The Yellow Cross : The Story of the Last Cathars, 1290-1329

by René Weis

In the 13th century, a group of heretics in southwest France, the Cathars, became a serious threat to the Catholic church. In several waves of repression, thousands of Cathars were killed. Yet so ardent was their faith that, early in the next century, the Cathars rose one last time. Using the breathtakingly detailed and uniquely extant documentation from this period, and drawing on his intimate knowledge of the last Cathars' tracks and hiding places, many of which survive to this day, Rene Weis tells the full story of this gripping historical episode.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion, Medieval, France, Historical, Gnosticism

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

René Weis is a freelance author and Professor of English at University College London. He has a written on a wide variety of subjects, including Edith Thompson (of the infamous 'Thompson and Bywaters' murder case in the 1920s), the last Cathar insurgency in the Pyrenees in the Middle Ages, and a biography of Shakespeare. As a professional Shakespearian, he has published extensively on Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, his publications including editions of Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Henry IV Part 2, and an Oxford World's Classics edition of the works of John Webster. A lifelong lover of opera, he also contributes regular pieces to the programmes for Royal Opera House productions.

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a marvel of scholarship and research about the last days of Catharism in the Languedoc area of southern France in the early 14th Century. The sheer volume of detail about personalities, events, and relationships that the author was able to glean from, mainly, records of peoples' testimonies before the Inquisition would be amazing if it dealt with events from 50 years ago; that these events took place almost 700 years ago makes it all the more astonishing.

Unfortunately the book is almost impossible to read. In large part this is because of the very large cast of characters, and the fact that they have very similar names. Most of them have one of only about half a dozen surnames--Clergue, Authie, Maury, Maurs, Rives, or Baille--and a seemingly even smaller set of Christian names, especially for the men. The number of Pierres, Arnauds, and Guillaumes is impenetrable. The author also chose to make many references to events or people who were to come later in the narrative, but who had not yet been introduced. This jumpy timeline might be all right for someone who was already pretty familiar with the general flow of events in the 30 or so years that the narrative covers; but for a novice it makes it impossible to get a feel for the overall timeline.

What you get from reading this book is a wonderful detailed impression of life in small mountain towns and villages in mountainous southwest France in 1290-1320, with its daily chores, family feuds and alliances, employment opportunities, and the vague terror of being persecuted for your beliefs by a powerful church whose authority in your remote area was tenuous. This extended to having to be careful about who you assumed to be of your heresy, to the point of having to work out a whole jargon to allow you test someone beliefs without betraying your own. You also learn a number of Cathar ceremonies and beliefs, and how some of those beliefs (such as the tenet that all sex was sin, and sex within marriage the most sinful of all) influenced the behavior and culture of the heavily Cathar regions.

What you don't get from this book is a feel for the general rise and spread of Catharism, and how it came to be concentrated in the Languedoc and adjacent regions of Catalonia and Northern Italy. To be fair, the book never promises this, as it correctly claims to be focused on the suppression of the last outburst of Cathar heresy between about 1290 and 1325; but finishing "The Yellow Cross" made me want to find a more general history of Catharism with a little less detail and a little smoother narrative style.

One final note: this book is replete with maps, which I found enchanting and laudable. Almost every location mentioned in the text is on at least one map, and maps overlap nicely for a comprehensive geographical picture of the area and the journeys of the principal subjects. The historical (and in some cases, somewhat conjectural) maps of the villages, with long-gone houses of individual families shown, are not only beautiful works of diagramming but of historical research, and I loved them.

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Montaillou is a village in the Ariège region of southern France which was the site in the early fourteen century of one of the last campaigns by the Catholic inquisition against the Cathar or Albigensian heresy. Fortunately the records of the chief inquisitor, Jacque Fournier, who later became Pope Benedict XII, were preserved in the Vatican Library and the verbatim interrogations of about 90 suspects from the village and surroundings survived. In the last century they were edited and later translated into modern French by Jean Duvernoy and served as the basis for Emmanuel Le Roi Ladurie’s Montailou: The Promised Land of Error. As a result, we are able to know more about the intimate lives of these victims of religious persecution than about any other group of Medieval people.

