If one follows the course of major wars, persecutions, or other similar events in history, it can be argued that almost all of them involved people who did not want to conform to popular beliefs or customs.The same can be said for the 1300's; an entire profession was created merely to inhibit those who chose to declare different points of view. These individuals were "hunted" by people known as inquisitors. James Givens's A Medieval Inquisitor at Work: Bernard Gui (which can be found in the course packet) outlined exactly what this profession entailed, the different kinds of heresy, and how punishments were determined.
According to Givens, Gui notes the offense for which an individual was condemned for a whopping 91 percent of the cases recorded. The most common type of heresy was Catharism, followed by Waldensianism, and then Beguinism. There was also a small percentage of people who were persecuted for extreme unorthodox beliefs, such as that the world had neither a beginning nor end, souls were simply air and blood, and that God did not create the Devil (course packet, 213). There were many forms and severities of punishment for these heresies as well. Inquisitors were well known for their "great flexibility they displayed in imposing punishment on those they found guilty" (course packet, 213). Punishments ranged from pilgrimages to imprisonment, with the worst form of punishment being death by fire. As one might guess, punishment was doled out based on how involved the accused person was with heresy. One of the more sever forms of punishment I found interesting was the forced wearing of crosses on the outside of clothing-- this was seen as embarrassing, and some individuals had to wear these crosses upwards of 10 years or longer.
This particular collection of cases is interesting because, as Givens points out, "at a time when women seldom appeared in European courts, more than 40 percent of those recorded by Gui were female" (course packet, 231). Givens goes on to admit that men were more rigorously punished, and also more likely to be burned for their offenses, but it is worth noting that these cases bear striking resemblances to cases that appear years later in the true witch hunts.
I am interested in knowing more about the different cases of heresy. What characteristics defined specific forms from others, and why were people more commonly accused of Catharism? How did the inquisitors go about "hunting" these people? Did these people confess freely, or were they merely accused with no trial? I look forward to discussing these topics in class, as well as hearing your thoughts on this topic.
Devoted to examining scholarly arguments about history related to the European witch-hunts, and primary documents from that period as well. A space to inform, write, analyze, critique, post images, and ask questions that emerge from our HIST 342 class at Drury University. Meshing out history from myth and popular ideas, we are devoted to understanding how a witch-hunt occurred historically and comparing patterns of behavior then and now.
Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to be able to read this after hearing our lecture in class today! Your blog post gave me a much better understanding of Bernard Gui. Something that I thought was extremely interesting, and that I see wasn't mentioned, was the posthumous burning and/or incarceration of heretics.
Do you think the posthumous burning is symbolic of something deeper than simply further punishment? Could anything truly and really be gained from more punishment after the fact? I'd l like to hear your thoughts on it!
Good questions. I hope we've been answering them. The source in the course packet helps understand the types of questions asked and what was answered. So their was an investigation of heresy, a record of heresy noted through notaries, and then a request, when needed for abjuration, or changing of beliefs. One scholar has noted the difference in genocide and medieval heresy is that participants were given a chance to change their minds and switch back over to team #1. We are not yet to the time of the witch-hunts as a reminder. but the terminology and ideological framework is starting to develop.
ReplyDeleteKelsey,
ReplyDeleteThe wearing of crosses is something that I thought was interesting as well. It reminded me of the Scarlet Letter and how Hester was ridiculed. Why I believe that people were accused the most of Catharism is because the way that the inquisitors would ask about Satan. If stated properly the inquisitors could pull out the answers that the person making them seem to believe that Satan was the God of Evil. Because Catharism is the belief that there are two gods (God of Good and God of Evil) and Satan's power was seen as nearly god-like it would seem to an educated person that the simple people believe in duality.