CMS150 - Winter 2001

Montaillou

The third generation of Annalistes is best represented by the works of  Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, who became editor of the Annales in 1967 and who is now one of France's most respected historians. Two of his more recent books are: Montaillou and Carnival in Romans (Le Roy Ladurie 1980, 1981). In these, without returning to the narrative history of the early twentieth century, he has restored the importance of short-term events and the individual.

  restoration of narrative to writing of history

 via writing of microhistory: La Roy Ladurie, Ginzburg, Davis

 what's good about narrative?

 what's a problem about narrative

 world of language transforms the history you write

just as Joan's history is transformed when she enters the linguistic world of the clerics, any history writing transforms the very events it trying to write about because the historian must enter the linguistic world he/she lives in [means the categories, terms of analysis, paradigms inherent in the culture for narration and analysis shape what history you can write]

 wouldn't this be true of any type of history?
Yes, but you still should think about this

 narration relies on narrative structures/paradigms

 e.g. Dominick LaCapra, Hayden White: paradigms influence our  interpretation: tragic, comic etc

More recently, various strands of cultural history writing have brought theoretical tools from literary and cultural studies into historical practice. Figures like Hayden White and Dominick LaCapra began arguing for such changes in the 1980s, but only in the 1990s did these openings begin to challenge certain traditional practices.

Is this "microhistory" a history
History is about the element of time - diachronic
Microhistory gives a synchronic account of town
 
 
 

Occitania

  Occitan language also called Languedoc, or Provençal, a  Romance language spoken by about 1,500,000 people in  southern France. All Occitan speakers use French as  their official and cultural language, but Occitan  dialects are used for everyday purposes and show no  signs of extinction. The name Occitan is derived from  the geographical name Occitania, which is itself  patterned after Aquitania and includes the regions of  Limousin, Languedoc, the old Aquitaine, and the southern  part of the French Alps, all of the populations of which  are Occitan-speaking.
 
 

 The name Languedoc comes from the term langue d 'oc,  which denoted a language using oc for "yes" (from Latin  hoc), in contrast to the French language, the langue d  'oïl, which used oïl (modern oui) for "yes" (from Latin  hoc ille). Languedoc refers to a linguistic and  political&endash;geographical region of the southern  Massif Central in France. The name Provençal originally  referred to the Occitan dialects of the Provence region  and is used also to refer to the standardized medieval  literary language based on the dialect of Provence.
 
 

Montaillou was the last village which actively supported Cathars

 Catharism appeared in 12th century in Languedoc and it or variants  of it were active in northern Italy, southern France and Balkans

 principles of Catharism

 practitioners were the true Christians (as opposed to  official church who had abandoned doctrine of Apolstles)

 dualist

 struggle between deities of good and evil  characterize history

 spirtual is good; carnal physical is evil

 organization

 pure elite [parfait]

  received consolamentum

  required committment to pure life (no sex or meet)

usually perceived to be "gentle," easy; itinerent [nb Pierre Maury's experience suggests that parfait could be no better/worse than priests]

didn't tithe

 ordinary believers

  received consolamentum just before death and then undertook endura (total fasting)
 
 

 history of suppression

 Barons of n. France led crusades (beginning in 1209); //  if not primary goal was annexation of Languedoc into  France in 1229

 revival in 14th century: Montaillou a center

 effectively wiped out in Montaillou by inquisition of  Bishop Fournier in 1320

 procedure

 one or more denunciations

 summons to appear [enforced by local lay  authority]

 oath on Gospels

 interrogation by inquisitor

  could be very lengthy, with accused under various decrees of restraint

 verdict announced

 penalty inflicted

 Inquisition in Montaillou

 Dominicans led inquistion and not techniquely related to  diosces of Pamiers (whose Bishops had long ignored the  heresy)

 e.g., 1308, Inquisitor of Carcassonne,  Geoffroy d'Ablis, arrsed the entire adult  populatoin of Montaillou

 Fournier, as bishop of Pamiers, actively supported  inquisition and worked closely with Dominicans

  Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamier [modern  dept of Ariège] from 1318 to 1325 [later  Avignon Pope Benedict XII] born in 1280

  Pamier in Comté de Foix very near Languedoc; satellite of France

 personally led intterrogations

 rarely used torture

 for him it was a matter of detecting sinful  behavior and then of saving souls
 
 

 evidence

 register of inquisition (2 vol lost)

  1) scribe wrote protocol [notes] at hearing

  2) from protocal scribe would prepare minutes

  3) scribes copied minutes onto parchment for Register

 problem of language

  1) Register in Latin

  2) accused spoke mostly Ocitan, some Gascon; -> translation at some stage

  3) rough translation of minute (in latin) back into vulgar tongue read to witness/accused

 quantity of evidence

  Fournier conducted 578 interogations (-> a lot of ev re town and its life)

