| Raymond VII | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Count of Toulouse | |
| Reign | 1222–1249 |
| Predecessor | Raymond VI |
| Successor | Joan |
| Born | July 1197 Château de Beaucaire |
| Died | 27 September 1249 (aged 52) Toulouse |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Sancha of Aragon Margaret of Lusignan |
| Issue | Joan, Countess of Toulouse |
| House | Rouergue |
| Father | Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse |
| Mother | Joan of England |
Raymond VII (July 1197 – 27 September 1249) wasCount of Toulouse,Duke of Narbonne andMarquis of Provence from 1222 until his death.
Raymond was born at theChâteau de Beaucaire, the son ofRaymond VI of Toulouse[1] andJoan of England. Through his mother, he was a grandson ofHenry II of England and a nephew of kingsRichard I andJohn of England.
In March 1211, at the age of 13, Raymond VII marriedSancha of Aragon.[1] They had one daughter,Joan, and were divorced in 1241.[2] He was engaged toSanchia of Provence, but she marriedRichard of Cornwall instead.[2] In 1243 Raymond married Margaret of Lusignan, the daughter ofHugh X of Lusignan andIsabella of Angoulême.[3] They had no children and theCouncil of Lyons in 1245 granted Raymond a divorce.[4] He then tried to get support fromBlanche, mother of KingLouis IX of France, to marryBeatrice of Provence, who had just becomeCountess of Provence, but Beatrice married Blanche's sonCharles instead.
During theAlbigensian Crusade in May 1216, Raymond set out fromMarseille and besiegedBeaucaire, which he captured on 24 August. He fought to reconquer the county of Toulouse fromSimon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester and later Simon's sonAmaury VI of Montfort.
He succeeded his father in 1222. At the moment of his accession, he and the newcount of Foix,Roger Bernard II the Great, besiegedCarcassonne. On 14 September 1224, theAlbigensian Crusaders surrendered and the war came to an end, each southern lord making peace with the church. However, in 1225, thecouncil of Bourgesexcommunicated him and launched acrusade against him, theking of France,Louis VIII, calledthe Lion, wanting to renew the conflict in order to enforce his royal rights inLanguedoc. Roger-Bernard tried to keep the peace, but the king rejected his embassy and the counts of Foix and Toulouse took up arms again. The war was largely a discontinuous series of skirmishes and, in January 1229, Raymond, defeated, was forced to sign theTreaty of Paris (also known as the "Treaty of Meaux"). By this treaty he ceded the former viscounty ofTrencavel toLouis IX and his daughterJoan was forced to marryAlphonse, brother of the king.[5]
In 1242, Raymond allied with CountHugh of La Marche and KingHenry III of England against Louis IX during theSaintonge War. Louis sent against him an army under the ConstableImbert de Beaujeu and BishopHugh of Clermont. He was forced to surrender the castle ofSaverdun andBram.
When Raymond died, Alphonse became count of Toulouse, and after Alphonse's death the county was annexed byFrance. Raymond VII was buried beside his mother Joan inFontevrault Abbey.
| Preceded by | Count of Toulouse 1222–1249 | Succeeded by Joan andAlphonse II |
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| National | |
| Other | |
