgueil
- Since
- By his first marriage (11 December 1172) to Ermessende Pelet, heiress of Melgueil, who left it to him at her death in 1176; her mother Countess Beatrice's own rights ended later (date not pinned here)
- Born
- 1156
- Family
- House of Toulouse
- Confidence
- high
French Wikipedia (Raymond VI) says Ermessende ceded Melgueil to him by will before her death in 1176; the Maison d'Anduze article has her bringing it as her dowry.
Overlord
The pope: Count Peter of Melgueil gave the county to the Holy See in 1085, and the counts hold it as papal vassals.
What it holds
- The castle and town of Melgueil (Mauguio)
- The mint of the melgorien denier
- The villages of the county between the Lez and the Vidourle lagoons
How it was acquired
Marriage to Ermessende Pelet, 1172; her death, 1176.
Allies and rivals
The lords of Montpellier and Lunel are its neighbours; the bishop of Maguelone covets it.
How things stand that morning
Held by Raymond VI.
Wealth
The mint of the melgorien, salt from the lagoons.
Military
The castle of Melgueil. No numbers.
Threats
- As a papal fief, forfeit to Rome if the count is condemned
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The papal fief, the mint and the passage to Raymond VI are standard; the county's exact villages are not listed in the sources read.
On the map: Rough extent of the county around Mauguio.
Primary sources for Toulouse
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
- Deeds of the Counts of Barcelona, Anonymous (monks of Santa Maria de Ripoll) (first version 1162 to 1184; continued in the later 13th century; final version 1303 to 1314). The house chronicle of the counts of Barcelona.
- Documents of the French Royal Treasury of Charters, vol. 1 (755 to 1223) (755 to 1223; the archive was organised from the 1190s). The treaties and bonds the French crown kept in its own archive, printed in date order. Read online
- The Great Book of Fiefs, Various; compiled by Ramon de Caldes for Alfonso II of Aragon (compiled 1192 to 1194). The register of the count-king's feudal rights, finished a few years before 1200 and in use at Peter II's court: some 900 charters of homage, convention, oath, sale and marriage arranged by county and lineage, covering Catalonia, Roussillon, Cerdanya, Pallars, Urgell, the Carcassonne and Beziers lands of the Trencavels, Provence and Aragon.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.