 | By: Petrus Sarnesis Binding: Paperback Publisher: The Boydell Press ISBN: 0851158072 ISBN-13: 9780851158075 Released: 01 Jun 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Set in the Languedoc region of France the account relates the events during the crusade against Cathar heretics from the point of view of a young monk travelling with the crusaders. The great strength of the book is that besides translating the letters of the monk it also uses copious footnotes to explain the relationships between the people & events discussed.
This is a fascinating story in its own right & with the explanations of the religious & political intrigue taking place in the background it becomes a gripping read. The detail of the beliefs & behaviour of the heretics is a little thin & in some cases quite obviously biased but then what would you expect from a devout monk!
The detail of various sieges illuminates the way of battle from this period & the discovery of the various atrocities committed by both sides is a sobering reminder that we have not reallly come that far in the intervening 900 years.
I found the story so interesting that I have followed up on other related titles & there are more on my wishlist.
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