d. 1112 · Count of Tripoli (1109–1112)
Bertrand of Toulouse
Son of Raymond of Saint-Gilles; with the capture of Tripoli in 1109 he became the first effective count of the County of Tripoli.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Bertrand was the son of Count Raymond of Saint-Gilles of Toulouse by his first marriage. He governed Toulouse while his father was on the First Crusade. In 1108 he went East with Provençal and Genoese forces.
Role in the Crusades
Continuing the siege of Tripoli begun by his father, Bertrand clashed with his cousin William-Jordan, who also claimed the county. After an agreement reached through the arbitration of King Baldwin I of Jerusalem, the city was taken with the support of the Genoese fleet on 12 July 1109. With William-Jordan's death soon afterwards, Bertrand became sole ruler of the county.
Historical significance and source problems
Bertrand's oath of fealty to the king of Jerusalem tied Tripoli into the system of crusader states as the fourth state. His date of birth is unknown. Albert of Aachen, Fulcher of Chartres and Ibn al-Qalanisi describe the capture of Tripoli with different details.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.