Guillaume de Gellone

Biography

Guillaume de Gellone , (v. 742 - † 812), later known under the name of William of Orange in XIIe century, count of Toulouse and marquis of Septimanie.

He is the grandson of Charles Martel by his mother Aude (Helped, Aldana or Adalne), and thus cousin of Charlemagne. His/her father is Théodoric (or Thierry I) (v. 725 † 793), count d' Autun.

He succeeds into 790 the count de Toulouse Corson which was removed by the Basques into 787. He holds head with the Basques, then resists the incursions Moors but he is overcome in 793 on banks of the Orbieu close to Narbonne. Its obstinate resistance pushes the Moors however to be withdrawn. Thereafter, it takes again the offensive, makes the conquest of a walk of Spain of which he becomes count, and takes Barcelona in 801.

Having found his former friend of childhood holy Benoit with the Saint-Saver abbey of Aniane, it decides to found in 804 the abbey known as of Gellone to Saint-Guilhem-the-Desert, according to the rule bénédictine. It is in this abbey that in 806 it is withdrawn with the head of a migration of moines.
He dies on May 28th 812. He is canonized in 1066 and becomes known then under the name of holy Guilhem. He also enters the legend like the hero of a cycle epic written towards XIIe century under the name of William of Orange . (see French Literature of the Middle Ages #La Gesture of Garin de Monglane)

He was married in first weddings with Cunégonde and second weddings with Guibourg and had the following children:

Thierry
Bernard de Septimanie
Berà, count de Barcelonne
Gerberge, († 834) on order of Lothaire Ier, was locked up in a barrel and was drowned in the Saone.
Rodlinde, wife of Wala, abbot of Corbie
Gaucelme, († 834), marquis de Gothie in 812, decapitated with Chalon-sur-Saône on order of Lothaire Ist
Heribert, plugged into 830 on order of Lothaire Ier

Chanson de geste of William of Orange known as Guillaume with the Short Nose

The main character of the one of large the cycle S of the chansons de geste is William of Orange, the hero of the fights of France of the South against the Sarrasins, i.e. a legendary character who proceeds of Guillaume de Gellone.
This cycle includes/understands inter alia the Chanson of Guillaume , whose historical base is the battle of Orbieu, or the Charroi of Nimes .

See also the origin of the name of the Street of the Tomb Issoire in Paris.

Bibliographical sources

On the descent: Suzanne Trip hammer Laon - crowned Headland of the druids at the 9th century (1994)

" History of Languedoc" Volume II Dom Claude Of Vic and Dom Joseph Vaissette, republication by Lacour editor in Nimes 1993

Internal bonds

External bonds

Guillaume with the short nose (or William of Orange)
Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-the-Desert
Guillaume de Gellone, warlike soldier initially…

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