County of Razès

The Razès ( Catalan Rases ) is the historical name of a small country in the south of France which includes the basin of the river Sou. This corresponds to the territory of the canton Alaigne and a part of the canton in the Arrondissement Limoux Limoux of the Aude.

In earlier centuries, however, the name Razès comprised a much larger territory ( Grand Razès ) which formed a county in the Middle Ages. It corresponded roughly the total Arrondissement Limoux and the east parts of the arrondissements of Carcassonne and Narbonne. However, in the course of the Middle Ages this county should decay through territorial concessions and largely absorbed in the county of Carcassonne.

History

The name of the Razès was derived from the Diocese Rhedesium or Pagus Rhedensis, the center of the city was founded by the Visigoths Rhedae. This city controlled the connecting passage of the Corbières to the Pyrénées.

After the Franks had 507 displaced the Visigoths of Toulouse after the Battle of Vouillé, formed the Razès from now on the southern part Septimaniens, the area which was the Visigoths remained north of the Pyrenees. At the beginning of the 6th century an archdeacon of the diocese of Carcassonne was established in Rhedae. The city was renamed therefor in accordance with an ancient Roman custom in Civitas Attacensis ( "City of the River Atax "). At the Council of Narbonne 788 it was placed under the Archbishopric of Narbonne. During the Moorish occupation Septimaniens Rhedae was the Metropolitan seat of the Archbishop of Narbonne.

After the conquest Septimaniens by Charlemagne in the late 8th century Razès was established in a county. Which bordered on the north by the county of Carcassonne, on the east by the county of Narbonne in the south by the counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya Conflent and to the west by the county couserans (later Foix ). Well-known medieval castles that have played a role, especially in the time of the Cathars were Termes, peyrepertuse, Puivert and Puylaurens. Significant religious institutions were the abbeys of Sainte -Marie in Alet -les- Bains and Saint- Hilaire Saint-Hilaire in Limoux.

The county Razès shared this time of their existence largely the fate of their northern neighbor. First, the Duke William of Aquitaine family belonging came the Razès under the control of Raymond Ingersoll. These were 863 displaced by the rebel Margrave of Gothia Humphrey from their territories, a year later Humphrey was put to flight. King Charles the Bald awarded the Razès as well Carcassonne now on Oliba II from the family of Bellonid dynasty, which had previously prevailed already in Carcassonne. Oliba II had 870 for the loss of Fenouillèdes to the Counts of Urgell and Cerdanya suffered and was sold 872 of Count Bernard II of Toulouse, but could take his possessions in the same year returned to reception after Bernard had been murdered.

Through the marriage of Countess Arsinde with the Count of couserans a new dynasty came into the possession of Razès that the old man reached under Count Roger the height of their power, whose brother Odo founded here a separate line in the Count's Razès. Under this family but had to be ceded several areas of Razès as capcir, Donnezan and Sault at their southern rivals Oliba cabretas of Cerdanya and Besalu. After the extinction of the Count's house in 1062, the Razès fell again to the Counts of Carcassonne; whose heiress Ermengarde sold all their rights in 1067 to the Counts of Barcelona, which is now ruled directly over the Razès.

After the death of Count Ramon Berenguer II 1082 to Ermengarde son Bernard Aton IV Trencavel rose up against his brother and took over with the support of local nobility control of Carcassonne and Razès. He assumed the title of Viscount and compelled the Count of Barcelona to recognize him as his vassals. The House of Trencavel now one hundred years reigned over this region, at this time the territorial unity of the Razès but should be resolved.

In the years 1170 to 1171, King Alfonso II of Aragon tried to take direct control of the Vice- counties of Languedoc and sell the Trencavel. However, this company failed to Razès that devastated the king, but it could not achieve a decisive success. He also destroyed the city completely Rhedae, the old center of Razès whose castle but was successfully defended by Pierre de Vilar. Viscount Roger II was able to reconcile again in 1171, although with the Aragonese king, but he was forced to cede to peyrepertuse of Aragon other areas of Razès. The thus reduced territory of Razès ( Haute -Razès now called ) concentrated now around the country to Limoux.

At the beginning of the 13th century, the Razès was a target of the Albigensian Crusade, during which the castle of Rhedae was destroyed by the Crusaders, and later was to be built on their location the village of Rennes- le -Château. After the region was liberated by the Counts of Foix and his sons temporarily by the Crusaders, they had to the 1226 Crusade of King Louis VIII of France arise. The last Viscount was discontinued and the Razès was connected to the royal domain and placed under the administration of the Seneschal in Carcassonne.

Since the beginning of the 14th century, the Razès was part of the newly established Diocese of Alet and placed under legal since 1642 the Seneschallat ( Sénéchaussée ) of Limoux. With this, represented by four deputies to the Estates General of 1789, the Razès in 1790 the Aude department incorporated.

List of Counts Razès

List of Viscounts of Razès

The false Merovingian

The county of Razès is also a subject in which Gérard de Sède (the original, but not published manuscript comes from Pierre Plantard ) 1967 Le Trésor Maudit published book de Rennes -le-Château and L'Or de Rennes and his remarks contained therein on the conspiracy of the legendary Priory of Sion. Plantard are in it as a member of the Frankish ruling dynasty of the Merovingians had made ​​which allegedly received up to now. Progenitor to the process was called, without any evidence, to have been a son of King Dagobert II, Sigebert " Le Plant- Ard ". This had come about his gothic mother in the possession of the county Razès where his family had for several generations, until the conquest Septimaniens by the Franks, ruled. From them, in addition to Plantard also the Count of Boulogne and their home Member Godfrey of Bouillon descended, which should be in turn was the first Grand Master of the Priory.

These allegations found under other input in the pseudo-historical works of The Holy Grail and his heirs (1982) and The First Crusade backgrounds and effects ( 2004).

  • Historical territory (France)
  • Historical territory (Spain )
  • Catalan history
  • Frankish Empire
Arrondissement of Limoux Arrondissement of Carcassonne Arrondissement of Narbonne Viscounts of Narbonne County of Conflent County of Cerdanya County of Foix Château de Termes Château de Puivert Alet Cathedral Alet-les-Bains Saint-Hilaire (Aude) Bellonids Bernard II, Count of Toulouse Roger I of Carcassonne Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona Bernard Ato IV Roger II. Trencavel Crown lands of France Raymond I, Count of Toulouse Roger I. Trencavel Raymond I Trencavel Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester Amaury VI of Montfort Raymond II Trencavel Dagobert II. The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
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