The Chronicle of William of Puylaurens - by W a Sibly & M D Sibly

About the Book

First translation into English of key chronicle for events of the Albigensian Crusade and the attack on heresy, including the siege of the Cathar stronghold, Montsegur.

Book Synopsis

First translation into English of key chronicle for events of the Albigensian Crusade and the attack on heresy, including the siege of the Cathar stronghold, Montsegur.

The Albigensian Crusade, which forms the main subject of William of Puylaurens' Chronicle, was a defining episode in the history of France. Launched in 1209 by Pope Innocent III, it was directed against the aristocracy of southern France (especially the Counts of Toulouse) who were accused of protecting heresy, and especially Catharism, a dualist heresy which represented a major threat to the Catholic Church. The Crusade ended in 1229 with the defeat of Count Raymond VII of Toulouse. It was followed in the 1230s by the establishment of the Papal Inquisition against heresy. The long-term outcome of the Crusade was the defeat of Catharism, and the establishment of French Royal power in the region.

William of Puylaurens' Chronicle, here translated into English for the first time, is one of the main contemporary accounts of these events. It describes heresy in the south of France in the early 13th century; provides a narrative of the Crusade; and then outlines the growth of the Inquisition and the sustained attack on heresy which followed, including the siege of the Cathar fortress of Montségur in 1243-44. This translation is accompanied by an introduction, full notes, appendices, and a bibliography.

Review Quotes

[A] valuable work of scholarship. REVUE D'HISTOIRE ECCLESIASTIQUE [A] well-informed, readable, and high-quality English translation.-- "MEDIUM AEVUM"

[The editors] have achieved an accurate, careful yet fluent translation in an impressively scholarly edition, replete with copious notes on the translation, text, and historical background.... Provide[s] an excellent introduction not only to William of Puylaurens but also to the Albigensian crusade in general. [It] will also be particularly useful for the undergraduate reader and provide the only English translation of much of this material.-- "H-FRANCE REVIEW"

All readers will find their understanding deepened by [the translators'] comments.-- "ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW"

This edition of the chronicle becomes a good route into the whole topic. This is an excellent, scholarly, and accessible translation, for which all of us interested in France, heresy, inquisition, or crusade should be very grateful.-- "SPECULUM"