Olivier lo Templier
Encyclopedia
Olivier lo Templier was a Knight Templar
and troubadour
probably from Catalonia
. He appears as lo templier En'Olivier in one chansonnier
, in which is preserved his only work, Estat aurai lonc temps en pessamen ("I have been worrying for a long time"). He may be identical with Ramon Oliver who appears as commander
of the Templar house of Gardeny near Lleida
in 1295. He should not be confused with another troubadour Templar, Ricaut Bonomel
, whose style was very different and who wrote from the Holy Land
.
His canso
can be dated precisely because of its reference to the Crusader fleet which left Barcelona
with James I of Aragon
at its head in 1269. Olivier wrote the song to James, of whom he was hearty supporter, and the barons of Catalonia for the success of their venture.
Olivier's Catalan identity can only be posited on the internal evidence of his canso, the last line of which mentions the lord of Gelida
, Guerau de Cervelló, with whom Olivier may have had links. There is also evidence of Catalanism in his declension
, but this may be attributable to the copyist(s) and not Olivier. His affection for James, too, cannot be taken as evidence of Catalan identity in and of itself.
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
probably from Catalonia
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
. He appears as lo templier En'Olivier in one chansonnier
Chansonnier
A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...
, in which is preserved his only work, Estat aurai lonc temps en pessamen ("I have been worrying for a long time"). He may be identical with Ramon Oliver who appears as commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Templar house of Gardeny near Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
in 1295. He should not be confused with another troubadour Templar, Ricaut Bonomel
Ricaut Bonomel
Ricaut Bonomel was a Knight Templar and troubadour in the Holy Land around the time of the Eighth Crusade. He was an outspoken critic of Charles I of Naples and his attempts to secure a throne in Italy, and of the Papal policy which diverted funds intended for the Holy Land to other purposes...
, whose style was very different and who wrote from the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
.
His canso
Canso (song)
The canso is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end...
can be dated precisely because of its reference to the Crusader fleet which left Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
with 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...
at its head in 1269. Olivier wrote the song to James, of whom he was hearty supporter, and the barons of Catalonia for the success of their venture.
Olivier's Catalan identity can only be posited on the internal evidence of his canso, the last line of which mentions the lord of Gelida
Gelida
Gelida is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Penedès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Guerau de Cervelló, with whom Olivier may have had links. There is also evidence of Catalanism in his declension
Declension
In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...
, but this may be attributable to the copyist(s) and not Olivier. His affection for James, too, cannot be taken as evidence of Catalan identity in and of itself.
Sources
- Riquer, Martín de. Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.