The Cathar heresy

[Giovanna Clairval]

And, after dinner...

Episode 2 of

The uprooting of the Cathar heresy


​

 

[Patrician]

And, after dinner...

Episode 2 of

The uprooting of the Cathar heresy


​

When do you dine?

I'll retreat to the inner sanctum of my bed soon, so you don't have to rush it.

Looks like you are all nocturnal creatures here...be you undead?

 

[Sephiroth]

I'm Sephiroth, I don't die. I exist in every fibre of every living thing.

And Giovanna is the Regina Latinae Felis, a nocturnal creature.

 

[Patrician]

That is Final Fantasy? Never played it.

 

[Sephiroth]

Do you play video games? If you play video games, I insist that you play FFVII as soon as you get the chance! Even if you never play any of the others, the story in VII is absolutely spellbinding.......

 

[Patrician]

Do you play video games? If you play video games, I insist that you play FFVII as soon as you get the chance! Even if you never play any of the others, the story in VII is absolutely spellbinding.......

Baldur's Gate is my favourite opium...I'll say something about it tomorrow. *yawn*

Night!

 

[Sephiroth]

Dobro veche, dude.

 

[Giovanna Clairval]

Hear hear! The story of the Albigeois continues...

The Crushing of the Albigeois​

EPISODE 2​

Remainder: Occitanie is the name given to the area where Langue d'Oc was spoken, essentially 32 modern “départements” of Southern France. Languedoc, besides being the “Langue d’Oc”, is a traditional province of Occitanie; its capital is Toulouse.
Venture soldier (from Italian avventura, adventure, i.e., “as chance has it”): soldier of fortune.

Dramatis Personae: Arnaud d’Amaury, Pope Innocent III’s legate; Raimon VII, count of Toulouse, turncoat; Simon de Montfort, little noble without a fief, Raimon Roger de Trencavel, young viscount of Béziers and Carcassonne; Alix de Montfort, woman-at-war.

Now the crusaders are gathering in Lyon. It’s one of the biggest armies Europe has ever seen. The archbishops of Reims, Sens and Rouen—three among the most important cities of France at the time— various bishops of lesser towns and high nobles, including the duke of Burgundy, are at the head of 300,000 crusaders (hence my purpish mistake in one of my previous posts), French, Burgund, German, Norman and Flemish volunteers, venture soldiers, valets and vultures, follow, as in any other army. Few of them are crusading for the interest of the true faith. One of them, Simon de Montfort, wants to find lands for him to lord upon.

The new legate, Arnaud d’Amaury, leader of this motley crew, sets forth on his journey to the South. Raimon de Toulouse hastily puts red cross on white shield and joins the army.

The month is July, the year 1209.

Thanks to Simon's act of contrition (he gets himself whipped in the cathedral of Toulouse before his frowning subjects) the county of Toulouse is safe; not so Béziers and Carcassonne, which belong to young Raimon Roger of Trencavel, vassal and nephew to Raimon VII, a man known for his tolerance vis-à-vis the heretics. Trencavel tries to imitate his uncle, but Amaury refuses to lift the excommunication from his head. Poor excommunicated Raimon Trencavel must defend his lands and entrenches (which is an anachronism) himself in Carcassonne.

The siege of Béziers lasts only ten days. Inspired by the famous words uttered by Arnaud d’Amaury: “Tuez-les tous. Dieu reconnaîtra les siens (Kill them all. God will know his people)”, the army puts the city to fire and sword. Twenty thousand citizens will die. And Carcassonne is next. The viscount of Trencavel is captured and accused of treason. Two months later, young Trencavel is dead (dysentery, they say). Simon de Montfort inherits of his lands, mostly because the great lords of Burgundy and Nevers let him take such dubious spoils. In the meantime, torturers rip off heretics’ tongues and gouge out heretics' eyes.

Leading another small army, Alix de Montfort rejoins her husband Simon, who has lost all those who, after finishing the ritual forty days of military service, have gone home to live their lives. The crusade continues.
In the springtime the citadels of Minerve, Termes and Cabaretz are taken, and then it is Lavaur's turn. Lady Géralda de Lavaur, who had met the enemy wearing armour, is killed and thrown down a well. The defenders, forty knights, are hanged. Four hundred heretics are burnt alive.

Now Arnaud d’Amaury, the Pope’s Legate, dares to threaten the city of Toulouse itself, but gives up after fifteen days. Why involve his person in an incertain siege when he controls most of Occitanie? The Southern nobles are excommunicated and stripped of their lands and titles for the benefit of French barons, who are—let us not forget this— strangers who speak a foreign language (at least for the peasants and the lowly people who live in the towns).

