The Albigensian Crusade by Jonathan Sumption Paperback Book

Description: The Albigensian Crusade by Jonathan Sumption Eight centuries ago was not part of France. The principality on the Mediterranean, ruled by the house of Toulouse, seemed far apart from the world of the feudal north. It was here that a heresy of eastern origin challenged the orthodoxy of Catholicism. FORMAT Paperback CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description In twelfth century Languedoc a subversive heresy of Eastern origin flourished to an extraordinary degree. The Albigenses believed that the world was created by an evil spirit, and that all worldly things - including the Church - were by nature sinful.Jonathan Sumptions acclaimed history examines the roots of the heresy, the uniquely rich culture of the region which nurtured it, and the crusade launched against it by the Church which resulted in one of the most savage of all medieval wars. Notes The history of the medieval war between the Catholic church and the semi-independent French region of Languedoc. Author Biography Jonathan Sumption is a former History Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and a practising QC. He is the author of Pilgrimage and The Albigensian Crusade, as well as the first three volumes in his celebrated history of the Hundred Years War - Trial by Battle, Trial by Fire and Divided Houses. He was awarded the 2009 Wolfson History Prize for Divided Houses. Review "An admirably luicid account of the tragic demise of Languedocs unique civilisation . . . Scholarship carried with elan."--"R.L. Storey, The Times (London)" "Excellent . . . A model of sound history written with style and intelligence for the non-specialist reader."--"Listener" "Sumption writes with fluent scholarship and with amiable and ironic succinctness. He never fails to keep his narrative lively with the particular and the pertinent. He is excellent on the tactics and spirit of medieval warfare."--Frederic Raphael, "Sunday Times" Promotional The Albigensian Crusade by Jonathan Sumption, winner of the Wolfson History Prize, is an acclaimed account of the crusade against the Cathars in medieval France. Kirkus UK Review Until the early 12th century, Languedoc was a principality semi-independent from the French Church and State. It supported rich cultural traditions of its own, one of which was albigensianism, a heresy of Eastern origin which believed that the world had been created by some evil spirit. In 1208 the Papal authorities had had enough and launched a crusade against these infidels. Over the next 20 or more years the region was subjected to bloody battle and rigorous inquisition as all traces of dissent were put down. This subjugation created the records from which Sumption is able to piece together the tenets of this strange medieval religion, the flavour of Mediterranean life in the high Middle Ages and the brutality of religious war in the great age of the crusades. (Kirkus UK) Kirkus US Review The first US edition of an essential account of the Albigensian wars and the medieval cultural conflicts they embodied. The Cathars (nicknamed Albigensians after the town of Albi, a stronghold for the cult) were a sect that broke away from Catholicism, adopting a dualist theology in which the earth and all matter were believed to have been the creation of the Devil. Theological differences, however, were not the only cause for the rapid rise of the Cathars in the 12th century. British historian Sumption (Trial by Fire, not reviewed) evokes the intense local cultures that existed within the boundaries of present-day France: the southern region of Languedoc, for example, bore less cultural kinship with northern France than Germany did. By the 13th century, however, the courtly and elegant society that produced the great troubadour poets was crumbling, lacking a central authority or secure alliances among the various noble households. The Cathars found a receptive audience for their ascetic and anti-authoritarian doctrines among the peasants and artisans of the small towns in the region, thereby provoking a furious reaction from the Vatican. Sumption handles the drama of these events with real flair, vividly recounting the murders and machinations that followed the Churchs initial salvos, the escalation of the campaign to suppress the heretics into a full-scale crusade, and the remarkable career of the opportunist crusader Simon de Montfort. The Church-sponsored armies waged a successful initial campaign against the poorly equipped and impoverished Albigensians, but antagonisms among the southern nobility continued to smolder, culminating in a battle between Montfort and his archrival, Raymond VI of Foix. Sumption deftly integrates the underlying social conditions into his narrative and succeeds in making it clear that, without diminishing the extraordinary events or personalities involved, the real significance of the Crusade lay in the lasting impact it had on the lives of ordinary people. A vivid, concise recounting of a pivotal era in medieval history. (11 maps) (Kirkus Reviews) Long Description In twelfth century Languedoc a subversive heresy of Eastern origin flourished to an extraordinary degree. The Albigenses believed that the world was created by an evil spirit, and that all worldly things - including the Church - were by nature sinful.Jonathan Sumptions acclaimed history examines the roots of the heresy, the uniquely rich culture of the region which nurtured it, and the crusade launched against it by the Church which resulted in one of the most savage of all medieval wars. Review Quote "An admirably luicid account of the tragic demise of Languedocs unique civilisation . . . Scholarship carried with Promotional "Headline" The Albigensian Crusade by Jonathan Sumption, winner of the Wolfson History Prize, is a n acclaimed account of the crusade against the Cathars in medieval France. Details ISBN0571200028 Author Jonathan Sumption Year 1999 ISBN-10 0571200028 ISBN-13 9780571200023 Format Paperback Publication Date 1999-08-23 Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 944.802 Illustrations maps Media Book Edition 1st Pages 288 Publisher Faber & Faber Imprint Faber & Faber DOI 10.1604/9780571200023 UK Release Date 1999-08-23 AU Release Date 1999-08-23 Edition Description Main Audience Undergraduate NZ Release Date 2005-06-30 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:933944;

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