Bernard Ato VI
Encyclopedia
Bernard Ato VI was the posthumous son and successor of Bernard Ato V
, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to Simon de Montfort
, Earl of Leicester
and leader of the Albigensian Crusade
. Bernard Ato was not connected with Catharism nor were his lands, but his relationship to Raymond Roger Trencavel (his first cousin) may have marked him off as an enemy of the Crusade by default, for he was a Trencavel
, though he did not carry that name.
In 1179, Roger II Trencavel
, Raymond V of Toulouse
, and Bernard Ato had all been excommunicated by Pons d'Arsac
under the twenty-seventh canon of the Third Lateran Council for their lack of strong opposition to heresy. In that same year Bernard Ato did homage to Alfonso II of Aragon
for his viscounties and made an alliance with Alfonso against Raymond V.
In June 1187, Bernard Ato granted all his lands within the Diocese of Agde (omnes dominationes vicecomitatus) to the diocese and was then accepted into the cathedral church as a canon. In July the donation was confirmed by Raymond V and in August Bernard Ato also, in an extensive charter. The viscounty was de facto handed over to the bishop. He is also said by some authors to have given over Nîmes to Raymond in that year, but this is contradicted by other sources.
Bernard Ato swore fealty to William VIII of Montpellier
for part of his domains in 1189, January 1191, and finally 1195. On 2 May 1214 Bernard Ato and his wife Guillelma signed over their viscounties to Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
, the leader of the Albigensian Crusade
.
Bernard Ato V
Bernard Ato V was the Viscount of Nîmes of the Trencavel family from 1129 to his death.In 1138, Bernard Ato swore an oath of fidelity to Alfonso Jordan, Count of Toulouse, along with his brothers Roger of Carcassonne and Raymond of Béziers...
, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to 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...
, Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
and leader of the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
. Bernard Ato was not connected with Catharism nor were his lands, but his relationship to Raymond Roger Trencavel (his first cousin) may have marked him off as an enemy of the Crusade by default, for he was a 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"...
, though he did not carry that name.
In 1179, Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel
Roger II Trencavel was the Viscount of Carcassonne, Béziers, Razès, and Albi from 1167 or 1171 until his death. Until 1177 he used the title proconsul, usually as proconsul de Bitteris , but he abandoned the usage when he became a vassal of the Crown of Aragon...
, Raymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V of Toulouse
Raymond V was count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.He was the son of Alphonse-Jordan. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, at the time 14 years old....
, and Bernard Ato had all been excommunicated by Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac
Pons d'Arsac was the Archbishop of Narbonne from 1162 until 1181. He was archbishop at an important time in the history of Narbonne and Languedoc in general; a time when heresy, in the form of Catharism, was spreading and gaining power and acceptance while the Roman Catholic Church was forming a...
under the twenty-seventh canon of the Third Lateran Council for their lack of strong opposition to heresy. In that same year Bernard Ato did homage to Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
for his viscounties and made an alliance with Alfonso against Raymond V.
In June 1187, Bernard Ato granted all his lands within the Diocese of Agde (omnes dominationes vicecomitatus) to the diocese and was then accepted into the cathedral church as a canon. In July the donation was confirmed by Raymond V and in August Bernard Ato also, in an extensive charter. The viscounty was de facto handed over to the bishop. He is also said by some authors to have given over Nîmes to Raymond in that year, but this is contradicted by other sources.
Bernard Ato swore fealty to William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier
William VIII of Montpellier was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII.He married Eudoxie or Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. A condition of the marriage was that the firstborn child, boy or girl, would succeed to the lordship of Montpellier on...
for part of his domains in 1189, January 1191, and finally 1195. On 2 May 1214 Bernard Ato and his wife Guillelma signed over their viscounties to Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
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...
, the leader of the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
.