“The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars, 1290 – 1329”, by René Weis

464 pages, Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN-13: 978-0375404900

Be forewarned: The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars, 1290 – 1329 by René Weis is not a book for people who know nothing of the Middle Ages, the Inquisition, the Cathars or the small Languedocien village of Montaillou in which so much of this tragic tales takes place. Having issued those disclaimers, any person looking for a portrait of medieval existence will be richly rewarded with the massive amount of detail regarding individual lives during this time.

Drawing extensively on Inquisition documents (in their original Latin, no less) as well as his own research, Weis offers an astounding plunge into the everyday lives of people like you and I in the 12^th and 13^th Centuries (ironically, it is the Inquisition’s own detailed records from 1290-1329 that enabled Weis to recreate many of the activities in the village of Montaillou, France). This is a good thing, for while I have read a reasonable amount about the Middle Ages, this book presents a more complete picture of ordinary life during this misunderstood period than I have seen, such as the descriptions of villages and the organization of the domiciles in those villages, how people interacted with each other (both sexually and domestically), how people maintained death-defying activities as heretics, as well as many others throughout this dense book.

Catharism is not the focus of this history, but elements of Cathar thought and practices are unavoidably present. The pluses and minuses of being a Cathar are presented, at least for the residents of Montaillou, and despite the asceticism of Cathar spiritual leaders, the sexual promiscuity of some Cathars is not glossed over. Interestingly, the reason for the Inquisition’s interest in Montaillou seems to have been, not primarily their religious differences, but the reluctance of people in that area to pay the Church’s taxes (so much for rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s). The amount of detail Weis was able to assemble is staggering, but to his credit he keeps the story flowing. I’ve never read history with a granularity this fine.