Olivier de Termes (1200 – 12 August 1274) was a knight from the southern French region of

Termes, Aude Termes (; Languedocien: ''Tèrme'') is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. Population See also * Corbières AOC * Communes of the Aude department The following is a list of the 433 Communes of France, communes of the Aude ...

. He was raised as a

Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

but eventually converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in a move that would help restore peace to his homeland following the ravages of the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...

Early life

Olivier was the son of Raymond de Termes, count of the Termes region of the Carcassonne district, then lying on the border between

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

and

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

. The region was overwhelmingly

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 II Trencavel Raymond II Trencavel (also spelled Raimond; 1207 – 1263/1267) was the last ruler of the branch of the Trencavel Viscount of Béziers, viscounts of Béziers. His entire life was occupied by efforts to reverse the downfall the Trencavel had exp ...

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

, and

Raymond VII of Toulouse Raymond VII (July 1197 – 27 September 1249) was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. Family and marriages Raymond was born at the Château de Beaucaire, the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse a ...

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

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

, 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

Seventh Crusade The Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) was the first of the two Crusades led by Louis IX of France. Also known as the Crusade of Louis IX to the Holy Land, it aimed to reclaim the Holy Land by attacking Egypt, the main seat of Muslim power in the Nea ...

and

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX Against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see an ...

), advising the king, and helping pacify Languedoc.

External links

Broken english Website on Oliver de Termes - part of the Langlois Cathar websiteOfficial english website of the castle of Termes

References

*Langlois (Gauthier). – Olivier de Termes, le cathare et le croisé (vers 1200-1274), Toulouse *Graham-Leigh, Elaine. ''The Southern French Nobility and the Albigensian Crusade''. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2005. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Termes, Oliver de 1200 births 1274 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism People from Aude 13th-century French nobility Christians of the Seventh Crusade Christians of the Eighth Crusade Seneschals of Jerusalem