Raymond Pilet , the only child of Bernard I Pilet of Narbonne and his wife, whose name is unknown. Seigneur of Alès. Bernard was the son of Raymond II, Viscount of Narbone from 1066 to 1067. The name “pelet” refers to a fur that the nobility wore over their cuirass and coats-of-arms. Raymond distinguished himself as a great warrior during the First Crusade.
Joining the First Crusade
Many of the chroniclers of the Crusades, including William of Tyre, have praised the valor and piety of Raymond. Guibert of Nogent’s Dei Gesta per Francos goes so far as to describe him as a mythological hero. Raymond’s exploits in the crusade are recorded in the Chronicle of Raimond d'Agiles. Raymond was first under the command of Hugh the Great, Count of Vermandois, as part of his army and was present at the siege of Nicaea in 1097. At the first siege of Antioch, from 21 October 1097 to 2 June 1098, Raymond was under the command of Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse. During the second siege, he commanded the 11th Corps of the Christian army, with Isoard I, Count of Die, Gérard de Roussillon, William V of Montpellier and Guillaume-Amanieu d'Albert. Raymond also played a role in saga of the Holy Lance. After the discovery of the lance and questions about its authenticity, Peter Bartholomew went through an ordeal of fire to verify it as a holy relic. Raymond pulled Peter from the fire, saving his life temporarily, and the lance was discredited.
Talamania and the Massacre at Ma’arra
Raymond constituted a small army of cavalry and infantry, and advance two days' march from Antioch, where they captured the castle of Talamania from the Syrians. He then implemented an ambitious raid on Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, infamously known as the siege of Ma'arra, where he encountered a Muslim army under the command of Ridwan of Allepo, against whom he first prevailed despite of the inequality of numbers of troops. But his adversaries returned at full strength, forcing him to retreat and defend himself until the evening of July 27, 1098. His army, overwhelmed by adversaries, loss of troops, thirst and weariness, decided to abandon the fight and regroup in the castle. Raymond and Peter I of Narbonne, Bishop of Albara, eventually abandoned their positions to travel with Raymond IV. The victory at Ma’arra is tainted by the alleged cannibalism of the Crusaders, being low on food, and allegedly turned on both the vanquished Muslims as well as dogs. It is not clear that Raymond was still in the city when this happened.
On February 14, 1099, Raymond and Raymond I of Turenne deployed with 100 horsemen and 200 footmen, to take the town of Tortosa defended by the formidable castle at Marqab. They besieged it and despite their numerical inferiority, gained the advantage by lighting many fires in the surrounding countryside. The defenders of the castle, including the governor of Torosa were frightened and fled before dawn, abandoning the city to the Crusaders on 18 June 1099. Raymond then followed Count Raymond IV in his expedition to Tripoli in the unsuccessful siege of Arqa, detailed in.
Raymond led a mounted the assault on Jerusalem on July 14, 1099, contributing to the capture and rescue of the Holy City. In early July 1099, nine Genovese ships arrived at the port of Jaffa to resupply the Crusaders. Then Raymond IV dispatched Raymond, Guillaume de Sabran, and Raymond I of Turenne, with 50 horsemen to protect them. The latter, having advanced, found Geldemar Carpenel, Lord of Caiphas, struggling with an army of 700 Muslims from Rama who attacked him, inflicting great losses on his infantry. Raymond’s forces allowed the Genoese to disembark, enabling them to take Jerusalem.
Marriage and Children
Raymond married Agnes, of an unknown family. Raymond and Agnes had two children:
