Raymond de Saint-Gilles

Life and political setting

Raymond was count of Toulouse and lord of extensive territories in southern France. He travelled east at the head of a large Provençal force together with the papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy. His promise to Alexios at Constantinople was formulated differently from the oaths of several other leaders, reflecting both his status and his rivalry with Bohemond.

Career during the Crusading era

Raymond played a major part in the sieges of Antioch and Jerusalem but failed to secure permanent rule in either city. After joining the expedition of 1101 he established himself near Tripoli. His campaigns at Arqa and Tripoli laid the foundation for the county that his successors completed after his death.

Documented activity: a chronological record

On 7 June – 15 July 1099, Raymond de Saint-Gilles appears in the atlas record “Capture of Jerusalem” at Jerusalem. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Raymond d’Aguilers, İbnü’l-Esîr. On 2–5 August 1101, Raymond de Saint-Gilles appears in the atlas record “Crusade of 1101: Merzifon” at Merzifon. The event is documented through Albertus Aquensis, Urfalı Mateos, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.

Allies, opponents and geographical range

Raymond de Saint-Gilles appears in the same records as Godefroy de Bouillon, İftiharüddevle, Kilij Arslan I, Danishmend Gazi. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.

The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Jerusalem; Merzifon. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.

Results of recorded decisions

The “Capture of Jerusalem” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

The “Crusade of 1101: Merzifon” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.

Sources and historiography

Latin chronicles and dynastic narratives make the person's role visible, while charters, treaties, letters and Arabic, Greek, Armenian or Syriac accounts provide independent controls. Later heroic portraits are evidence for memory and reception, not contemporary biography.

Names and titles vary between languages; Raymond IV of Toulouse should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.