Béatrice De Planisoles
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Béatrice de Planissoles (circa 1274 – after 1322), was a
Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...
minor noble in the
Comté de Foix The County of Foix (, ; , ; , ) was a medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern ''département'' of Ariège (the western part of Ariège being Couseran ...
in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century. She was born circa 1274, probably in the mountain village of Caussou. A great deal of information about her life was recorded in the
Fournier Register The Fournier Register is a set of records from the inquisition into heresy run by Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers between 1318 and 1325. Fournier was later to become Pope Benedict XII. Interrogation Fournier interrogated hundreds of indivi ...
. She has a central role in
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie Emmanuel Bernard Le Roy Ladurie (, 19 July 1929 – 22 November 2023) was a French historian whose work was mainly focused upon Languedoc in the ''Ancien Régime'', particularly the history of the peasantry. One of the leading historians of Franc ...
's ''
Montaillou Montaillou (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department in the south of France. Its original, medieval location was abandoned and the current village is a short distance away. H ...
.'' Béatrice was the daughter of Philippe de Planissoles, a noble who was later convicted of supporting the
Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
. Béatrice herself was sympathetic towards Catharism, but remained attached to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in some respects. At around the age of twenty, Béatrice was married to Bérenger de Roquefort, the
châtelain Châtelain was originally the French title for the keeper of a castle.Abraham Rees Ebers, "CASTELLAIN", in: The Cyclopædia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature' (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1819), vol. 6. H ...
of the small and largely Cathar community of Montaillou. Despite living in the fortress above the town, Béatrice's life was closely linked with that of the local peasants and there was much intermixing. Béatrice was not in love with her husband, an entirely normal state of affairs as noble women usually married for economic reasons. Raymond Roussel, the steward of the châtelain's estate, attempted to begin an affair with her. When Roussel tried to sleep with her, however, she had him fired. In 1302, de Roquefort died and left Béatrice a widow. At this point, the villager Pathau Clergue raped her. She declined an affair with Pathau when he pressed her to begin one. Soon, however, a relationship began with Pathau's cousin, Pierre Clergue, the priest and the most powerful man in the village. This relationship lasted two years before Béatrice decided to leave the mountain village and marry another minor noble, Otho de Lagleize. He, too, died after only a few years of marriage. In her older years, Béatrice took up with a young priest, Barthélemy Amilhac. She was past menopause, but fell in love with the priest. They ran away together, were united in a form of marriage and remained away for a year. After a number of years, this relationship ended as Barthélemy worried he would be placed in danger by Béatrice's
Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...
past. He was correct in his concerns and they were both arrested by the
inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
and held for a year. Béatrice first appeared before the Inquisition on Saturday, 26 July 1320, at the Episcopal Palace in
Pamiers Pamiers (; ) is a commune and largest city in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the most populous commune in the Ariège department, although it is not t ...
. She had been summoned to the hearing by Jacques Fournier, the Bishop of Pamiers, to answer charges of blasphemy, witchcraft and heresy. The charge of witchcraft was supported by the contents of her purse, which included a variety of "objects, strongly suggestive of having been used by her to cast evil spells": two umbilical cords of her grandsons, which ensured victory in any lawsuit; linens soaked with her daughter's first menstrual blood, meant to be drunk by the daughter's husband to ensure his love; frankincense to cure bad headaches; some of the herb rocket, ''Eruca sativa,'' thought to enhance sperm quality and sexual vigor, which Beatrice refrained from telling Fournier was meant for her husband, the priest; a mirror and a small knife wrapped in a piece of linen; the seed of the herb ive, wrapped in muslin, as a remedy for epilepsy for her grandson; a dry piece of bread called "tinhol" (possibly
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
bread); written formulas; and numerous morsels of linen. None of the items, explained Beatrice, was to be used in black magic, that is, divination and the making of mischief. Indeed, Rene Weis comments that Fournier would have recognized the contents as innocuous charms and love potions, except for the bread, which indicated Cathar interests. Beatrice had failed to mention the bread at all; Fournier knew that it must be consecrated bread carried as a talisman. Barthélemy and Beatrice spent a year in prison and were both released on July 4, 1322, but Béatrice was sentenced to wear the yellow cross forever as punishment, while the priest escaped further sentence. With her husbands, she had two sons, Guillaume and Bernard, and five daughters: Condors, Esclarmonde, Philippa, Ava and Gentille. The band
Supreme Fiction Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero created by Rob Liefeld * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * ...
has a song on their album ''Quivering Things'' about Béatrice titled "Beatrice of Montaillou Recants Her Repentance."


References

*Le Roy Ladurie, Emmanuel. ''Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error.'' translated by
Barbara Bray Barbara Bray (née Jacobs; 24 November 1924 – 25 February 2010) was an English translator and critic. Early life Bray was born in Maida Vale, London; her father had Belgian and Jewish origins. An identical twin (her sister Olive Classe was al ...
. New York: G. Braziller, c1978. *The Yellow Cross - the story of the last cathars 1290 - 1329. René Weis . Penguin Viking 2000.


External links


Béatrice de Planisoles' testimony to the inquisition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Planisoles, Beatrice de 1270s births 13th-century French nobility 14th-century French nobility Catharism People from Montaillou Victims of the Inquisition 14th-century deaths 14th-century French women 13th-century French women