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The author analyzes the inquisition in one French region in order to develop a sociology of medieval politics. Established in the early 13th century to combat widespread popular heresy, inquisitorial tribunals identified, prosecuted and punished heretics and their supporters. The inquisition in Languedoc was the best documented of these tribunals because the inquisitors aggressively used the developing techniques of writing and record-keeping to build cases and extract confessions. Using a Marxist and Foucauldian approach, Given focuses on three inquiries: what techniques of investigation, interrogation and punishment the inquisitors worked out in the course of their struggle against heresy; how the people of Languedoc responded to the activities of the inquisitors; and what aspects of social organization in Languedoc either facilitated or constrained the work of the inquisitors. Punishments not only inflicted suffering and humiliation on those condemned, he argues, but also served as theatrical instruction for the rest of society about the terrible price of transgression.
Through a careful pursuit of these inquiries, Given seeks to elucidate medieval society's contribution to the modern apparatus of power.
The author analyzes the inquisition in one French region in order to develop a sociology of medieval politics. Established in the early 13th century to combat widespread popular heresy, inquisitorial tribunals identified, prosecuted and punished heretics and their supporters. The inquisition in Languedoc was the best documented of these tribunals because the inquisitors aggressively used the developing techniques of writing and record-keeping to build cases and extract confessions. Using a Marxist and Foucauldian approach, Given focuses on three inquiries: what techniques of investigation, interrogation and punishment the inquisitors worked out in the course of their struggle against heresy; how the people of Languedoc responded to the activities of the inquisitors; and what aspects of social organization in Languedoc either facilitated or constrained the work of the inquisitors. Punishments not only inflicted suffering and humiliation on those condemned, he argues, but also served as theatrical instruction for the rest of society about the terrible price of transgression.
Through a careful pursuit of these inquiries, Given seeks to elucidate medieval society's contribution to the modern apparatus of power.
James B. Given is Professor of History at the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of State and Society in Medieval Europe, also from Cornell, and Society and Homicide in Thirteenth-Century England.
A readable and interesting account of the grim determination and
efficiency with which the inquisitors in southern France carried
out their jobs. They succeeded surprisingly well in their task.
Given does not assess the justness of their inquisitorial
enterprise, only its working mechanism.
*Journal of Interdisciplinary History*
A strongly focused and accessible book... fluently and clearly
written and a joy to read.... This is a neat, disciplined, and
authoritative study, an enjoyable and worthwhile addition which
earns its place in an already crowded field.... A rewarding and
fascinating read.
*Journal of Religious History*
A powerful book.... Expertly researched... frequently insightful
and wonderfully discussable. I welcome it with enthusiasm.
*The Medieval Review*
A well-written and fascinating analysis of the power structure (and
the meaning of power) of the ecclesiastical inquisition in southern
France.
*Virginia Quarterly Review*
Given's approach is new and provides an unassumingly theorised but
nuanced account of inquisitorial activity and the sometimes
unexpected, indeed unwanted, outcomes of the inquisitors'
labours.... I thoroughly enjoyed Inquisition and Medieval Society.
It is well-written and full of lively examples, and Given's
three-pronged approach to the inquisition redresses some of the
inadequacies of earlier top-down accounts. I find his use of
various sociological theories fruitful, and appreciate such a
historical monograph which... provides a model of the integration
of theory and empirical research.
*Parergon*
This is the first serious attempt ever made by a historian to get
behind the documents and study the sociopolitical context within
which the Inquisition operated. Given brings to bear not only his
own deep knowledge of medieval history but also extensive reading
in modern social history and sociology. With these insights, he has
produced a highly sophisticated and convincing analysis of the role
of the medieval Inquest within its social context.... This study is
brilliant; it is superbly researched, carefully constructed, and
lucidly written.
*American Historical Review*
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