Part 2 - AMORC
Part 2 - AMORC Part 2 - AMORC
Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)Cathars. Pope Innocent III (reigned 1198–1216),in addition to organising the Fourth Crusade,which was supposed to go to the Holy Land, butinstead attacked and conquered the OrthodoxChristian Byzantine capital of Constantinople, wasthe driving force behind this.While using coercive methods against theCathars, the Pope also tried to convert them bysending in the Cistercians, who were famousdialecticians, to preach to them. According to theextremely rigid rules of their Cistercian Order, theirmonks had to live in absolute poverty. As asceticsThey were, in the eyes of the church, nobetter than the infidel of the East andhad to be killed en masse.they compared favourably with the Cathars, forthey practiced many of the same virtues. However,the Cathars were deeply devoted to their beliefsand found little reason in the Cistercian’s appealsto change their ways, even with the persuasion ofsuch worthy adversaries.Numerous books have been writtenabout the barbaric persecutions that the Catharssubsequently had to endure, so this aspect willnot be delved into here. However, some of themost salient points of the fight will help to throwsome further light upon their history. From themiddle of the 12 th century various church councilscondemned the Cathars. These seem to have beena series of pre-meditated and well orchestratedevents and eventually the Pope formally requestedthe assistance of the lords of the South of France.They were in effect asked to take up arms againstthe Cathars, and in return the Vicar of Christpromised plenary indulgences as a reward. TheCathars were anathematised as heretics, and inaccordance with the established norms of the daythey were, in the eyes of the church, no betterthan the infidel of the East and had to be killed enmasse. At the same time as Innocent III was askingfor the help of the Occitanian nobles and lords, hewas also writing to the Archbishops of the South,trying to stimulate their zeal against the Cathars.The papal legate, Pierre de Castelnau hadbeen unable to convince Count Raimon VI ofToulouse and to bring him into the fight for theChurch against the heretics. Raimon’s fourth wifewas Joan of England, the favourite sister of Richardthe Lionheart. Interestingly, Richard’s wife was aprincess of neighbouring Navarre, whose last kingbecame King Henry IV of France who later figuresin the naissance of Rosicrucianism. The son of Joanand Raimon VI was Raimon VII.Castelnau excommunicated Raimon VI, butwhen the Pope confirmed the sentence in brutallyforceful and violent terms, Raimon VI quicklysubmitted to his authority. But his submissionwas not sincere, and after a stormy controversyin Saint-Gilles, Castelnau again excommunicatedhim. Some time thereafter, in January 1208,Castelnau was murdered, run through by a lance,and according to some, killed by one of Raimon’sknights. Innocent III then appealed to the Kingof France, Philippe Auguste, who was thesuzerain of the County of Toulouse, and to the“barons from the North to come and fight againstthe barons of the South.”Philippe Auguste refused, and Innocent IIIhad to take upon himself the whole responsibility ofthe crusade with only the help of the northern lords,to whom he again promised plenary indulgencesin addition to the hope he gave them of winningnew lands and booty. Under the threat of invasionto his domains, Raimon VI was again forced topay homage to the Church and to separate himselffrom the other lords of the South.The “Holy” WarAccording to historical reports, the crusader army,led by Simon de Montfort, was composed of20,000 knights and some 200,000 vilains (soldiersor free peasants, whence comes the English word“villain.”) Though the lords of the South werefighting for the Cathars on home territory, theodds were clearly stacked against them. It isnot surprising therefore that Raimon VI, who16The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008
The crusader army was led by Simon de Montfort.was of irresolute character, once more submittedhimself to the power of Rome. The Pope, althoughunconvinced of his sincerity, was only too glad toweaken his adversaries, and for the time being,contented himself in separating Raimon from theother Lords.The powerful crusaders army pursued the“heretics” who, under the leadership of Raimon-Rogièr Trencavel, Viscount of Béziers and nephewof Raimon VI, took refuge in Béziers. Despitetheir courageous efforts, this town, and later onCarcassonne, was taken and sacked. Before thecarnage at Béziers, a knight asked Arnaud-Amaurythe Abbot of Citeaux, the crusade’s “spiritual”leader, how they were to know the Cathars fromthe other inhabitants. “Kill them all,” replied theholy Abbot, “God will know his own!”“There was seen,” an anonymous authorwrote, “the greatest slaughter of all ages; neitherold nor young people were spared, not even childrenat the breast; all were exterminated. When seeingsuch butchery, the inhabitants took refuge in the bigChurch of Saint-Nazaire. The priests of the church wereto ring the bells when all the heretics were dead. But thebells were never heard for neither robed priest nor clerkwas left alive; all were put to the sword; none escaped.The town was sacked, then burnt to the ground, and noliving creature was left in it.”The crusaders believed that they werehelping the cause of Christianity by killing theheretics, but being allowed to loot the towns theytook, may have been a more compelling reason fortheir enthusiasm. And, of course, not to be scoffedat, all their sins would be forgiven them for havingtaking part in this crusade. Rape, murder, tortureand theft, all sanctioned by the church and all sinsforgiven in advance…, what more could medievalknights and knaves