Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
| Ramon Berenguer IV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Count of Provence | |
| Reign | 1209–1245 |
| Predecessor | Alfonso II |
| Successor | Beatrice |
| Count of Forcalquier | |
| Reign | 1217 or 1220–1245 |
| Predecessor | Garsenda |
| Successor | Beatrice |
| Born | 1198 Unknown |
| Died | 19 August 1245 (aged 50) Aix-en-Provence |
| Burial | Église Saint-Jean-de-Malte |
| Spouse | Beatrice of Savoy |
| Issue |
Marguerite, Queen of France Eleanor, Queen of England Sanchia, Queen of Germany Beatrice, Queen of Sicily |
| House | Barcelona |
| Father | Alfonso II, Count of Provence |
| Mother | Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Ramon Berenguer IV or V (1198 – 19 August 1245), Count of Provence and Forcalquier, was the son of Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda de Sabran, heiress of Forcalquier.
He was the first Count of Provence to live in the county in more than one hundred years.
After his father's death (1209), Ramon was imprisoned in the castle of Monzón, in Aragon until he was able to escape in 1219 and claim his inheritance. He was a powerful and energetic ruler who added Forcalquier to his domain.
He and his wife were known for their support of troubadors, always having some around the court. He was known for his generosity, though his income did not always keep up. He wrote laws prohibiting nobles from performing menial work, such as farming or heavy labor.
Ramon had many border disputes with his neighbors, the Counts of Toulouse. In 1226, Ramon began to reassert his right to rule in Marseille. The citizens there initially sought the help of Ramon's father-in-law Thomas, Count of Savoy in his role as imperial vicar. However, they later sought the help of Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse.
In 1228, Ramon supported his father-in-law in a double-sided conflict against Turin and Guigues VI of Viennois. This small war was one of many rounds intended to more firmly establish control over trade from Italy into France, and Provence included several key routes.
While the Albigensian Crusade worked in his favor against Toulouse, Ramon was concerned that its resolution in the Treaty of Paris left him in a precarious position. Raymond turned his troops from fighting France to attempting to claim lands from Provence. When Blanche of Castile sent her knight to both Toulouse and Provence in 1233, Ramon entertained him lavishly, and the knight left well impressed by both the count and his eldest daughter, Margaret. Soon after, Blanche negotiated the marriage between Margaret and her son, Louis, with a dowry of ten thousand silver marks. Ramon had to get contributions from allies for a portion, and had to pledge several of his castles to cover the rest. Ramon and Beatrice travelled with their daughter to Lyon in 1234 to sign the marriage treaty, and then Margaret was escorted to her wedding in Sens by her uncles from Savoy, William and Thomas.
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