Raymund (d. 1265)[1] was the husband of Duchess Anna Henrietta, making him duke of Toussaint, and ruled from 1258 until his death 7 years later.
However, he wasn't very well liked by his subjects and was said to be such a despicable man that "he would have given the very Devil stomach ulcers in half a year." Despite this, he was well known as a womanizer and it was no secret he constantly slept around with other women.[2]
Biography[]
In 1261, he'd been staying in Cintra for a council but lingered on returning home, wanting to stay with a lover he had there. This worked out well for Dandelion who visited Toussaint around this time and ended up staying from winter to the summer solstice, as both he and the duchess became romantically involved around Belleteyn. However, the two hadn't been very discreet and Dandelion, hearing the rumors, prudently took off before Raymund returned.
Sure enough, as soon as Raymund returned, one of the servants informed him and the duke became incensed, killing the servant, smashing furniture, and punching the marshal in the face before imprisoning Anna in her chambers, threatening to torture her if she didn't reveal everything, so she did. Now with a name, Raymund sent people out to find and kill Dandelion and tear his heart out with the idea to cook it and make Anna eat it in front of the entire court like from an ancient ballad he'd read. However, Dandelion had luckily got out of the duchy before then and, as many didn't like the duke, few, if any, tried to hunt down the bard.[2]
This incident though caused Raymund to suffer from apoplexy and was paralyzed from it for a year before he began to recover, though never fully. However, he continued womanizing before dying in 1265 from apoplexy[3] while having sex with one of his lovers.
Trivia[]
- This character and his lands draw parallels to that of Raymond VII, who was the Count of Toulouse and born at the Château de Beaucaire. Raymond of Toulouse was possibly a source of inspiration for Raymund of Toussaint and the city of Beauclair.
References[]
- ↑ In The Tower of the Swallow, it's remarked he died 2 years past
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Lady of the Lake
- ↑ The Tower of the Swallow