Albigensianism

In doing some research on the Albigensian Crusade recently, I came across some really interesting information about the origins of the Albigensian, or Cathar, doctrines. For all intents and purposes, Albigensianism (also known as Catharism) is a version of the ancient doctrine of Manichaeism, which initially developed in the first few centuries after the death of Christ. Both of these share a belief in a dualist deity that is composed of a good entity and a bad: the bad entity is responsible for all things material (including the human body), and it is the principal aim of the soul to escape from its imprisonment in the human body and to rejoin the good entity. In addition, these sects had select members of their believers who formed an inner, sanctified core (in the Albigensian tradition, these people were called “perfaits” or “perfects”). Most intriguing was that Albigensianism flourished in Languedoc, a region in modern-day southern France which has been known throughout the centuries for its religious tolerance.

For more information see:
Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo, A Biography, (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2000)
http://www.cathar.info/

~C. Erba

Albigensian Crusade

I was doing some research for an essay topic and came across the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229). Although many people believed crusades to be a call to arms against Muslims, this was not always the case. Christians often took up the sword against other Christians and non-Muslims as an attempt to get rid of heretics and those who threatened the power of the church. In 1208, Innocent III set out a campaign against the Albigenisian region and called it a crusade (figures, right?). It actually seems to me like the crusades did start out to deliever Jerusalem and their Christian brothers from the 'non-Christians', but the more people started getting comfortable with the idea, the more they started throwing around the word crusade as an excuse to do their will freely. Anyway... I won't get started on that!
So Innocent set out against this region. They believed the beliefs of these people to be 'heretical' to those of Christians. They believed that Jesus was never a man, but a spirit, although they did accept him as the son of God. They thought the Catholic church corrupt and full of sin. Their religion believed that the church and the pope himself were working for the devil.
When Raymond became the Count of Toulouse and refused to take put down the Albigensians, Innocent III had him excommunicated and eventually, when Raymond found out the Pope's army was coming after him, he begged forgiveness and joined the crusade against his own people.
The crusade ended in 1220 when the Peace of Paris Treaty was signed.
Within a century, Albigensianism ceased to exist.
I find this certain crusade extremely interesting!!!