  => anthropoligical model possible (ethnohistory)/thick description

 quality of evidence

  assertions about people's belief made in context:

  of Inquisition - save self   by ratting friends

criticism of Le Roy Ladurie's use of evidence
nb: criticism: use of ev from other towns in region & language (screws up anthro models)
language issues
some q his ability to read medieval church Latin
some note that he never theorizes the language issue vis a vis the 'accuracy' of the testimony
some note that LRL recreates the register; e.g., he's obssessed with the sexual life of the town; Fournier manifestly was not
some note that LRL hates the Church and doesn't provide a "Catholic" side to the story; Fournier was a Cisterian reformer; the Cistercians were a reforming order
some note that he reuses the same quotes and for different points

 the town

 town consisted of 40 house, 200-250 individs; town isolated: few left, few visited

  shepherds, artisans and farmers, one old wine seller, a priest and a bailiff.

  Pierre and Bernard Clergue (priest and bailif) members of family that had dominated region

  nb: not "elite" but,   relative to others, quite   wealthy

  half heretic in sympathies   and beliefs

  totally cynical in use of   position and Inquisition   to sustain dominance in   town (via tithes, bailiff   is secular authority who   enforces priest/Churches   claim to tithes)

  wealth, family   connections, heresy and   power: -> influence of   Clergue's

  eg of local   institutions   oppressing not   because of   institutional   agenda (e.g.   tithe) but   because   competing local   powers used   institutions to   gain and assert   influence

  priest was spy for   inquisition as early as   1300

  perhaps at first   thought to rat   friends and save   enemies

  in 1308 he   locked up his   flock at   direction of   Inquistion;   those that   didn't leave or   were killed were   released to his   authority

  Pierre saw   himself as using   Inquisition to   pursue vendetta

  In 1320 the much   more local than   Carcassone   Inquistiont   (Fournier) wiped   out the Clerges   when rivalry   with a local   family set them   to informing   against the   preist [what   calculation did   they make?] -   Fournier   imprisoned,   Clerge tried to   have Carcassone   released

 La Roy Ladurie uses references in records to  describe

  econ/labor org of society

  division of labor via age   and sex; diet

  economy/society of   shepherds [wide ranging,   bold] vs village [timid,   small scale - barter,   loans & exchange of gifts]

  relatively poor; no firm   distinctions bt artisan,   cit and noble; every did   what came to hand

  land and sheep -> wealth

  no serfdom

  intinerant shepherds

  maintained   connections with   local domus   through lands   where the   pastured their   sheep; lived in   households [->   dependent   member/independent   member of domus]

  tended to be   downwardly   mobile or   surplas (younger   sons)

  could be   communication   link bt Cathar   villages; cf   Pierre Maury

  reflected   relatively   marginal place   of Montaillou in   transhumance of   Pyrenean economy   [several hundred   vs small flock   farming where   big distinction   is bt those who   graze own flocks   in parish land   and those who   graze others'   flocks i the   mountain   pastures]

  domus as fundamental social unit [physical structure and people who live w/in it - old Med unit of org - obligation to sustain; economic and social id of individ dependent on continuing econ and social existence of house]

  nb: Catharism was a   religion of and in the   house - [vs church]

  domus could protect   Cathars w/in it from risk   of their faiths in public

  Catharism spread from   domus to domus (and   therefore to inhabitants):   -> domus was basis of   social links bt Cathars

  Inquisition perceived as   attack on domus more than   individual

  kitchen/hearth as heart of   domus/ostal

  indicator of soc/econ   status

  was domus matrilineal or   patrilineal? [anthro   question]

  part of 'neigborhood'   structure - neighbors cd   unite against a domus to   destroy it - local   rivalry, politics   expressed in terms of   heresy and infoming

  local politics

  operated beneath radar of   feudalism and manorial   system

  "official" relationships   were hierachical (Comté,   Bishop), but practices of   family and friendship far   more influential (even if   sometimes deployed through   hierarchical relationships   - priest, bailiff)

  just as Clergues mediated   between Montaillou and the   larger owrld, the Clergues   needed mediators: ties w/   local nobels, church   hierarchy, magistrates,   Inquisition

note - obvious 'feuding behavior' going on  which Le Roy Ladurie doesn't theorize; Cohen might say that these folks are tragically using the Inquisition as an arena for local feuding

  regional politics

  Comte de Foix in theory   controlled Comté de Foix;   his chatelain and abyle   were present in Montaillou

  Dominican Inquistion in   Carcassonne [a topic which   the locals talked about   much]

  Bishop of Pamiers [who had   as much interest in   collecting tithes (which   the Comtes had obstructed)   as in heresy)

  Kingdom of France - which   de facto controled Comte   and Comté

  note: local interests   would collapse religous   heresy and opposition to   French [and would have   been right to]

  villagers lived with a   sense of suspicion and in   anticipation of betrayal