Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-1976 Morality Among Cathar Perfects and Believers in France and Italy, 1100-1300 James Edward Myers Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Myers, James Edward, "Morality Among Cathar Perfects and Believers in France and Italy, 1100-1300" (1976). Master's Theses. 2385. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2385 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]. MORALITY AMONG CATHAR PERFECTS AND BELIEVERS IN FRANCE AND ITALY, 1100-1300 by James Edward Myers A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1976 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For my first introduction into the study of Catharism, as well as the encouragement to pursue my idea that many of the historians who have commented upon Cathar behavior were in error, I should like to express my gratitude to Professor John R. Sommerfeldt. I should also like to thank Professor Otto Grundler, Dr. Rozanne Elder, and Professor Sommerfeldt for the help they provided during the course of my studies and for their kind acceptance of my request that they serve on my thesis committee. Needless to say, my gratitude to these people in no way lessens my personal responsibility for the content of this thesis. James Edward layers Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or “target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to Insure you complete continuity. 2. 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Silver prints of "photographs" may be ordered at additional charge by writing the Order Department, giving the catalog number, title, author and specific pages you wish reproduced. 5. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as received. University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John’s Road, Tyler's Green High Wycombe. Bucks, England HP10 8HR Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. MASTERS THESIS 13-9421 MYERS, James Edward MORALITY AMONG CATHAR PERFECTS AND BELIEVERS IN FRANCE AND ITALY, 1100-1300. Western Michigan University, M.A., 1976 History, medieval Xerox University MicrofilmsAnn # Arbor, Michigan 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION ................................. 1 I THE C A T H A R S .............................. ^ II THE HISTORICAL TRADITION................... I1*- III THE PERFECTS.............................. 27 IV THE B E L I E V E R S ............................ 44 V CONCLUSIONS............................. 56 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY......................... 6^ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION Travelling through Southern France today one is immediately struck by an enormous interest in the Cathars of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. From Perpignan to Avignon, throughout the Midi, Frenchmen of all ages and from all walks of life are more familiar with the history of their medieval ancestors than most of us Americans are with our eighteenth-century founders. Every book­ seller has the latest books and tracts on the Cathars in his window. For teachers, doctors, students, and factory workers the Cathars are often a topic for general conversation. One need only go to Montsegur on a weekend to be impressed by the vast number of people, young and old, who undergo the rigorous climb up to the last strong­ hold of Catharism in search of their past. In the last ten years the French have published nearly one hundred books or articles on the Cathars, some of them are scholarly efforts, but for the most part they are rapidly produced syntheses of earlier scholarly ef­ forts prepared for the French public at large and for foreign tourists who are merely curious. The current interest of the French in Catharism is not sur­ prising. For many people of Southern France the Cathars are not merely a passing interest for they are directly affected by them. The Cathars were their ancestors, and the military, governmental, and religious activity that occurred in Southern France during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries because of the Cathars and their 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. beliefs had an influence and lasting effect on this part of France.^ For the majority of Americans, even those with a background in medieval studies, the Cathars are either entirely unknown or their more interesting customs and beliefs are known only in part and in­ correctly. Most textbooks on medieval history gloss over Catharism in a page or two, usually only repeating the statements of other, earlier summaries. Because of the growing French interest in the Cathars, the recent research of French scholars, the deplorable state of Cathar studies in English, and the importance of Catharism as a probable reform movement to medieval, Renaissance, and Reforma­ tion history, I think studies in this area by Americans should be increased. Many of the popular views among American historians are based upon the efforts of nineteenth-century historians who were either influenced pejoratively by their Catholic background or lacked many of the sources available to us today, or both. As a result their knowledge on the subject is often sadly defective. With these views and objectives in mind I shall attempt a study of the sources currently available on one aspect of Catharism and, I hope, make a contribution towards solving one of the problems that has confronted historians of the movement and has, as I hope to show, resulted in conflicting views. The Cathars have been accused by many historians of highly ^"Joseph R. Strayer, The Albigensian Crusades (New York: The Dial Press, 1971)» PP- 163-17^. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. immoral and degenerate behavior. This view is still found in many texts, and it is one which my research has led me to conclude greatly exaggerated. The purpose of this thesis will be to examine perti­ nent sources on the behavior and moral standards of the Cathars and I shall hope to arrive at some definite conclusions. I shall begin with a brief outline of the religion and history of the Cathars, then treat the sources for the problem, and finally review the con­ clusions of some other historians. The main body of the thesis will be a discussion of Cathar behavior and morals, which will take into account the differences between Cathar "Perfects" and "Believers." Then I shall attempt a summary and presentation of conclusions which I think must necessarily be drawn from the evidence. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I THE CATHARS Since the objective of this thesis is not to present a compre­ hensive study of either the history of the Cathars or their religion; I shall begin this chapter by merely summarizing these two aspects. However, to understand what shall be discussed later the reader must be acquainted with both the religion and the history of the Cathars. The Cathars belonged to a religious group which flourished in Western Europe from c. 1150 to 1300 A.D.; this group considered themselves the only true practitioners of Christianity. A few Cathar communities were found in England and in Germany, near Cologne, but they were short-lived and the main Cathar concentrations were in Northern Italy and Southern Prance. It was in France, in the vicin­ ity of the village of Albi, near Toulouse, that they became most conspicuous, and it is from this region that they derived the name often given them: "Albigensians." How they originated and developed in Western Europe is still a matter of scholarly debate. Some authorities claim from available evidence that they originated from the Bogomil sect in the Balkans and Constantinople, and others claim that they sprang up independently, in Languedoc, as a reaction to local prevailing religious and social conditions.