Catharism (/ˈkæθərɪzəm/; from the Greek: καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure [ones]")[1][2] was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly what is now northern Italy and southern France. Almost everything known about the Cathars comes from confessions of “heretics” taken by Catholic clergy during the inquisition which followed the Albigensian Crusade. From the mid-12th century onwards, Italian Catharism came under increasing pressure from the Pope and the Inquisition, "spelling the beginning of the end". Catharism (/ ˈ k æ θ ər ɪ z əm / ; from the Greek : καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure [ones]") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly what is now northern Italy and southern France. Sensing Sickness in Early Modern England, 1580-1720. As the Languedoc was supposedly teeming with Cathars and Cathar sympathisers, this made the region a target for northern French noblemen looking to acquire new fiefs. Having recanted, they were obliged to sew yellow crosses onto their outdoor clothing and to live apart from other Catholics, at least for a while. [9] Another example was that the sexual allure of women impeded man's ability to reject the material world. Bogolism became influential in Bulgaria during the reign of Peter the First (927-928). The picture, top right, shows the Cathars being expelled. The Cathars rejected oath taking and violence in principle; they conveniently hired mercenaries to … Module 212: Thomas on the Eucharist. [85], Recent artistic projects concentrating on the Cathar element in Provençal and troubador art include commercial recording projects by Thomas Binkley, electric hurdy-gurdy artist Valentin Clastrier and his CD Heresie dedicated to the church at Cathars,[86] La Nef,[87] and Jordi Savall.[88]. What this treasure consisted of has been a matter of considerable speculation: claims range from sacred Gnostic texts to the Cathars' accumulated wealth, which might have included the Holy Grail (see the Section on Historical Scholarship, below). There followed twenty years of war against the Cathars and their allies in the Languedoc: the Albigensian Crusade. [6] In Cathar texts, the terms Good Men (Bons Hommes), Good Women (Bonnes Femmes), or Good Christians (Bons Chrétiens) are the common terms of self-identification. [47], Women accused of being heretics in early medieval Christianity included those labeled Gnostics, Cathars, and, later, the Beguines, as well as several other groups that were sometimes "tortured and executed". [40] They created a number of bishoprics, first at Albi around 1165[41] and after the 1167 Council at Saint-Félix-Lauragais sites at Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Agen, so that four bishoprics were in existence by 1200. This war pitted the nobles of France against those of the Languedoc. Because of this they despised killing in any form. The Cathars are said to have existed in parts of eastern and western medieval Europe, but most particularly in the south of France ('Occitania') between about 1150 and 1350. They assert that the host comes from straw, that it passes through the tails of horses, to wit, when the flour is cleaned by a sieve (of horse hair); that, moreover, it passes through the body and comes to a vile end, which, they say, could not happen if God were in it. As you have stated, little information exists on Magdalene (and the Cathars) although it appears that she, along with her brother and sister, made their way to southern France and established a new faith which emphasized an understanding of the divine feminine. [67] Cathars who refused to recant or relapsed were hanged, or burnt at the stake. They were famous for a belief in a form of reincarnation and believed that when someone died the bad god would put that person's spirit in a new body. [53], Despite women having a role in the growing of the faith, Catharism was not completely equal, for example the belief that one's last incarnation had to be experienced as a man to break the cycle. Little was done to form a regional coalition and the crusading army was able to take Carcassonne, the Trencavel capital, incarcerating Raymond Roger Trencavel in his own citadel where he died within three months; champions of the Occitan cause claimed that he was murdered. The widespread northern enthusiasm for the Crusade was partially inspired by a papal decree permitting the confiscation of lands owned by Cathars and their supporters. ( Log Out /  It was claimed by their opponents that, given this loathing for procreation, they generally resorted to sodomy. Bishops were supported by their two assistants: a filius maior (typically the successor) and a filius minor, who were further assisted by deacons. Reblogged this on Progressive Rubber Boots. The institutional Church as a general rule did not possess these spiritual warrants. [59] Shortly thereafter, Castelnau was murdered as he returned to Rome, allegedly by a knight in the service of Count Raymond. "That there was a substantial transmission of ritual and ideas from Bogomilism to Catharism is beyond reasonable doubt. The Catharist system was a simultaneous attack on the Catholic Church and the then existing State. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Cathars, like the Gnostics who preceded them, assigned more importance to the role of Mary Magdalene in the spread of early Christianity than the Church previously did. The remainder of the first of the two Cathar wars now focused on Simon's attempt to hold on to his gains through winters where he was faced, with only a small force of confederates operating from the main winter camp at Fanjeaux, with the desertion of local lords who had sworn fealty to him out of necessity—and attempts to enlarge his newfound domains in the summer when his forces were greatly augmented by reinforcements from France, Germany and elsewhere. Consequently, many presumed to be Cathars were summoned to appear before it. Some of those who received the sacrament of the consolamentum upon their death-beds may thereafter have shunned further food or drink and, more often and in addition, expose themselves to extreme cold, in order to speed death. "[63][64] "The permanent population of Béziers at that time was then probably no more than 5,000, but local refugees seeking shelter within the city walls could conceivably have increased the number to 20,000. In 1215 Pope Innocent III called the greatest meeting of Catholic minds for a hundred years. The crusader army came under the command, both spiritually and militarily, of the papal legate Arnaud-Amaury, Abbot of Cîteaux. We have heard that they believed that people were fallen angels and that the angels' souls and spirits had been reunited during the consolamentum. [39] Toward the end of the Cathar movement, Catharism became less equal and started the practice of excluding women perfects. In a world where few could read, their rejection of oath-taking marked them as rebels against social order. Her vital role as a teacher contributed to the Cathar belief that women could serve as spiritual leaders. [69][70][71], From May 1243 to March 1244, the Cathar fortress of Montségur was besieged by the troops of the seneschal of Carcassonne and the archbishop of Narbonne. The Battle of Muret was a massive step in the creation of the unified French kingdom and the country we know today—although Edward III, Edward the Black Prince and Henry V would threaten later to shake these foundations. Despite the usual Cathar stance on sex and reproduction, some Cathars communities made exceptions. by Dr Jacqui Turner. The barons of the north headed south to do battle. [5], Most Cathars did not accept the normative Trinitarian understanding of Jesus, instead resembling nontrinitarian modalistic monarchianism (Sabellianism) in the West and adoptionism in the East, which might or might not be combined with the mentioned docetism. Proving that Medieval Meteorology Existed, Interdisciplinary Network for the Study of Subculture, Popular Music and Social Change, Annual Research Theme 2014/15: History of Childhood and Youth, Annual Research Theme 2015/16: Being Well; Being Ill; Experience and Materiality, Summer Studies 2016: Our Research Students Abroad, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, Dreaming of a White Christmas? The Catholic Church denounced its practices, including the consolamentum ritual by which Cathar individuals were baptised and raised to the status of "perfect". A man could be reincarnated as a woman and vice versa. Cathars did continue to exist in hiding and by all accounts, had eventually died off as a continuing sect. This castle was one of the last Cathar strongholds to fall At the time of my storyline, 1245-46, Catharism flourished across the broad east-west sweep of the Po Valley and southwards into Tuscany. [13] These are probably the same Cathari (actually Novations) who are mentioned in Canon 8 of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in the year 325, which states "... [I]f those called Cathari come over [to the faith], let them first make profession that they are willing to communicate [share full communion] with the twice-married, and grant pardon to those who have lapsed ..."[14], The writings of the Cathars were mostly destroyed because of the doctrine's threat perceived by the Papacy;[15] thus, the historical record of the Cathars is derived primarily from their opponents. Punishment were also condemned—an abnormality in medieval Europe term for the Devil and... 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