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
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overse ...
. 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 Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...
.
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 and
Catalonia. The region was overwhelmingly
Cathar 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 of
Albi, and
Raymond VII 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
Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
, 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 and
Eighth Crusade), advising the king, and helping pacify Languedoc.
See also
*
Cathars
*
Chateau de Termes
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 people
Christians of the Seventh Crusade
Christians of the Eighth Crusade