But Duvernoy was a documentary historian and Ladurie belonged to the Annals group, neither was a narrative historian, so the reader interested in the lives of these and how they practiced their religion and tried to evade the clutches of the Catholic inquisition will enjoy this book. It is an exciting tale theauthor gives us in The Yellow Cross. (Interesting that both the Nazis and the Catholics required their victims to wear yellow badges.) He visited all the sites where critical incidents took place, traveling in rough weather and tough country. The Cather hierarchy were called “Perfects” who their own version of last rites, the Consolamentum. Often they journeyed more than thirty miles in one night to reach the bedside of the dying, aided by a system of trusted local guides, and provided with lodging in secret rooms in safe houses inhabited by believers (credentes).

It is fascinating to compare their stories both with Roman Catholic recusants in Elizabethan England and with the history of the French résistance during the German Occupation, all in the face of arrest, interrogation, torture, and death. (Though actual burning as the stake were rare and reserved for “heretics” who refused to abjure their fatith. And in all three there were spies eager to denounce them, double and even triple agents (the “demon priest” Pierre Clergue was both the rector of the parish and supported the Cathars, as well with his brothers running a protection racket that could allow the accused to bribe their way out of prison, as well as being sexually insatiable. The accused ranged from shepherds to the minor aristocracy and it’s striking that the same regions were centers of Protestantism during the Reformation and resistance during the Second World War. I expect the mountainous geography and isolation encouraged independence and resistance to authority. The ability of “the good men” or “good Christians” to gain the loyalty of followers over a couple of hundred years in the face of persecution may tell us something about their ability of relate to ordinary people. Their missionary methods resembled much more that practice of early Christians than the official Church, with its reliance on the power and authority of the state and persecution. This is both an intriguing adventure story and an inspiring tale of spiritual courage in the face of persecution and oppression.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2000. For a non-fiction book, this was "utterly absorbing" as per the quote from the Daily Telegraph. Five words from the blurb: heretical; bloodshed; gripping; Vatican; exterminating. I did like the way that the author interspersed the factual recountings of the story of the last Cathars with his own personal observations and travels. I found it incredibly difficult to sort through the persona dramitis as there were so many similar names and surnames to battle through. However, that is the same for much of history - I know one person who is always totally confused with the two Cromwells (Oliver vs Thomas) that pitch up at various stages of English history! So, the combination of commonality and unusual and archaic names did make it a trifle hard going and that is, by no means, the fault of the author. There is so much interesting information about the Cathars and religion in this age that it is worthwhile wading through the names. The map of the towns were useful and, in my opinion, a family tree or linked connection map of the various families may have made it all a bit easier. The writing is straightforward but there are some wonderful "quips" as well. I enjoyed the recounting of the various things that happened to the main Catholic - Fournier. Extremely ironic as was the cause of his death - gangrene - not a pleasant ending at all especially in those days. "In the ensuing years they zealously littered the country with yellow crosses, the symbol of shame which those regarded as heretics were forced to wear on their tunics and coats.....Moreover they were instructed not to 'move about either inside or outside' their houses without openly displaying the crosses". Remind you of anything?? Recommended!

[J.A. Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book on a period of history that is often overlooked. I was amazed at the amount of detail that had been recorded in the archives.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and informative read about the last of the Cathars. The people who feature in this story are very diverse and most are not that devout, either as Cathars or Catholics - lots of people using religion to control people and further their own interests.

[Nadinedebussy]

" (Au sens où Edgar Morin évoque la complexité comme substitut d'une impossible totalité)".

"L'inquisition, pour reprendre la problématique ainsi mise en oeuvre, l'Inquisition tantôt calomnie, tortures en main, et tantôt réfracte, ou reflète vraiment."

