Raymond V, Count of Toulouse

Raymond V (Occitan: Ramon; c. 1134 – c. 1194) was Count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.

He was the son of Alphonse I of Toulouse. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, then aged 14. He permitted the first assembly of townsmen in Toulouse, the origin of the later capitouls.

In 1165, in the town of Lombers, the Bishop of Albi attended by both clerics and members of the nobility, including Constance the wife of Raymond V, interrogated and debated with members of an alleged heretical sect. Calling themselves "Good Men", this group held beliefs similar to those of Henry of Lausanne and Peter of Bruys as well as indicating Cathar influence. While the Good Men declined to respond to a number of questions about their beliefs, they told the bishop that they did not accept the Old Testament, and that their reading of the New Testament persuaded them that they should not take oaths. They further challenged the jurisdiction of the bishop.

In 1178 Raymond requested assistance from the Cistercians to combat heresy in his dominions. Wakefield suggests that being under pressure on his western border from Alfonso II of Aragon, Raymond wished to present himself as a defender of the faith. A joint legatine and royal commission arrived in Toulouse charged with authority to preach, investigate, and condemn. It operated for three months.

In 1153/6, Raymond married Constance of France, daughter of king Louis VI of France by his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne. Constance was the widow of Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne. Because Raymond was related to her within prohibited degrees, they were separated by ecclesiastical authority in 1165. They had five children:

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