Order of the Faith and Peace
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Faith and Peace or Order of the Sword was a military order
in Gascony
in the mid-13th century.
The order was first mentioned by Pope Gregory IX
in 1231 in a letter to magistro militiae ordinis sancti Jacobi ejusque fratribus tam presentibus quam futuris ad defensionem fidei et pacis in Guasconia constitutis (the master of the military order of Saint James and his brothers present and future constituted for the defence of the faith and of the peace in Gascony). It was founded by Amanieu I, Archbishop of Auch. Since Amanieu had been appointed to his see in 1226, the date of the foundation must be located in 1226–1231. Gregory had sent a letter to Amanieu in 1227 exhorting him to establish the peace, which may have prompted the founding of an order of knighthood. Amanieu and the order's earliest members travelled to Rome
in 1231 and there received confirmation from Gregory.
The order had properties mainly west of Toulouse
in the dioceses of Auch, Bayonne, Comminges, and Lescar. Its main purpose was not to fight heresies like Catharism but rather to keep the peace in the Auxitana provincia (province of Auch). Gregory placed it under a rule adapted from the Order of Santiago
and its first major patron was the Viscount of Béarn, Gaston VII
.
The order seems to have struggled to remain viable. In 1262 its master attempted to amalgamate it with the Cistercian abbey of Feuillant
. In 1267 Pope Clement IV
deposed the master for malice and neglect of his duties. The archbishop of Auch, now Amanieu II
, tried to save the organisation in 1268 by purchasing for it a hospital at Pont d'Artigues from the Order of Santiago and appointing his nephew as master. The order was dissolved by Gregory X
in 1273 and its possessions ended up largely in the hands of the Order of Santiago and the church of Auch, though the monastery of Feuillant laid claim to some.
There may be a vernacular, narrative reference to the Order in the Occitan vida
of the troubadour
Peire Guillem de Tolosa
, who was said to have entered the ordre de la Spaza (probably "order of the Sword").
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
in Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
in the mid-13th century.
The order was first mentioned by Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
in 1231 in a letter to magistro militiae ordinis sancti Jacobi ejusque fratribus tam presentibus quam futuris ad defensionem fidei et pacis in Guasconia constitutis (the master of the military order of Saint James and his brothers present and future constituted for the defence of the faith and of the peace in Gascony). It was founded by Amanieu I, Archbishop of Auch. Since Amanieu had been appointed to his see in 1226, the date of the foundation must be located in 1226–1231. Gregory had sent a letter to Amanieu in 1227 exhorting him to establish the peace, which may have prompted the founding of an order of knighthood. Amanieu and the order's earliest members travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1231 and there received confirmation from Gregory.
The order had properties mainly west of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in the dioceses of Auch, Bayonne, Comminges, and Lescar. Its main purpose was not to fight heresies like Catharism but rather to keep the peace in the Auxitana provincia (province of Auch). Gregory placed it under a rule adapted from the Order of Santiago
Order of Santiago
The Order of Santiago was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago , under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.-History:Santiago de...
and its first major patron was the Viscount of Béarn, Gaston VII
Gaston VII of Béarn
Gaston VII de Montcada , called Froissard, was the twentieth Viscount of Béarn from 1229. He was the son and heir of William II Raymond and Garsenda, daughter of Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda of Forcalquier...
.
The order seems to have struggled to remain viable. In 1262 its master attempted to amalgamate it with the Cistercian abbey of Feuillant
Feuillant
Feuillant, a French word derived from the Latin for leaf, has been used as a tag by two different groups:*Feuillant *Feuillant ...
. In 1267 Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV , born Gui Faucoi called in later life le Gros , was elected Pope February 5, 1265, in a conclave held at Perugia that took four months, while cardinals argued over whether to call in Charles of Anjou, the youngest brother of Louis IX of France...
deposed the master for malice and neglect of his duties. The archbishop of Auch, now Amanieu II
Amanieu II, Archbishop of Auch
Amanieu II was the Archbishop of Auch. Elected in 1261, he received consecration at Rome from Pope Urban IV in 1263....
, tried to save the organisation in 1268 by purchasing for it a hospital at Pont d'Artigues from the Order of Santiago and appointing his nephew as master. The order was dissolved by Gregory X
Pope Gregory X
Pope Blessed Gregory X , born Tebaldo Visconti, was Pope from 1271 to 1276. He was elected by the papal election, 1268–1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Roman Catholic Church....
in 1273 and its possessions ended up largely in the hands of the Order of Santiago and the church of Auch, though the monastery of Feuillant laid claim to some.
There may be a vernacular, narrative reference to the Order in the Occitan vida
Vida (Occitan literary form)
Vida is the usual term for a brief prose biography, written in Old Occitan, of a troubadour or trobairitz.The word vida means "life" in Occitan languages. In the chansonniers, the manuscript collections of medieval troubadour poetry, the works of a particular author are often accompanied by a...
of the 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....
Peire Guillem de Tolosa
Peire Guillem de Tolosa
Peire Guillem de Tolosa was a 13th-century troubadour from Toulouse. Only one sirventes he wrote , a tenso with the contemporary Italian poet Sordello, survives....
, who was said to have entered the ordre de la Spaza (probably "order of the Sword").