Aimar V,(c. 1135 – c. 1199), was a
Viscount of Limoges
Between Limoges, Brive and Périgueux, the viscounts of Limoges (), also called viscounts of Ségur created a small principality, whose last heir was Henry IV. Ségur was the main home of these viscounts, in the heart of their domain. The vis ...
, a nobleman in the
Duchy of Aquitaine
The Duchy of Aquitaine ( oc, Ducat d'Aquitània, ; french: Duché d'Aquitaine, ) was a historical fiefdom in western, central, and southern areas of present-day France to the south of the river Loire, although its extent, as well as its name, fluc ...
.
Life
Born in
Limoges
Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...
around 1135, his family named him Boson, he later adopted the traditional name for the previous viscounts, Aimar. He was orphaned at a young age in 1148, and raised by his relatives among the southern French aristocracy. Due to the strategic importance of the city of Limoges and the nearby dependent ''castrum'' of Aixe-sur-Vienne. Aimar was a ward of King Henry II and ruled from 1148 to approximately 1184, when he was exiled to France, and was succeeded by his son Guy.
Rebellion
Aimar is best known for his frequent rebellions against his
Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in batt ...
overlord,
Richard the Lionheart
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
, who was
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ( oc, Duc d'Aquitània, french: Duc d'Aquitaine, ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings.
As succe ...
after his mother
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
. Aimar, like many of the Aquitanian and Poitevin nobility, participated in sporadic rebellions against ducal authority throughout his adult life, often co-operating with Duke Richard's brothers, as well as the Count of
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
and the house of
Lusignan
The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...
, though he was generally brought to heel.
Aimar was outlawed for his insurrection against Henry II and was exiled. He subsequently was found among Stipendiary Knights supporting the Count of Toulouse in 1184 in an attempt to reclaim part of Quercy from the Plantagenets. Aimar's inclination to disobey the
Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in batt ...
Kings, Henry II and Richard, was encouraged by
Bertran de Born
Bertran de Born (; 1140s – by 1215) was a baron from the Limousin in France, and one of the major Occitan troubadours of the 12th-13th century. He composed love songs (cansos) but was better known for his political songs (sirventes). He wa ...
.
A lament for Aimar by another troubadour,
Giraut de Bornelh
Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...
, suggests that he died unexpectedly.
Roger of Hoveden
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
claims that he was killed by
Philip of Cognac
Philip of Cognac (early 1180s – after 1201) was an illegitimate son of King Richard I of England, by an unidentified mother.
Philip had reached adulthood by the end of the 1190s. His father married him to his ward, Amelia, the heiress of Cogn ...
.
Marriage and issue
Aimar married
Sarah de Dunstanville, daughter of
, at
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
in 1159. He had been promised the County of Cornwall as an inducement and advancement by King Henry II, who postponed the grant of title indefinitely, which irked Aimar considerably. Aimar and Sarah had:
*Guy
*Marie de Limoges, who married
Eble V of Ventadorn, the viscount of Ventadour
*Aigline
*Humberge who married
Geoffroy Ier de Lusignan, seigneur de Vouvant.
Notes
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aimar 05 Of Limoges
1130s births
1190s deaths
People from Limoges
Viscounts of France
12th-century French people
Christians of the Third Crusade