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| Trencavel Coat of Arms |
When you ask someone what their dream is, the largest response will be to win the lottery, buy a nice car, and own an island. That sounds like a pretty good dream to me. Well, what if that really did happen, minus winning the lottery, but having money at your constant disposal. Imagine yourself as part of the Trencavel family.
The Trencavel was an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th - 13th centuries. They were the viscounts of Albi and many other surrounding areas. The Trencavels had a significant amount of land in the center of Languedoc which was surrounded by land of the Counts of Barcelona and the Counts of Toulouse. The Trencavels allied with the Counts of Barcelona and gained much power.
The Trencavel was an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th - 13th centuries. They were the viscounts of Albi and many other surrounding areas. The Trencavels had a significant amount of land in the center of Languedoc which was surrounded by land of the Counts of Barcelona and the Counts of Toulouse. The Trencavels allied with the Counts of Barcelona and gained much power.
The Trencavel family ruled Ambialet at this time. They had a great Château atop a mountain. With Ambialet being a Presqu’île, the Trencavel was able to control trade and communication. They charged large sums of money to pass through their waters and allowed only the passing of certain goods. From which, great revenue was accumulated.
Though, at this time, heresy was growing significantly. The family took advantage of the Cathar heretics, and was of the first to have the Albigensian Crusades launched against them.
As a result of the Albigensian Crusades, the Trencavel Family lost all their lands and titles. Ambialet then had to learn to live and grow as a community without the noble family governing their area.
The Trencavel family seems to have had it pretty well, besides loosing all their wealth, but I think anyone would be content living the life that they did for a several hundred years while ruling many lands.
The Trencavel family seems to have had it pretty well, besides loosing all their wealth, but I think anyone would be content living the life that they did for a several hundred years while ruling many lands.
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[www.languedoc-france.info, The House of Trencavel]
[Ambialet prestíqíeux et secret, "La Fin Des Trencavel", p. 8]
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