"Le catharisme, qui fournit un modèle moral et spirituel dont l'idéalisme a rarement été égalé dans l'histoire de l'Europe, brille au contraire comme un phare au milieu des ténèbres."

"La lumière est venue dans le monde, et les hommes ont mieux aimé les ténèbres que la lumière, parce que leurs oeuvres étaient mauvaises. En effet, quiconque fait le mal hait la lumière et ne vient pas à la lumière, de peur que ses oeuvres ne soient dévoilées; mais celui qui agit dans la vérité vient à la lumière, pour qu'il apparaisse au grand jour que ses oeuvres sont faites en Dieu." (3,19-21)

"Ce contraste entre lumière et obscurité est précisément celui auquel recouraient les cathares pour opposer leur doctrine à celle de l'église établie."

"L'image en est probablement empruntée à l'évangile selon saint-Jean, le texte biblique qui les inspira entre tous. "Au commencement le Verbe était", pouvaient-ils lire au premier verset de saint-Jean"

"Et le verbe s'est fait chair et il a demeuré parmi nous, et nous avons vu sa gloire, gloire qu'il tient de son Père comme Fils unique" (1,14)

"Les Cathares ainsi qu'on les dénommait, croyaient que le diable était coéternel à Dieu et que le monde matériel et la chair étaient son oeuvre pernicieuse."

"(...) si un homme ou une femme mourait sans avoir reçu la consolation, son âme était destinée à migrer dans une autre créature vivante, animale ou humaine,(...)."

"Les cathares refusent toute forme d'atteinte à la vie, tant humaine qu'animale (…)"

"sans être un passeport pour le paradis, la consolation avait pour but d'en faciliter l'accès, et elle évitait à celui qui la recevait de passer par une autre réincarnation dans ce monde."

"l'antipathie des cathares à l'égard du corps humain était solidement enracinée dans leur métaphysique selon laquelle les âmes, après leur chute originelle hors du paradis, furent revêtues par le diable de "tuniques" ou emprisonnées dans des corps."

"Pour les croyants cathares, le monde physique était plein d'âmes errantes à la recherche de la bonne incarnation qui les conduirait au salut."

"La théologie cathare fut peut-être influencée quant à elle par la métaphysique orientale."

"Du moins nos hérétiques étaient-ils, au risque cette fois de susciter l'admiration, des non-violents, victimes de divers persécuteurs infiniment plus adonnés à la violence, en effet, (...)"

"Le Catharisme avait été contenu, mais non éradiqué, par les croisades royales (...)"

"Double jeu du curé Clergue, "crisique" à souhait, entre les diverses factions de sa paroisse, maffia pro-carcassonnaise et cabale appaméenne (…)"

"Mitterand donc avait souligné, durant ce repas, que Pierre Clergue était un collaborateur, se comportant comme tel; manoeuvrant entre ses amis, ses ennemis et la puissance occupante ou à tout le moins dominante de la France, lourdement présente à Carcassonne et en Languedoc autour de 1300."

"Mitterand sans nul doute, se souvenait sur ce point des difficiles expériences qui furent les siennes en 1942-1944 à Vichy puis à Paris et enfin à l'extérieur des territoires européens contrôlés par l'Allemagne."

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[John Vanderslice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched and painstakingly written, this book provides a clear and compelling view of the life and customs of the Cathars during their brief renaissance in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It’s amazing exactly how much specific information and detailed life stories Weis is able to gather. Many chapters read like lurid novels, given the behavior of a few in the Cathar sect. But of course you realize that much of Weis’s information surely came from the many different statements and confessions made to the Inquisition. Because that is where the story eventually wends: the use of spies, bribes, and intimidation to finally get enough Cathars to turn and/or confess. In some ways, the Cathars were a rather bizarre Christian sect, but they did not deserve to be destroyed and extinguished. As much as this book is about the Cathars it’s also about the Inquisition and a church that felt such a thing was justified. This book, especially given how long it is, reads pretty quickly and will make you eager to learn more about the Cathars, where they came from, and how long they were established before 1290, when Weis’s story begins.

