Life Among Good Women: the Social and Religious Impact of the Cathar Perfectae in the Thirteenth-Century Lauragais

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-2017 Life among Good Women: The Social and Religious Impact of the Cathar Perfectae in the Thirteenth-Century Lauragais Derek Robert Benson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the European History Commons, and the History of Gender Commons Recommended Citation Benson, Derek Robert, "Life among Good Women: The Social and Religious Impact of the Cathar Perfectae in the Thirteenth-Century Lauragais" (2017). Master's Theses. 2008. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2008 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LIFE AMONG GOOD WOMEN: THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPACT OF THE CATHAR PERFECTAE IN THE THIRTEENTH-CENTURY LAURAGAIS by Derek Robert Benson A thesis submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History Western Michigan University December 2017 Thesis Committee: Robert Berkhofer III, Ph.D., Chair Larry Simon, Ph.D. James Palmitessa, Ph.D. LIFE AMONG GOOD WOMEN: THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPACT OF THE CATHAR PERFECTAE IN THE THIRTEENTH-CENTURY LAURAGAIS Derek Robert Benson, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2017 This Master’s Thesis builds on the work of previous historians, such as Anne Brenon and John Arnold. It is primarily a study of gendered aspects in the Cathar heresy. Using inquisitorial registers from the mid-thirteenth century to the early-fourteenth, as well as a few poetic and prose sources, it seeks to understand how the Cathar “Good Women” were perceived by their lay believers. The methodology of prosopography is utilized throughout to measure witness testimonies against one another and to compare the connections between the Cathar constituency and the female ministers. Two main inquiries are investigated: the sacerdotal and pastoral roles of the Good Women. In chapter one, an investigation of a single village of the Lauragais, Fanjeaux, shows how the perfectae interacted with the lay population. In chapters two and three, their preaching is underscored. In both areas, it becomes evident that while men and women equally participated in their audiences, this equality is restricted to the nobility. Non-nobles within the Lauragais are repeatedly shown to have undervalued the Good Women’s ministry. Ultimately, the thesis concludes that a single interpretation of female Cathar spirituality, and the Good Women themselves, fails to adequately explain their origins and activities. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many scholars to whom I owe thanks for inspiration in writing this thesis. Surely, without Richard Abels and Ellen Harrison’s article “The Participation of Women in Languedocian Catharism,” this thesis would not exist. The work of Anne Brenon, John Arnold, and Peter Biller, as well, greatly influenced my own; and it is to them, above all others, that I owe the most. Perhaps someday I will be able to express to them my gratitude in person. Many others offered their guidance as well. I owe special thanks to two history faculty members at Western Michigan University: Drs. Robert Berkhofer and Larry Simon. As my graduate adviser during my two years as a Master’s student, Dr. Berkhofer was continuously available whenever I needed guidance. His knowledge and expertise has assisted me greatly. Dr. Larry Simon, as well, was extremely influential during my graduate studies here at Western Michigan. The initial inspiration for this thesis can be traced to a Research Seminar taught by him during the Spring of 2016, in fact. His advice, and overall jovial attitude, was invaluable. If fortunate enough to become a professor of history, I hope I can be as helpful to my future students as these two scholars were for me. I also must thank all of my friends and relatives, who over the last year were subjected to the torture of hearing me discuss my thesis at length. My parents, David and Tina; my sister, Sarah; and my friends, Dylan Best, Shane Cavlovic, and Thomas Maurer all greatly assisted me, even if indirectly, in writing this thesis. Without all of their support, I would have been lost as a graduate student. While she already knows well how she has impacted me, a special thanks ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS—CONTINUED needs to be given to my girlfriend, Ashley Süssmann. By being blessed to have her endless affection in my life, the solitude of graduate work, especially regarding this thesis, was more bearable. Derek Robert Benson iii Copyright by Derek Robert Benson 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. iv INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 CHAPTER I. THE LAY PERCEPTION AND SACERDOTAL ROLE OF THE CATHAR PERFECTAE IN THIRTEENTH-CENTURY FANJEAUX ……………………………........