The Inquisition : $b a political and military study of its establishmentNickerson, Hoffman
History
The Inquisition : $b a political and military study of its establishment
Nickerson, Hoffman
Albigenses; Christian heresies -- History -- Middle Ages, 600-1500; Inquisition; Prohibition
Perhaps he had been particularly slow to prosecute heresy inasmuch as
his neighbour, the Bishop of Carcassonne, had gotten himself driven
out for merely threatening to do so. The municipality of Carcassonne
had even forbidden anyone to have relations with the unhappy cleric,
on pain of a heavy fine.
In the same year that saw the assassination of the Bishop of Beziers,
the legates deposed the Bishop of Toulouse for “simony,” that is
selling appointments to Church offices within his control. He was a
turbulent, feudal, sort of person, who had spent his time in making
war on his vassals, and had mortgaged the properties of his see right
and left to enable him to do so. On account of his resistance it was
not until the next year that a successor could be elected.
While the see of Toulouse was still vacant, de Castelnau again went
boldly to Raymond and frightened him into taking an oath to dismiss
his bandit-mercenaries and personally to prosecute heretics. As in
the case of the monks of St. Gilles, he took no steps towards keeping
his word.
Hardly was Raymond’s oath sworn when the consuls of Toulouse passed
a law forbidding an accusation of heresy to be begun after the
death of the accused unless they had been “hereticated” on their
death-bed—some bones of heretics having been dug up and removed
from consecrated earth. And what was worse, this action of the
municipality was supposed to have been due to Raymond’s influence
as overlord. At any rate, he seems to have consented to it, and
certainly made no move to prevent it.
Altogether, the year 1205 had been as depressing as its predecessors.
A second appeal to Philip Augustus, in February, had brought no
result.
In 1206 the discouragement of the legates again came to a head as
it had done two years before. The one bright spot was that the
cathedral chapter of Toulouse had finally elected, as their bishop,
Fulk of Marseilles. After winning fame as a troubadour, he had
entered the Cistercian order and been chosen an abbot. Fulk had all
the enthusiasm typical of converts. He had transferred the passion
that had set him writing love songs into his new task of smiting the
heretic. Indeed, he was to be one of the foremost in the Crusade.
Nevertheless, his election was not enough in itself to keep the
legates in good heart, for in general their task was as ungrateful as
ever.
Towards midsummer, the three legates with their retinues, together
with a number of bishops from neighbouring sees, assembled in council
at Castelnau (named for the family of the legate Pierre de Castelnau)
near Montpellier. Not only the gentle Raoul, but even the stern
and unbending Arnaut Amalric, and de Castelnau with his fearless,
fiery spirit, were ready to despair. They talked of resigning their
mission. It seems that they had even agreed to do so, when a new
impulse and an altogether different plan of campaign was given them
by a newcomer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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