Institute for Medieval Studies

Session	1711
Title	At the Chalk Face: Confronting Popular Heresy in Practice
Date/Time	Thursday 9 July 2015: 14.15-15.45
Sponsor	Medieval Heresy & Dissent Research Network, University of Nottingham / Department for the Study of Religions, Masaryk University, Brno
Organiser	Claire Taylor, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Moderator/Chair	Claire Taylor, Department of History, University of Nottingham
Paper 1711-a	From Armenia to Bulgaria?: The Transmission of Heterodoxy in Peter of Sicily's History of the Paulicians (Language: English) Carl Dixon, Department of History, University of Nottingham Index Terms: Byzantine Studies; Language and Literature - Greek; Politics and Diplomacy; Religious Life
Paper 1711-b	The Cistercians and Violence: The Cistercian Approaches to the Violent Persecution of Heretics, 1145-1209 (Language: English) Stamatia Noutsou, Independent Scholar, København Index Terms: Canon Law; Ecclesiastical History; Monasticism; Religious Life
Paper 1711-c	William Raffard: A Converted Cathar Perfect and His Community (Language: English) Harry Barmby, Department of History, University of Nottingham Index Terms: Genealogy and Prosopography; Lay Piety; Religious Life; Social History
Abstract	This session brings together work on the confrontation of popular heresy by secular and monastic authorities who encountered real-world examples. Peter of Sicily's 9th-century tract concerning Paulicians is examined for its dating in the context of his diplomatic activity involving the sect. Cistercian discourses on the use of violence against religious dissidents are explored as changing phenomena, and as the work of monks involved in anti-heretical missions. The deposition of the converted perfectus William Raffard is discussed for the insights it gave 13th-century inquisitors into specific familial and social networks. Together, the papers address medieval approaches to religious dissent as they emerged in practical contexts.