Simon de Montfort tries to exercise his domination over vanquished Occitanie.

And yet the Catharism is alive and threatens his image in the Pope’s eyes…

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[Sephiroth]

Fantastic! I can't wait for more!

My family's second home is in the Occitan region, I helped myself to a few leaflets about the Occitan language and culture while I was in the Mairie.

 

[Giovanna Clairval]

C'est une terrible histoire qu'il ne faut pas oublier.
Il m'est fort aise d' savoir que vous l'avez aimée.

 

[Sephiroth]

Yes, I liked it very much. Although as you say, it is a terrible history, and a sad one. History has so many of those stories to tell. Another that sticks in my memory, far more recent, is the fate of the Vendéeans during the Revolution. As you know, my people's history has had its share of tragedies (but I shall say no more about that here). It is easy for me to empathise when I hear such stories from elsewhere. And if we are all Europeans, then it is my history, too. I'm not an insularist. I feel just as much at home in France as I do here, somehow.

 

[Ursa major]

It must be that auld alliance.

And it persists in the language, e.g. an echo of the construct "ne ... jamais" being found in the phrase "I would ne do that, jimmy".

 

[Patrician]

Dobro veche, dude.

Morgen!

Dobro veche means good evening, and laku noch good night.

I said I would say something about Baldur's Gate but there really isn't much to say, except it is the best game ever!

I will try out FF7 than. It better be good!

Hear hear! The story of the Albigeois continues...


The Crushing of the Albigeois


EPISODE 2

...

TO BE CONTINUED

Good, good! Eagerly waiting for more...


Now that you mentioned Simons wife Alix, I find it very romantic that his wife brought him reinforcemets. I belive that her timely arrival saved his skin, once.
"Hi honey! Look what I brought you!" *giggles*

That's a woman.

 

[Sephiroth]

It must be that auld alliance.

And it persists in the language, e.g. an echo of the construct "ne ... jamais" being found in the phrase "I would ne do that, jimmy".

LMAO!

Patrician:

Laku noch, oh well, now I know! Also, du spricht Deutsch, auch? Typisch!

I've never played Baldur's Gate, but FFVII isn't the same type of game at all. There's never been a better story in a video game, IMO. It's pretty ancient now, it was released in 1997 on the PS1, but it was a landmark in gaming history, which has inspired a movie and several spin-off games.

 

[Giovanna Clairval]

Morgen!

Now that you mentioned Simons wife Alix, I find it very romantic that his wife brought him reinforcemets. I belive that her timely arrival saved his skin, once.
"Hi honey! Look what I brought you!" *giggles*

That's a woman.

Alix wanted a fief. Had she lived now, she would have nagged at Simon for him to have an advancement or a raise.

But she did lead detachments of soldiers.

Did you get the joke with "woman-at-arms"?

 

[Patrician]

LMAO!

Patrician:

Laku noch, oh well, now I know! Also, du spricht Deutsch, auch? Typisch!

I've never played Baldur's Gate, but FFVII isn't the same type of game at all. There's never been a better story in a video game, IMO. It's pretty ancient now, it was released in 1997 on the PS1, but it was a landmark in gaming history, which has inspired a movie and several spin-off games.

It's not like I have a choice. We must learn at least 2 foreign languages in school. Third and fourth are optional.

Than I must insist that you play Baldur's Gate! You will see than that there is a better story in a video game

 

[Patrician]

Alix wanted a fief. Had she lived now, she would have nagged at Simon for him to have an advancement or a raise.

But she did lead detachments of soldiers.

Did you get the joke with "woman-at-arms"?

I supose that is the reason that Simon was pretty good at submiting the Occitan nobles. He was more afraid of her wife than of them.

What woman-at-arms joke?

 

[Sephiroth]

It's not like I have a choice. We must learn at least 2 foreign languages in school. Third and fourth are optional.

*seethes with jealously*

Our education system gives us nothing worthwhile......

Than I must insist that you play Baldur's Gate! You will see than that there is a better story in a video game

Now, that is fighting talk!!!

I'd be up for playing it, if I can get my hands on a copy (money is very, very tight), but really....

*cough*

Really......

*cough, cough*

Are you insane?!

 

[Patrician]

*seethes with jealously*

Our education system gives us nothing worthwhile......

I study Dutch as my third language, you know...*examines his fingernails*

Now, that is fighting talk!!!

I'd be up for playing it, if I can get my hands on a copy (money is very, very tight), but really....

*cough*

Really......

*cough, cough*

Are you insane?!

A deal: I will play FF7 sometime this year, and you will play Baldur's Gate sometime this year. What say you?

 

[Sephiroth]

Conditional on me having the money to buy it (which I might not), I will make that deal with you!