Archive for the ‘Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches’ Category
The Myth Of The Helpless Medieval Jew
One of the many, many things that “everybody knows” but that is nevertheless not entirely true, is that in the Middle Ages, Jews were prohibited from owning land, holding office and bearing arms. The most spectacular exception, and hence disproof of the thesis as a universal truth, is Spain at the time of the Cid […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
The Medieval Jim Jones?
In May 1096 the Jews of the Rhineland were attacked by the excited mobs of the “People’s Crusade”. Hundreds were murdered, others accepted baptism to save their lives and others again killed their families and themselves rather than convert. This, the first major pogrom in the West, came to dominate the collective mindset of Ashkenazi […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
The Cathars – Not The Good Guys After All
Many people who know little about the middle ages or Christian theology are nevertheless quite sure that the Cathars were the good guys in all possible respects. One reason may be that it was the Inquisition who tortured suspected Cathars and not the other way round, so that they engage our sympathy for the victim […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
Women In Heretical Cults
Medieval heretical movements often proclaimed that all women should be “held in common,” as do some wacky cults today. We tend to assume that medieval women were not enthusiastic about either being considered as property or being common to many men. And yet women joined these movements, and still do. Coercion by alpha-male psychopaths, who […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
The Gay Lionheart
Many gay men are keen on the idea that Richard I Lionheart was “gay”. There are two reasons for this: a reference in the chronicles that is arguably misinterpreted by those ignorant of medieval customs, plus some other circumstantial evidence, such as his delay in getting married and the absence of a legitimate heir. The […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
Orienting Oneself In The Middle Ages
An assertion made about the Middle Ages by people who know what they are talking about that draws much sound and fury from those who do not know what they are talking about is that you cannot apply the term “gay” to medievals. Anyone saying such a thing on Teh Intertoobes will immediately be abused […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches
The Lying Times
Once upon a time I talked to a bookshop assistant who had told me that she had learned on a university history course that the whole business of “The Burning Times” was a complete myth. I was astounded by the fact that she appeared to accept this information. For I would have bet folding money […]
In: GETTING MEDIEVAL, Jews, Cathars, Gays And Witches