[Els Boot · Rating 3 out of 5]

De laatste Katharen is een gedetailleerde reconstructie van de gebeurtenissen rond de ketters van Montaillou,
Het verhaal leest niet als een detective (zoals de flaptekst belooft) daarvoor zit er te weinig vaart in en is het detail niveau te hoog. Dat doet niet zo heel veel ter zake. Het is een wetenschappelijke reconstructie die knap in elkaar zit. Toch is het boek niet echt bedoelt voor de geïnteresseerde lezer. Ik studeerde ooit Geschiedenis en beschik over enige kennis van de Kathaarse ketterij. Die kennis was in de loop der jaren wel behoorlijk weggezakt. Wat ik dus node miste in dit boek was een hoofdstuk waarin even kort geschetst wordt waarom de Katharen als ketters werden gezien door de RK-kerk, waar hun geloof afweek van de voorschriften van de kerk en waarom de RK-kerk zo gebrand was op het uitroeien van de kathaarse ketters. René Weis plaatst zijn verhaal niet in de politieke omgeving van rond 1300 en geeft geen uitleg over het geloof van de Katharen. Ik heb dus zelf eerst maar eens wat studieboeken uit de kast gehaald om mijn kennis wat op te vijzelen.

[Lelietje · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly investigated and fluently written story about the last stronghold of the Cathars in the south-east of France. The author followed in their footsteps and made the main characters come alive, which is a big accomplishment considering there are 6 centuries between us and them.
The only problem I had in reading this book is keeping track of all the people mentioned, despite the very clear maps. I applaud the maps, they were very good and helpful in visualising the events and surroundings.

[S L Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written like a very long essay, this detailed view of an underground religious movement, was strangely compelling. My main complaint was that the writer did not make it easy to follow the connections between people. Giving them lengthy titles, such as 'mother's brother's daughter' instead of just saying 'niece'. You just could not follow that aspect of it easily. There are very few Christian names in Catalonia so everyone was pretty much called the same. In the end I ignored the who and concentrated on the incidents.

[Sam Law]

Deeper Review to come!

Phenomenal book - well worth a read.
Gives a great insight into the turbulent times, and shows up the pointlessness of religious rivalries.

Superb backdrop if reading fiction novels of this time & place.

[Simon Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some fascinating detail of life in the period but the narrative is a mess of overlapping names (Beatrice, Raymond/Raymonde, Guillame/Guillamette etc) and places that even the plethora of diagrams and maps can't sort out. Very disappointing.

[Bridgette MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy reading history, try this.

[laurentiu]

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[джаймс X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detailed, thorough, dense. I probably read it too early into my Cathar journey.

[Cathy Dunnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

An admirable work of scholarship but a turgid read.

[Catherine Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An admirable work of scholarship but a turgid read.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because my husband was so enthusiastic about it, but I found the multitude of characters with similar names confusing. Yes, I do realise it's history, rather than a novel and that the names are as they are, but a family tree or two at least might have been useful in pinning down who was who. The basic subject matter of cathar "heretics" trying to evade the persecution of the inquisition ought to be fascinating, but I have to admit to finding this a tedious read.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cathars religion was based on the Gospels but somewhat contrary to religious Catholicism and therefore they were labeled 'heretics'. They were persecuted by the Roman Catholic church and most including children and women were burned at the stake. The majority lived in the Pyrenees mountains of Southern France and upper Spain.

This book was readable, historical, accurate but somewhat hard to keep track of all the people. So many with the same names made it difficult - you almost needed to sit with a notebook and write down the names and make a geneology of same and their villages.

