Date of Birth: 27 October 1156
House: Rouergue
Spouse(s): (1) Ermessende, countess of Melgueil, daughter of Bernard V, count of Melgueil, and Beatrice of Melgueil, then (2) Beatrice, daughter of Ramon I, viscount of Carcassonne, and Saure, then (3) Bourgogne, daughter of Amalric II, king of Jerusalem, and Eschiva of Ibelin, then (4) Joan, daughter of Henry II, king of England, and Eleanor, duchess of Aquitaine, then (5) Leonor, daughter of Alfonso II, king of Aragón, and Sancha of Castile
Predecessor: Ramon V
Reign: 1194 – 1222
Summary: An extremely influential and wealthy prince, Ramon VI fell into his inheritance at the age of 28 upon the death of his father. His first wife died when he was still young and he divorced his subsequent two wives prior to his elevation to the countship. In 1197, he married an English princess, the second royal marriage he had made in his life. He would make a third before the end. Little is said of his reign but a dispute with Pope Innocent III is well known. In 1208, papal legate Pierre de Castelnau was assassinated in Toulouse. Ramon was implicated and excommunicated by the pope. Ramon immediately visited the pope and had the excommunication lifted, but bad luck followed him for the rest of his life. He ruled during the midst of the Albigensian Crusade which had engulfed much of southern France. Part of the problem for Ramon was that, while he remained strictly Catholic, he defended the heretical Cathars from attack with the support of the king of Aragón. At the Council of Montpellier in 1211, he was soundly excommunicated again for halting the progress of Christianity. Soon after, Ramon was forced to flee France for England where he settled in the court of his former brother-in-law, King John. Ramon was a count without a county and in 1215 he attended the Fourth Lateran Council to attempt to regain his lost lands. Ramon's son, Ramon VII, joined him and when the two were denied their lands, they decided to retake it by force. Ramon VII set out to retake lands in Provence while Ramon VI went to Aragón to rally support. Ramon finally re-entered Toulouse in 1217 but it was almost immediately besieged by the anti-Cathar leader Simon de Montfort. Fate would have it that Simon was killed during the siege and his son attempted to take over command, but failed horrible. Further failures made on the part of King Louis VIII of France afforded Ramon a rare chance to recapture most of his lost lands. Ramon, when able to rule, was known for providing many freedoms to his city-dwellers, for extending tax exemptions to those too poor to afford the taxes, and for protecting communal property from the church. When he died, his son succeeded him without issue and was able to rule for a further four years before Louis VIII redoubled his efforts and prompted a second crusade.
House: Rouergue
Spouse(s): (1) Ermessende, countess of Melgueil, daughter of Bernard V, count of Melgueil, and Beatrice of Melgueil, then (2) Beatrice, daughter of Ramon I, viscount of Carcassonne, and Saure, then (3) Bourgogne, daughter of Amalric II, king of Jerusalem, and Eschiva of Ibelin, then (4) Joan, daughter of Henry II, king of England, and Eleanor, duchess of Aquitaine, then (5) Leonor, daughter of Alfonso II, king of Aragón, and Sancha of Castile
Predecessor: Ramon V
Reign: 1194 – 1222
Summary: An extremely influential and wealthy prince, Ramon VI fell into his inheritance at the age of 28 upon the death of his father. His first wife died when he was still young and he divorced his subsequent two wives prior to his elevation to the countship. In 1197, he married an English princess, the second royal marriage he had made in his life. He would make a third before the end. Little is said of his reign but a dispute with Pope Innocent III is well known. In 1208, papal legate Pierre de Castelnau was assassinated in Toulouse. Ramon was implicated and excommunicated by the pope. Ramon immediately visited the pope and had the excommunication lifted, but bad luck followed him for the rest of his life. He ruled during the midst of the Albigensian Crusade which had engulfed much of southern France. Part of the problem for Ramon was that, while he remained strictly Catholic, he defended the heretical Cathars from attack with the support of the king of Aragón. At the Council of Montpellier in 1211, he was soundly excommunicated again for halting the progress of Christianity. Soon after, Ramon was forced to flee France for England where he settled in the court of his former brother-in-law, King John. Ramon was a count without a county and in 1215 he attended the Fourth Lateran Council to attempt to regain his lost lands. Ramon's son, Ramon VII, joined him and when the two were denied their lands, they decided to retake it by force. Ramon VII set out to retake lands in Provence while Ramon VI went to Aragón to rally support. Ramon finally re-entered Toulouse in 1217 but it was almost immediately besieged by the anti-Cathar leader Simon de Montfort. Fate would have it that Simon was killed during the siege and his son attempted to take over command, but failed horrible. Further failures made on the part of King Louis VIII of France afforded Ramon a rare chance to recapture most of his lost lands. Ramon, when able to rule, was known for providing many freedoms to his city-dwellers, for extending tax exemptions to those too poor to afford the taxes, and for protecting communal property from the church. When he died, his son succeeded him without issue and was able to rule for a further four years before Louis VIII redoubled his efforts and prompted a second crusade.
Date of Death: 2 August 1222
Successor: Ramon VII
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Successor: Ramon VII
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- John V, pope of Rome (686)
- Æthelweard, king of Wessex (924)
- William II, king of England (1100)
- Louis, prince of Achaea (1316)
- Henri III, king of France (1589)
- Kato Kiyomasa, daimyo in Japan (1611)
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