Latest Update: May 19, 2011 (Sources Updated)

The d'Oms are a dynasty of noblemen. Through marriages, acquisitions and military achievements, they played a prominent role in the formation of the Crown of Aragon.

Origins

The Adarga Catalana traces the origins of the d'Oms dynasty back to Arnau d'Oms, an 8th century nobleman. Little precise information is known about Arnau. Mentioned in the Adarga as Arnald de Ulmis, Arnau is probably originary from Oms, a village on the old Via Domitia. Oms is located in the current French department of the Aude. Throughout its genealogy, the d'Oms family carried titles over villages and properties located very near Oms - such as Montescot, Calmeilles and Taillet - and later on in more central locations in today's Catalunya, such as Santa Pau. However, many d'Oms seem to have lived and died in and around the town of Perpignan, in today's France near the Spanish border.

Descendancy

The immediate descendancy of Arnau d'Oms remains undocumented. Arnau was awarded the title of 'vavasseur' of Montescot by Charlemagne. Montescot is located 20km northeast from Oms, near Elne. Many descendants 300 years later still carried this title. Arnau's descendants are formally mentioned in the records from the year 1011 onwards - starting with Ponç d'Oms - as they started to play a prominent role in the formation of the Crown of Aragon. For the next five centuries, the d'Oms descendants would be intricately linked to the politics of Aragon and participate in the conflictuous relationships between, on the one hand, the Iberian kingdoms and, on the other, kingdoms of Provence and France. Family members carried titles such as governor of Aragon and viceroy of Mallorca, and they also occupied many ecclesiastical positions.

Coat of Arms

The d'Oms coat of arms is defined by a charter attributed to Charlemagne. The charter permits the use of the crown of Ataulf, king of the Visigoths in support of Arnau d'Oms claim to be a descendent of king Ataulf. (No document exists to support this claim).

Objective of the Project

The objective of the project is to provide a 'hook' for today's descendants of the d'Oms dynasty. This may include variants of the name, such as Doms, Oms and Homs. One can observe concentrations of people with these names living today in the French Roussillon region, but even stronger so in Catalunya and in the region around the city of Gerona. The Homs name found in the central and northern Americas is to a very large extent related to emigrants from Catalunya to Puerto Rico. The Homs in The Netherlands may or may not be related to the d'Oms dynasty.

Note: a small portion of Homs in the US should not be confounded with this, as they are descendants of George Holmes, the first 'English' settler on 'Dutch' Manhattan (New Amsterdam), whose name was transformed to Jeurgie Homs.

Language

The village of Oms is situated in a region in which the dominant language is, historically, Catalan. Hence, whereas many online source may use French or Spanish variants of first names and titles, we should tend to use the original catalan version of these names and titles.

Sources

• Arnald d'Oms genealogy, as documented by Abbé Capeille (this genealogy is official and resides with today's living direct descendants of Arnald d'Oms.
• Spanish version dated 1674 of the charter by Charlemagne bestowing title and coat of arms on Arnald d'Oms (charter resides in the Archives des Pyrennées Orientales)
• Abbé Jean Capeille, Dictionnaire de Biographies Roussillonnaises, 1914
• Enciclopèdia Catalana
• Website of Montescot
• Eva Serra i Puig, El patrimoni nobiliari dels Sentmenat
• Amèlia Castan i Ranch Un aproximacion biografica al primer marquès de Castelldosrius
• Maria Josep Castillo i Ezquerra, El règim senyorial a la baronia dels castells de Burriac i Vilassar, al Maresme, a la segona meitat del segle XVIII
• Emilio de Cardenas Piera Caballeros de la Orden de Santiago, Siglo XVIII
• Eduard Marti Fraga, La Classe Dirigent Catalana, Fundacio Noguera, Barcelona, 2009
• Pere Gifre Ribas, De Senyors Utils a Propietaris (Vegueria de Girona, 1486-1730), Universitat de Girona, 2009
• Joan Peytavi Deixona, El Manual de 1700 de Jaume Estève, Notari de Perpinyà, Fundacio Noguera, Barcelona, 2004
• Repertori de Títols Nobiliaris de Catalunya