He was the eldest son and successor of William III Taillefer and Emma of Provence.
He is known to have owned many allods and he relied on Roman, Salic, and Gothic law.
In 1037, he gave many allodial churches and castles, including one half of that of Porta Spina, in the Albigeois, Nimois, and Provence as a bridal gift to his wife Majore.
In 1047, he first appears as count palatine in a charter donating Moissac to Cluny.
They had; In 1040, he married, Almodis de La Marche,[3] former wife of Hugh V of Lusignan, but he too repudiated her in 1053.