Raymond Roger de Foix

Sello de Raimundo Roger

Raymond Roger I was Count of Foix. He succeeded his father Roger Bernard I the Fat on his death in 1188.

Brother of Esclarmonda de Foix and married to Felipa, who could belong to the Montcada manor house. From her he had four children: hers, her successor, Roger Bernardo II the Great; Cecilia (married to Bernardo V count of Comminges); Ramón Roger (monk in the Bulbona abbey); and Esclaramunda (wife of Bernardo de So, lord of Donasa and Oueragui and Castilian of So). He also had Ricsenda de Narbona as a concubine, with whom he had three other children: Odón; Eimeric (died 1229); and Lupo, who was granted the lordship of Saverdun and who married Honorata de Baumont, trunk of the house of the lords (later counts and then marquises) of Rabat, viscounts of Conserans and marquises of Foix and Fornets, extinguished in 1698.

In 1196 he made an incursion into the counties of Urgell and Cerdanya, taking in a second incursion two years later (1198) La Seo de Urgell, seat of the bishop. These incursions were carried out due to the feudal rights over Andorra discussed between the Castellbó (Raimundo Roger I was allied to the viscount of Castellbó, Arnaldo) and the Bishopric of Urgell.

In 1199 he attended the consecration of the new Bulbona Abbey, the resting place of many of the Counts of Foix.

In 1201 he faced the Count of Tolosa, Raymond VI, who had accepted the feudal homage of the Lord of Saverdun, who owned the territory by infeudation of the Count of Foix. He also clashed with the Count of Comminges for a few years (until 1209), over possession of the Volvestre fief.

In 1203, Raymond Roger I and his ally Arnold Viscount of Castellbó were defeated and captured by Ermengol VIII, Count of Urgell and the Bishop of Urgell Bernardo de Vilamur. His imprisonment lasted seven months (February to September) being released through the intercession of Pedro II, King of Aragon.

Simón de Montfort's performance caused the Count of Foix, who had not opted for Catharism, to side faithfully with his feudal sovereign, Count Raymond VI of Toulouse against the Crusaders. After the defeat of Muret, the county remained in the hands of Simón de Montfort. The IV Lateran Council (1215) confirmed Raymond Roger's possession of the county but Simon refused to hand it over. In 1216 the feudal lords of the area began the war to recover their fiefs that lasted until 1224. In 1217 he participated in the siege of the city of Tolosa where Simón de Montfort died.

In 1223 he had already recovered all his possessions except Mirepoix. He was besieging this city when an ulcer took his life (1223).