Raymond Trencavel

Raymond Trencavel was a French noble who was the viscount of Béziers and Carcassonne in the early 13th century. He was a key figure during the Albigensian Crusade, a conflict initiated by Pope Innocent III against the Cathari, a dualist religious movement in southern France that the Catholic Church deemed heretical.1

Trencavel's lands were in southern France, a region where the Cathari were tolerated and supported by the local nobility. Despite his initial tolerance of the Cathari, Trencavel found himself in conflict with the crusaders, who were primarily from northern France. The Albigensian Crusade ultimately led to the French king establishing authority over the south, and Trencavel's territories were eventually absorbed into the French crown.12