Les historiens «méridionaux» et la Croisade des albigeois

Abstract

The southern Historians and the Albigensian Crusade The first historians of the southern French provinces (a Midi which includes both Provence and Languedoc) between the XVIth century and XVIIIth centuries cannot avoid putting the question of medieval heresies, Catharism in Languedoc and Waldensianism in Provence. These are often confused because of the political consequences which their repression brought in its train for the futures of their respective provinces. It is interesting to see how these historians deal with the problem : how they describe the heresies, what concrete knowledge they have about them, and how they judge the actors in the conflict. One can see, although between the end of the XVIth century and the XVIIIth century progress in scholarship allows better understanding of heretical doctrines, nevertheless many errors and prejudices survive. One can recognise also that the principal political consequence of the crusade, the annexation of Languedoc by France, does not pose any problem for these loyal subjects of the king, despite their local patriotism. However, within their denunciation of medieval heresy, one can catch a glimpse of a denunciation of a heresy of much more topical interest for them, namely Protestantism.