Catharism was an attractive alternative to Catholicism in the south of France in the 13th century, prompting the pope to launch the Albigensian Crusade directed not against followers of different religions but against a heretical sect within Christianity itself. Cathars had a dualistic belief, separating the forces of good and evil, the origins of which can be traced back to Zoroastrianism in the second millennium BC. In 1143 Bernard of Clairvaux was first informed of the existence of the heretical group, who soon spread throughout Aquitaine, Toulouse and Perigord. Their predecessors were thought to be the Bogomils of Bulgaria, with their division into the Believers and the Perfect, a division carried over into Catharism where the Perfect were those who had undertaken the rites and vows associated with the consolamentum, a baptism-like ceremony. This readable account takes us through the efforts of Pope Innocent III and his successors to contain the heresy. The late 12th century had seen the papal bull Ad Abolendam giving momentum to the rooting out of heretics, and the fall of Jerusalem in 1189 put the Christian world into chaos. When Innocent became pope in 1198 he acted decisively with the reluctant support of the corrupt Raymond VI, count of Toulouse, who would later be locked in battle with Simon de Montfort, leader of the Albigensian crusade. The siege of Béziers in 1209 infamously saw the command "Kill them all! God will recognise his own!" and the door was open for a bloodbath that continued on and off throughout the 13th century, with the towns of Marmande, Montsegur and Montaillou all embroiled in violent bloodshed. Renewed interest in the Cathars during the 20th century has focused on their respect for women and their connections with the Knights Templar, troubadours and the Holy Grail. An excellent introduction to a complex story. 256pp, paperback, chronology.
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