Oliver de Termes
Encyclopedia
Oliver de Termes was a knight
from the southern French region of Termes, Aude
. He was raised as a Cathar
but eventually converted to Catholicism
in a move that would help restore peace to his homeland following the ravages of the Albigensian Crusades.
in religion, and Oliver's father was besieged by Simon de Montfort
in his castle at Chateau de Termes in 1210. Having survived the fall of the castle, Oliver made his way south with other refugees from the crusade to the court of Aragon, where he befriended the future King James I of Aragon
. He was also companions in youth with Raymond Trencavel
of Albi, and Raymond
the son of the dispossessed Count of Toulouse.
, agreeing to go on crusade. He spent much of the remainder of his life assisting in military operations in the Holy Land (participating in both the 7th and 8th Crusades
), advising the king, and helping pacify Languedoc.
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
from the southern French region of Termes, Aude
Termes, Aude
Termes is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-External links:*...
. He was raised as a Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
but eventually converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in a move that would help restore peace to his homeland following the ravages of the Albigensian Crusades.
Early life
Oliver was the son of Raymond de Termes, count of the Termes region of the Carcassonne district, then lying on the border between French Languedoc and Spanish Catalonia. The region was overwhelmingly CatharCathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
in religion, and Oliver's father was besieged by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
in his castle at Chateau de Termes in 1210. Having survived the fall of the castle, Oliver made his way south with other refugees from the crusade to the court of Aragon, where he befriended the future King James I of Aragon
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
. He was also companions in youth with Raymond Trencavel
Trencavel
The Trencavel were an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th through 13th centuries. The name "Trencavel," originally a nickname and later a family name, may derive from the Occitan words for "nutcracker"...
of Albi, and Raymond
Raymond VII of Toulouse
Raymond VII of Saint-Gilles was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. He was the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse and Joan of England...
the son of the dispossessed Count of Toulouse.
Military career
Oliver fought first against the knights who had conquered his country during the crusade against the Cathars, then in about 1245 he made peace with King Louis IXLouis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, agreeing to go on crusade. He spent much of the remainder of his life assisting in military operations in the Holy Land (participating in both the 7th and 8th Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
), advising the king, and helping pacify Languedoc.