Heresy and inquisition in France, 1200–1300

Heresy is a topic that exerts almost universal fascination. This book an invaluable collection of primary sources in translation, aimed at students and academics alike. It provides a wide array of materials on both heresy (Cathars and Waldensians) and the persecution of heresy in medieval France. The book is divided into eight sections, each devoted to a different genre of source material. A large proportion of evidence for heresy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries comes from chronicles, but by the thirteenth century they do not loom quite so large in comparison to other genres. Historians sometimes use the label 'chronicle' as a shorthand term to cover any kind of medieval written account of past events. For those interested in seeing how 'heresy' was constructed rhetorically by orthodoxy, sermons are an invaluable source. The book presents a selection of extracts from two of the most important works of preaching in the thirteenth century, the tales collected by Stephen of Bourbon and those written by Humbert of Romans. It also offers a variety of letters, from a very public letter, widely circulated with the aim of stirring prelates into action against heresy, to administrative letters. In the wake of the Peace of Paris, a series of ecclesiastical councils provided for the prosecution of heresy in Languedoc. There is an abundance of modern scholarship on inquisition records and registers of inquisition trials. Heresy And Inquisition In France, 1200-1300 Is An Invaluable Collection Of Primary Sources In Translation, Aimed At Students And Academics Alike. It Provides A Wide Array Of Materials On Both Heresy (cathars And Waldensians) And The Persecution Of Heresy In Medieval France. The Book Is Divided Into Eight Sections, Each Devoted To A Different Genre Of Source Material. It Contains Substantial Material Pertaining To The Setting Up And Practice Of Inquisitions Into Heretical Wickedness, And A Large Number Of Translations From The Registers Of Inquisition Trials. Each Source Is Introduced Fully And Is Accompanied By References To Useful Modern Commentaries. The Study Of Heresy And Inquisition Has Always Aroused Considerable Scholarly Debate; With This Book, Students And Scholars Can Form Their Own Interpretations Of The Key Issues, From The Texts Written In The Period Itself. Front matter Contents Acknowledgements Editorial approach and conventions Abbreviations Introduction Part I Heretics’ texts Part II Chronicles Part III Treatises Part IV Sermons Part V Letters and papal bulls Part VI Councils and statutes Part VII Legal consultations and inquisitors’ manuals Part VIII Inquisition trials Index Exposes the inner workings of inquisitions in medieval France through expert translations of primary sources.