want?Such was the spirit that animated the leadersof the crusade. The many crimes perpetrated in thename of God were quite literally done for God, orat least for his Vicar in Rome. Participation in thecrusade against the Cathars was therefore a blessedpath to salvation, just as killing the infidel in theEast, no matter what the brutality, was a road toheaven.But there were some who, despite theirpersecutions of the Cathars, genuinely believed intheir mission to stamp the Roman Catholic versionof Christianity on all people, regardless of thebrutality of the process. To them it was like taking abitter pill…, swallow it quick, endure the bad tasteand be done with it as quickly as possible. Theywere the monks of Citeaux, the Cistercians whowere such devoted followers of their cult. Anotherwas Saint Dominic, whose asceticism could only becompared to that of his enemies themselves.It is one of the ways of intolerance, when thePowers of Darkness, with their subtle artifices, ensnarethose who believe in their own righteousness, and blindthem with false reasoning and misunderstanding.MontségurDuring the crusades, there were many changesof fortune in both camps. Some of the defeatedCathars succeeded in escaping. Through the helpof the people and the lords who had revoltedagainst the cruel fanaticism of the church, theParticipation in the crusade against theCathars was considered a blessed pathto salvation.vanquished Cathars would sometimes be hiddenfor considerable periods of time, and continuedconverting people to their cause.This state of affairs continued up to theirfinal stand in the formidable castèl de Montsegur,the citadel better known as Montségur (MountainThe Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200817
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Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)Cathars. Pope Innocent III (reigned 1198–1216),in addition to organising the Fourth Crusade,which was supposed to go to the Holy Land, butinstead attacked and conquered the OrthodoxChristian Byzantine capital of Constantinople, wasthe driving force behind this.While using coercive methods against theCathars, the Pope also tried to convert them bysending in the Cistercians, who were famousdialecticians, to preach to them. According to theextremely rigid rules of their Cistercian Order, theirmonks had to live in absolute poverty. As asceticsThey were, in the eyes of the church, nobetter than the infidel of the East andhad to be killed en masse.they compared favourably with the Cathars, forthey practiced many of the same virtues. However,the Cathars were deeply devoted to their beliefsand found little reason in the Cistercian’s appealsto change their ways, even with the persuasion ofsuch worthy adversaries.Numerous books have been writtenabout the barbaric persecutions that the Catharssubsequently had to endure, so this aspect willnot be delved into here. However, some of themost salient points of the fight will help to throwsome further light upon their history. From themiddle of the 12 th century various church councilscondemned the Cathars. These seem to have beena series of pre-meditated and well orchestratedevents and eventually the Pope formally requestedthe assistance of the lords of the South of France.They were in effect asked to take up arms againstthe Cathars, and in return the Vicar of Christpromised plenary indulgences as a reward. TheCathars were anathematised as heretics, and inaccordance with the established norms of the daythey were, in the eyes of the church, no betterthan the infidel of the East and had to be killed enmasse. At the same time as Innocent III was askingfor the help of the Occitanian nobles and lords, hewas also writing to the Archbishops of the South,trying to stimulate their zeal against the Cathars.The papal legate, Pierre de Castelnau hadbeen unable to convince Count Raimon VI ofToulouse and to bring him into the fight for theChurch against the heretics. Raimon’s fourth wifewas Joan of England, the favourite sister of Richardthe Lionheart. Interestingly, Richard’s wife was aprincess of neighbouring Navarre, whose last kingbecame King Henry IV of France who later figuresin the naissance of Rosicrucianism. The son of Joanand Raimon VI was Raimon VII.Castelnau excommunicated Raimon VI, butwhen the Pope confirmed the sentence in brutallyforceful and violent terms, Raimon VI quicklysubmitted to his authority. But his submissionwas not sincere, and after a stormy controversyin Saint-Gilles, Castelnau again excommunicatedhim. Some time thereafter, in January 1208,Castelnau was murdered, run through by a lance,and according to some, killed by one of Raimon’sknights. Innocent III then appealed to the Kingof France, Philippe Auguste, who was thesuzerain of the County of Toulouse, and to the“barons from the North to come and fight againstthe barons of the South.”Philippe Auguste refused, and Innocent IIIhad to take upon himself the whole responsibility ofthe crusade with only the help of the northern lords,to whom he again promised plenary indulgencesin addition to the hope he gave them of winningnew lands and booty. Under the threat of invasionto his domains, Raimon VI was again forced topay homage to the Church and to separate himselffrom the other lords of the South.The “Holy” WarAccording to historical reports, the crusader army,led by Simon de Montfort, was composed of20,000 knights and some 200,000 vilains (soldiersor free peasants, whence comes the English word“villain.”) Though the lords of the South werefighting for the Cathars on home territory, theodds were clearly stacked against them. It isnot surprising therefore that Raimon VI, who16The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008
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