Cathars: who they were, history, and characteristics of this medieval heresy

Today there are very few people who have not heard of the Cathars. Cinema and literature have placed this medieval sect at the center of legends and myths, often as fascinating as they are unreal.

But who were really the cathars? Where they came from? What did they believe? Why were they so annoying to the Church and to some kings and feudal lords? In this article we will try to approach this religious current of the Middle Ages and clarify its darkest points.

• Related article: "5 topics about the Middle Ages that we must get out of our heads"

Who were the Cathars? History and keys of this heresy

Despite the fact that its largest area of ​​extension was Europe and, specifically, the south of France, the Cathar philosophy came from the East. Specifically, it spread from the Byzantine Empire and the Slavic countries throughout the 12th century, following commercial routes and taking advantage of the fact that the Crusades had boosted the traffic of people between Europe and Asia.

The Cathars drank from the philosophy of Paulicians and Bogomils

, two Eastern heresies that tended to consider the world as an absolute duality. The Paulicians have obscure origins, but it is believed that they were born in the Armenian area; for their part, the Bogomils came from Bulgaria.

Both heresies had in common the rejection of material reality, considered the creation of the forces of the Evil, and an absolute adherence to the spiritual part of the human being, which was what had been created by God. This point was picked up later by the Cathars, and represents the most characteristic of their philosophy.

• You may be interested in: "The origins of religion: how did it appear and why?"

A world full of heretics

To understand the success that Catharism had in the Middle Ages, we must delve into the religious context. Because, contrary to what many people believe, during the Middle Ages there was no single, established and solid doctrine, but there were many dissenting voices against the official Catholic Churchhe. Despite diverging on some doctrinal points, all these currents of protest had one point in favor: the return to absolute poverty preached with Christ.

For example, Arnold of Brescia, the founder of the current of Arnaldistas (mid-12th century), demanded that the Church renounce its power and its wealth; For their part, the Waldenses questioned those who called themselves Christians, but they lived in opulence. As is obvious, the Church took action on the matter, and both currents were condemned at the III Lateran Council.

However, when the official Church realized the problem posed by these dissident currents, it was already too late. Heretical philosophies had deeply permeated medieval society, since the people saw them much closer. Indeed, all these preachers (and the Cathars among them) led a wandering life, preaching from house to house, and promoted family religion and hospitality. Some of them, such as the so-called evangelists (11th-12th centuries) sowed the seeds of what, much later, would be Protestantism, since claimed the direct reading of the Gospels to achieve salvation.

• Related article: "What is fanaticism? The characteristics of this social phenomenon"

The Cathars and the rejection of the world

As we have already pointed out, the Cathars believed in duality: God had created souls, which was the only good thing, while Satan was the author of the bodies, true prisons that deprived the human being of the salvation. The dualist doctrine of the Cathars went much further: all creation, which according to the Bible was a good work of God, had been devised by the devil. Therefore, any physical manifestation was related to evil.

Thus, for the Cathars, chastity was paramount, since sex, being linked to the flesh and, above all, to procreation, was a direct emanation of the devil. However, not all the Cathar faithful followed this radical doctrine. In fact, their society was divided into two very different castes: the mere believers, on the one hand, who followed a secular life, marrying, working and forming a family, and the so-called "perfect", who were those who had managed to reach the path of salvation through the absolute renunciation of the world.

But that is not why we should think that the "perfect" lived in isolation. On the contrary; Like all medieval heretical currents, they traveled all over the world to make their doctrine known. What differentiated them from simple believers was their absolute poverty and chastity, as well as their refusal to eat meat. The "perfects" were the only ones who could supply the consolamentum, the only sacrament, if we can call it that, that the Cathars recognized.

• You may be interested in: "The 3 phases of the Middle Ages (characteristics and most important events)"

The Crusade of the Cathars and the end of Catharism

At the end of the 12th century, the Cathar doctrine was installed throughout the south of France, and enjoyed the protection of the feudal lords of the territory. The Cathars were especially well received in the Toulouse area, where they were most abundant. In 1209, Pope Innocent III decided to take action on the matter.

But why was the Cathar heresy so annoying, to the point of starting a Crusade? None of the other heretical currents had challenged the Church to this point..

The answer lies in the very nature of the Cathar doctrine. Because, while the other currents questioned certain behaviors of the official Church (the lack of poverty, the abuse of power, etc.), but they continued to adhere to what was Catholic orthodoxy, Catharism went further and questioned the very structure not only of the Church, but of society feudal. The independence of the Cathars had led them to establish their own Church: only in the Languedoc area there were five Cathar dioceses. Of course, the official Church could not allow such disobedience.

And it was not just a matter of ecclesiastical power; France was also involved in the matter and, in fact, it was the troops sent by the French king who fought against the lords of Languedoc in the Cathar Crusade. In those days, France was not what we know now. The possessions of the Capetian kings, the dynasty that ruled France at the time, were limited to and around Paris. It is quite clear that in the Cathar Crusade, there was also a political component, since, after the defeat of the lords of Languedoc in 1229, the French crown annexed the county of Toulouse.

the last faithful

And what happened to the Cathars? The last faithful took refuge in the castle of Montsegur, a historic resistance that has given rise to a multitude of legends. The truth is that, with the capitulation of the castle before the French troops, more than 200 Cathars were burned at the stake on March 16, 1244.

The Cathar heresy would still survive for a few years (in 1255 some took refuge in the castle of Queribus, which also surrendered to France). From then on, the legend begins to be born.