The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade (Manchester Medieval Studies) [Paperback]

Michael Costen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1997 | Series: Manchester Medieval Studies

A compelling introduction to the war against the heretics of Languedoc launched in 1209, combined with a description of the political, economic, religious and social conditions of south-western France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Michael Costen shows why the Cathar heresy came to flourish and how the campaign against it developed into a programme of conquest by which an alliance of church and state finally destroyed the heresy and united the region with the newly expanding French kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Costen is Senior Lecturer in Adult Education and Tutor in Historical Studies at the University of Bristol

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Manchester University Press (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719043328
• ISBN-13: 978-0719043321
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disgraceful whitewash of the Catholic Church's crimes, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade (Manchester Medieval Studies) (Paperback)

This book is a disgraceful whitewash of the Catholic Church's crimes against humanity. It begins by minimizing the social accomplishments of the society of the Languedoc and goes on to mischaracterize the Cathars, both distortions to mask the real magnitude of the Church's actions. The book does a good job citing all the pro-church publications available, but neglects to consider more balanced sources, omitting well-known historical works - even omitting positive information from the church itself. For example, St. Bernard of Clairveaux, following his own pre-crusade evalaution of the Cathars in the Languedoc concluded, "No sermons are more Christian than theirs, and their morals are pure." Despite its one-sided view, the book can't hide that the fact that the Church murdered tens of thousands by sword, thousands more by burning at the stake (after appropriate torture of course), destroyed the economy of the whole region, and reduced the culture to a level from which it would never fully recover. The book does it's best to draw attention away from the Church's real reason for the crusade: its paranoid fear that Catholicism might be displaced by Catharism. Astonishingly, the author has the gaul to conclude that somehow the people of the Languedoc simply evaluated Catharism versus Catholicism on their relative spiritual merits, and ultimately chose the latter. The author apparently doesn't seem to feel that the people of the Languedoc might have been influenced in any way by a 35-year genocidal war followed by 60 years of relentless inquisition. Other conclusions are of the same cloth. These transgressions might be easier to tolerate if the book were better written, but it is unfortunately very dense, sluggish, and lacking any narrative spark. The small print on high-glare paper is also very difficult to read. If you are already deeply familiar with the issues covered in this book, and are willing to read between the lines, there is enough anecdotal information to make it worthwhile. But, it you are seeking a book that provides a balanced introductory presentation, you'll have to look elsewhere.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The most concise treatment yet available, February 1, 1999

By 

J.E. "Ted" Blanton ([e-mail]) (Huntsville, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade (Manchester Medieval Studies) (Paperback)

Michael Costen has produced the most useful and concise work yet available on this topic. The bibliography is exhaustive and the treatment synthesizes the political, economic, and spiritual aspects of the subject. I feel, however, that Costen fails to treat theoretical matters of deviance and persecution (though the facts speak for themselves). For those interested in a more theoretical work on persecution in medieval society, I suggest R.I. Moore's FORMATION OF A PERSECUTING SOCIETY. Nevertheless, this book is the best at setting the Albigensian Crusade in its historical context relative to Languedoc.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent up-to-date summary, December 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade (Manchester Medieval Studies) (Paperback)

Much in the manner of an earlier offering from Jonathan Sumption, Costen supplies with a concise and up-to-date summary of the origins and effects of the Albigensian crusade. Those looking for romance and fancy should perhaps look elsewhere, but for anyone wishing to develop their interest in this fascinating episode could do much worse than buy this book.