One interesting belief (not surprisingly they believed all sex 'intercourse' was sinful) but the most surprising was that they also believed married sex was sinful in fact, was even more sinful than sex outside of marriage - since married people usually never thought about them being sinful when having sex. So therefore, they encouraged men to have sex with their brides sisters thereas to be 'less sinful'. Very odd, and I personally believe used somewhat as a convenience to just have sex. Odd thinking at any rate.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read. It was very detailed but it reads as easily as a novel. Apart from the historical interest, Weis's description of the individuals make them come to life. His description of the landscape and towns make it easy to visualise these individuals going about their daily lives in their native settings.

I did not read this book in one stretch; in fact, I read it over several months. While I sometimes had to skim a previous chapter as I'd forgotten some of the events that had already been described there was overall no problem with picking up the book after not having read it for a few weeks.

What made me buy this book (a great second-hand find!) was my interest in medieval and religious history. This book would probably appeal to people who may not usually read factual historical books, but if you have an interest in medieval historical fiction I'd recommend giving this book a try. Definitely one that went back into the bookcase as I am sure to read it again in several years' time.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was infuriating to begin with. Far too much time spent on the geography of the area - at one point he spent nearly half a page describing how he worked out exactly where a rock referred to in one of the depositions actually was. I didn't care and I still don't! There was also the problem of everyone having one of about five names and either being related or having an affair. It could have done with some family trees to refer to. The first 250 pages were slow but then amazingly I got very caught up in it and started to remember who people were. The section actually dealing with the process of the inquisition was fascinating. I find books which draw heavily on diaries/transcripts of people hundreds of years ago really interesting (like the book about Morbath I read a few months ago) and this book includes a range of early fourteenth century voices based on transcripts of their various interrogations by the inquisition around 1307-08 and 1321-22. Definitely worth sticking with.

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow something I saw or read on one of our outings while in Belgium set me off looking at things religious tied to the diasporas and Jewish and Muslim and Catholic interactions and this book fell into my hands thereafter. Fascinating reading to my thinking. Maybe not everyone's idea of that however.

I'm thinking the lovely church across the plaza from the Royal palace in Madrid may have been what set me off on this binge but I can't verify dates at the moment having packed most of my Belgian items up temporarily.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5. Beautiful depiction of the last days of the cathars, full of history, culture and humanism. Towards the end the read is harder because of what was unfolding and what is going to happen. The main flaw is the titanic list of names that are similar between them, and sometimes the uneven pacing; but due to its origins (the inquisitorial proceedings from the region) it would have been very difficult to do it otherwise.

[Ericthehamster]

"Came across the Cathars from reading Stuart Gordon's fantasy ""the Watcher's"" trilogy. This is a history of the end of the time of the Cathars and after their earlier persecutions. This marks the end of the Albigensian crusade, and I highly recommend it for those interested in this period of history."

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating narrative derived from 700 year old depositions taken by the Inquisition in their relentless pursuit of heretics. Although the detail is at times overwhelming, the author succeeded in vividly depicting the lives of ordinary people of Languedoc during the middle ages, most of whom died for their rebellion against the Catholic church.

[Gregory Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating history of a little known movement at a precarious time. The most interesting aspect of the story of the Cathars is that the idea is still alive and the unique language is being preserved. Don't pick up this book if you want an easy relaxing read though. It is more like a graduate level textbook than a story.

[Kimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story behind the reasoning for the Albisengian Crusade,and a step by step detailed analisys based purely on source materiel. If you love to read about the history of the Church, then this is a must.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally I was interested in reading more about how this lost old world Cathar Religion was wiped out through the Inquisition but found this book much too detailed with scholarly medevil language and trivia for my level of interest.

[Tony Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a religious sect, the Cathars, who lived in the Languedoc, a region of south west France. The church was determined to wipe out the families they believed were heretics and this book captures the desperation of their struggle to survive.

[John Fanning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but gets tiring.