Inquisitors and Heretics in Thirteenth-Century Languedoc

In the study of inquisition and heresy in Languedoc the late thirteenth century is a dark hole. This book redresses this, providing an edition and translation of depositions of heresy suspects interrogated in Toulouse 1273-82, preserved in a copy of 1669. The book's introduction investigates the history and reliability of this copy, and, together with the edition, illuminates the inquisitors and scribes who produced the original register. The edited text shows a Cathar hierarchy in exile in Italy, a Cathar revival in Languedoc, and its destruction by a re-launched inquisition. Inquisitors' questioning led to depositions which are extraordinarily colourful and lively, and in this they anticipate the circumstantial detail of the early fourteenth century depositions upon which Le Roy Ladurie's famous Montaillou was based.

Review:

Biller, Bruschi and Sneddon are to be congratulated, and warmly thanked; this is a massive book, a huge labour and a great gift to other scholars. - John Arnold, Birkbeck College, London, in: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 63/3 (July 2012), p. 601 This is an important collection, edited with great professionalism, with an informative introduction, detailed annotation, a calendar of depositions, and excellent indexes, all of which make the handing of the material so much easier and effective. - Malcolm Barber, in: The Catholic Historical Review 98/2 (2012), pp. 366-367 Inquisitors and Heretics in Thirteenth-Century Languedoc provides an invaluable resource in the history of inquisition by making available important primary source materials in text and translation for the first time [...]. It is a treasure trove of documentary information and evidence for the modern scholar or student. - Larissa Tracy, Longwood University, in: The Sixteenth Century Journal 43/2 (2012), pp. 533-534 A volume such as this probably would never have seen the light of day without Brill, and that is a cause for gratitude. Biller and his collaborators not only present in the original Latin an extensive inquisitorial register concerning thirteenth-century heresy but accompany that with facing page English translations: some four hundred pages of Latin; some four hundred pages in English; and some three hundred added pages of introduction, bibliography, and indices. The days of athletic scholarship have not passed. - Robert E. Lerner, Northwestern University, in: Rivista di Storia del Cristianesimo X/1 (2013), p. 238 This is an important collection, edited with great professionalism, with an informative introduction, detailed annotation, a calendar of depositions, and excellent indexes, all of which make the handing of the material so much easier and effective. - Malcolm Barber, University of Reading