ALBIGENSIAN HERESY

The Albigensians were mostly from Southern France, with the village of Albi being one of the centers for their beliefs, hence their name. The Roman Church launched a 20 year crusade against them from 1209 to 1229, making this the only crusade that the Roman Church ever launched against their own fellow Christians. The Albigensians were also known as Cathars. This book thoroughly explores their belief system, explaining how and why it upset the Roman Church, and covers many of the key players and religious leaders that were involved in the movement. This highly spiritual movement attracted people who were upset with the corruption and control that the Church had been exhibiting at the time. The Church reacted in many cases with severe brutality in order to stop the free choice of spiritual expression that was spreading rapidly throughout the countryside. This book does not cover the warfare so much, but focuses more of the clash of beliefs, and provides the reader with a clear understanding of the Cathar creed.