The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
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Product Description
Product Description
Catharism was the most successful heresy of the Middle Ages. The Cathars taught that the world is evil and must be transcended through a simple life of prayer, work, fasting and non-violence. They believed themselves to be the heirs of the true heritage of Christianity and completely rejected the Catholic Church and all its trappings, regarding it as the Church of Satan. Alarmed at the success of Catharism, the Church founded the Inquisition and launched the Albigensian Crusade to exterminate the heresy. Martin recounts the Cathars' story and the myths associated with them.
About the Author
Sean Martin is a filmmaker, poet and writer. He has written three previous books for Pocket Essentials: The Black Death, and the best-selling Alchemy and Alchemists and The Knights Templar. His poems have appeared in numerous magazines, and he has just directed his second feature film, The Notebooks of Cornelius Crow.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 71 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Sean Martin's book on The Cathars is a worthy follow-up to his best-selling book on the Templars. Like the Templars, Martin in this book recounts what we know of the Cathars, and also deals with the myths surrounding the sect (i.e. that they possessed the Holy Grail) without being judgmental about them.
Overall, the book takes a deeply sympathetic pro-Cathar view-point and differs from most other treatments of the subject by including chapters not only on the south of France, where Catharism what as its strongest and where the Albigensian Crusade took place, but also includes material on the Cathars in Italy and Bosnia. Martin also puts the heresy in the context of the development of dualism, and also of the church reforms of the High Middle Ages.
The book is easy to read and clearly written. All in all, a perfect introduction to the subject.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
By John Rodenbeck
I've lived in Cathar country 1987 and have watched this medieval sect, known then chiefly through the distinguished fiction of Zoë Oldenbourg, become both an international rage and a major local tourist commodity. I own 18 non-fiction titles specificallyabout them, including Otto Rahv's early study (1933), Le Roy Ladurie's Montaillou (1978), which introduced important new material from the records of the Inquisition, and three recent books by Anne Brenon, the acknowledged doyenne of Cathar studies.
For my money, Sean Martin's The Cathars is by far the best of the lot. Though small and utterly readable, it is the widest in scope, treating the Cathars correctly as part of a far wider European movement and explaining in detail their beliefs and practices, as well as their unfortunate history, all without recourse to mere legend or to the amateur scholar's "presumably possible likelihood." Sean Martin is a poet and writes with a poet's trenchant conciseness, letting the mere facts have their own impact.
The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
I've lived in Cathar country 1987 and have watched this medieval sect, known then chiefly through the distinguished fiction of Zoë Oldenbourg, become both an international rage and a major local tourist commodity. I own 18 non-fiction titles specificallyabout them, including Otto Rahv's early study (1933), Le Roy Ladurie's Montaillou (1978), which introduced important new material from the records of the Inquisition, and three recent books by Anne Brenon, the acknowledged doyenne of Cathar studies.
For my money, Sean Martin's The Cathars is by far the best of the lot. Though small and utterly readable, it is the widest in scope, treating the Cathars correctly as part of a far wider European movement and explaining in detail their beliefs and practices, as well as their unfortunate history, all without recourse to mere legend or to the amateur scholar's "presumably possible likelihood." Sean Martin is a poet and writes with a poet's trenchant conciseness, letting the mere facts have their own impact.
The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having recently travelled to the Languedoc region, specifically researching Bernard Sermon 1210 of Le Bezu, I purchased this book to get a better insight into the Cathars. I found it a fascinating read and would recommend it to others.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
all you need to know
This compact and well written book is full of information, but an easy read. It covers not just the history, but also tackles the theology. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Neil Carmichael
interesting
Well written and interesting book, that I really enjoyed and left me feeling a lot of pity for the Cathars, who seemed to be wiped out by the Catholics, basically because of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by trottzky
The Cathars
As yet I have not had the chance to read this book as my husband cannot put it down! A fascinating period of history set in a beautiful area of France. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jean
needed this book
At last a good basic introduction to the Cathars, in English. If, like me, you spend a lot of time in Languedoc, you will be constantly bombarded with references to the ruins and... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Charlie E
Guide for the opressed
A useful look at how history treated other religious groups who dared to be different. To be read in our judgemental times.
Published 14 months ago by Magical Miss M
Cathars
This is not the best book that i have ever read on the subject of the Cathars, but it is a good starting point for anyone who is newly interested in the subject,The best books on... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. S. A. Charlewood
informative
Very informative but not the easiest of reads, but worth reading especially if you are visiting the area.
Published 21 months ago by S. W. Mellor
History-Lite for the Age of Dan Brown
This is a short book, just 164 pages of text (plus notes, chronology, a brief lexicon of "heretical" terms, suggestion for further reading, bibliography and index), written by Sean... Read more
Published 21 months ago by L. E. Cantrell
Vital introduction to the Cathars
I found this book an ideal introduction to a subject I know little about. It is clearly written for non-academics like myself yet contains all the information you need to get a... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. R. J. Wilson
Useful Itroduction
My son is a medieval historian and, after travelling in southern Grance, I asked him about the Cathar heresy. Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2009 by Dr. W. T. Riches
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