……………………………….. 15 II. THE PREACHING OF THE PERFECTAE IN THE THIRTEENTH-CENTURY LAURAGAIS …….…………………………………………………………………………………..................…. 41 Esclarmonde de Foix …………………………………...………………………………………………….. 44 Arnaude de Lamothe ……………………………………..…………………….......……………………. 47 Guillelma de Campolongo …………………………….......……………………………………………. 54 Na Bruna ………………...……………………………………..……………………………………………….. 58 Fabrissa ……………………………………………………………………….…………………………………… 61 Raimonda Borda …………………………………………………….………………………………………… 64 Tholsana …………………………………………………………..….………………………………………….. 67 Berenguèira de Sequervilla ……………………………………………….……………………………… 70 Blancha and Brunissen …………………………………………………………………………………….. 73 Bruna and Rixen ……………………………………………..……………….………………………………. 76 Guillelma de Deime ………………………………………….………………..……………………………. 78 Arnalda and Guillelma Sicharda …………………………………..…………..………………………. 81 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS—CONTINUED CHAPTER Unnamed Perfectae of Laurac ……………………………….……………………..……………….… 84 Unnamed Perfectae of Fanjeaux ……………………………………………………...……………… 86 Unnamed Perfectae of Cambiac ……………………………………..…………………….……….… 88 III. AN ALAYSIS OF FEMALE CATHAR SPIRITUALITY IN THE THIRTEENTH-CENTURY LAURAGAIS ………….………………………………………………………………………………………………… 95 CONCLUSION ………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………… 118 APPENDICES A. TABLES OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PERFECTAE AND DEPONENTS OF FANJEAUX IN TOULOUSE, BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE, MS 609 ……………………………………………………………………………….………………….……………. 129 B. TABLES OF THE PERFECTAE PREACHERS, BOTH NAMED AND UNKNOWN, IN TOULOUSE, BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE, MS 609 ……………..……………………………….. 131 C. TABLES OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PERFECTAE AND THEIR PASTPROAL AUDIENCES IN TOULOUSE, BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE, MS 609 ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….…. 133 D. MAP OF THE LAURAGAIS DURING THE THIRTEENTH-CENTURY ……………..……..…..... 134 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 135 MANUSCRIPT SOURCES ………………………………………………………………………………………..…………. 135 PRIMARY SOURCES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 135 SECONDARY SOURCES ……………………………………………………………………………………………..……… 136 v 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Cathar heresy of the Occitan counties of Toulouse and Foix has captivated audiences for well over the last century and a half since modern scholars began to investigate its history. A part of the reason for this fascination is due to nature of the faith, as it was in direct opposition to Catholicism, an attribute some Protestant scholars found endearing in the later nineteenth century. As adherents to an absolute dualist religion, the Cathars of Languedoc believed God and Satan to be in perpetual conflict; that the material world, including the human body, was the work of the Devil; that spiritual or corporeal reincarnation was a myth; and that only the soul was derived from God. The Roman Church was even thought of as the church of Satan, with its focus on the material world, and adorning its cathedrals with ornate riches. The Cathars were of course rooted out systematically by both crusade and inquisition, topics that have engrossed many historians. As early as the 1270s, the heresy that had flourished for two centuries had nearly disappeared from the region as the langue d’oc was absorbed into northern French rule. Medieval historiography has accorded a large place to the Cathars. Starting in the mid- nineteenth century with publications like Charles Molinier’s Histoire et doctrine de la secte des cathares ou albigeois, or Napoléon Peyrat’s Histoire des albigeois: les albigeois et l'Inquisition, the memory of the heretics began to reemerge into an Occitan consciousness emphasized by their self-declared Protestant descendants.1 Today, modern tourists scour the castle ruins of 1 Emily McCaffrey, “Imaging the Cathars in the Late-Twentieth-Centruy Languedoc,” in Contemporary European History 11, 3 (August, 2002), 412. 2 the Pays Cathare searching for a supposed past. Novelists and historians alike have written countless pages on various aspects of the lives and influence of the heretics. From fanciful legends of occult connections (perhaps remnants of thirteenth-century ecclesiastical propaganda) and the Holy Grail, to more scholarly treatments of the impact of Catharism upon Occitan society and culture, a duel between history and popular understanding is ongoing. This profound interest has engendered biases, however, and preconceived notions— leading to the misinterpretation

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