ABSTRACT
It was a broken man and political failure that Raymond concluded his reign – by whole decade the longest in the history of so-called Toulousan dynasty of Tripoli. The curious nature of William's account has led historians to assume that he was covering up the truth: that Raymond and Bohemond were marching south to stop Baldwin IV from marrying Sybil to Guy at all costs, only to be thwarted by the king's swift action in holding the wedding so unexpectedly early. The barons of Jerusalem appointed him to the regency in both 1174 and c.1185 with only great reluctance and lengthy prevarication, or that his allies abandoned his cause so quickly after Guy's and Sybil's coronation in 1186. Riley-Smith seems confident that Raymond was married before he made his claim to the regency, but Hamilton and Barber believe the count was married only after this – even after he had actually taken office as regent in October or November.
