The viscount's four viscounties, drawn as blocks over which his vassal castle lords sit: Carcassonne with the Carcasses, Cabardes and Minervois; the Razes about Limoux and Alet; Beziers and the Biterrois on the Orb; and the upper Albigeois about Albi, Ambialet and Lombers, with the Castrais.
In each, the viscount keeps the chief town and castle and the high justice; the countryside is a patchwork of castles held by co-lords who owe him oath and service.
Who he is
- Name
- Raymond Roger Trencavel
- Title
- Viscount of Beziers, Carcassonne, Albi and Razes
- Since
- 1194
- Born
- 1185
- Family
- Nephew of Raymond VI; cousin of Raymond Roger of Foix; his mother Adelaide of Toulouse is with him at Carcassonne.
- Confidence
- high
See Trencavel.
Overlord
Raymond VI for Beziers and Albi; Peter II of Aragon for Carcassonne and Razes.
What it holds
- The Cite of Carcassonne and its castle
- Beziers and its bridges on the Via Domitia
- Albi beside the bishop, with Ambialet and Lombers
- Limoux and Alet in the Razes
- Castres and the Castrais
- The overlordship of the castle lords of the Cabardes, Minervois, Termenes and Lauragais (separate records)
How it was acquired
Inherited (see the realm record).
Allies and rivals
As in the realm record.
How things stand that morning
Held by the young viscount, of age since about 1199 and governing at Carcassonne with his mother. The Lauragais is shared with the count of Toulouse's castles; Narbonne and the archbishop's lands cut the Biterrois from the Razes on the coast; Montpellier and Agde (the bishop's since 1187) lie east of Beziers.
Wealth
The Via Domitia tolls at Carcassonne and Beziers; the cloth and markets of the bourgs of Carcassonne and of Beziers; wine and grain of the Biterrois; the Albi bridge and market (as usually stated).
Military
The Cite of Carcassonne, Beziers, Ambialet and Lombers; the vassal castles. No numbers.
Threats
- As in the realm record
Places of note
- Cite of Carcassonne: The viscount's castle and the walled Cite.
- Ambialet: Viscountal castle on the Tarn above Albi.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The viscounties and their overlords are certain; their exact bounds in 1200 are not, so the polygons are rough.
On the map: Rough blocks; the viscount's direct lordship was a network of towns, castles and oaths.
Primary sources for Trencavel
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.
- 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.
- 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.