Finistère may have disappeared from the Shipping Forecast, but Finistère, Department 29, France, is very much with us.  This most westerly region of Brittany in mainland France should be a ‘must’ on any visitor’s list of places to see.  Brittany (formerly Bretagne) is an ancient Celtic country that maintained its independence from France until the end of the fifteenth century.  Today the inhabitants of Brittany are fiercely proud of their Breton culture and nowhere is this more evident than in Finistère...

France and England have been inextricably linked almost from time immemorial and  most of us are aware of the main French personalities who have played a part in shaping their country’s fortunes.  Other leaders of France rate barely in line in our history books. There is one King, almost unknown outside of France, who was instrumental in shaping the futures of France and England for many centuries and by his action created the longest war in our histories...

Driving down to the south of France, across the wonderfully varied countryside, the sun’s warmth working its magic after the cold of winter, it is not easy to think of this region of France as being home to bloodthirsty deeds.

However, between the years 1012 and 1020 what appeared to be a new religion emerged in the Limousin region of France and, gaining strength, spread southwards to the Languedoc, a province famed for its tolerance and liberalism. This was the beginning of a sad period in French history. It led to an internal crusade within Christendom, the setting up of an Inquisition which formed the basis for the infamous Spanish Inquisition, set brother against brother, family against family and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens.

The followers of this religion were known as Cathars, or Albigensians – Albi being one of the main towns where they had a stronghold. They called themselves Christians but many of their beliefs were contrary to the teachings of the Church and so they were condemned as heretics. They believed that the forces of good and evil were equal, whereas Christians believe the force of good is superior and will overcome the evil in the world. To the Cathars all matter upon the earth was evil, therefore it was not possible that Jesus had come to earth in human form but was instead only a spiritual body. Many of their practices would be viewed today as being exemplary. They believed in clean living, equality of the sexes, non-violence, refused to eat meat or other animal products and eschewed riches.  

Unfortunately, so many converted to Catharism, from both working classes and nobility, the priesthood, (even a whole congregation in Orléans), that the Church of the day became increasingly worried regarding its loss of authority, particularly as Cathars refused to swear an oath or pay their tithes. As the religion grew in strength, many were tried for heresy and put to death, but it made little impact as the Cathars often had the  protection of the local lords. 

Despite the threat of death, the religion continued to spread and finally Pope Innocent III decided to take stronger action. He summoned a Crusade to hunt down and destroy every Cathar in Southern France.  It was joined by many of the northern lords and barons, eager to gain land in the south of the country.  This Albigensian crusade was the only crusade to be waged within Christendom.  It lasted for 2 generations during which time 500,000 people were believed to have been massacred, Catholic and Cathar.  At Carcassonne, a medieval fortified town, the Viscount of Carcassonne, Raymond Roger Trencavel, was sympathetic to the Cathars and offered them refuge, unaware of the strength of feeling against them and the determination of the Church to destroy them. He was incarcerated in his own prison where he died at the young age of 24. This injustice is still talked of today and, in summer, the city holds tournaments recreating the jousts between the Crusaders and the Trencavels. 

An Inquisition, controlled by Dominican monks, was set up to track down the remaining Cathars taking refuge in small groups in the wild countryside south of Carcassonne.

Finally in May 1243 the Cathar citadel at Montségur was besieged. Here the last of the Cathers had gathered for protection. The siege lasted for 10 months, after which a 15 day truce was then negotiated. The remaining Cathars had either to renounce their faith or burn alive.  Many chose to perish.

At Albi, a former Cathar stronghold, Christian loyalists commenced the building of the Cathédrale of St Cecile to celebrate the fall of the Cathar heresy. It is still the largest brick building in the world.

Everything we know today about the Cathars comes from those who sought to destroy them.  Nothing remains of the teachings they themselves set down.  A large mass of the population had been wiped out, the Languedoc region began its economic decline and Occitan was turned from being the foremost literary language to a regional dialect. It is tempting to speculate on what power and influence the south might have held in France if this atrocity had not taken place.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne’s life is a jumble of fact and fiction. A great king, he was known throughout the western world from the epic poems recounting his noble deeds, some exaggerated or even invented. While legend tells of his heroic exploits bringing Christianity toall four corners of his empire, he was a ruler whose true story and legacy to Europe were probably even more impressive than the romantic myths surrounding him and his knights. Was he, in fact, a thoroughly modern European?

Nothing has been recorded about his birth and early boyhood, though it is generally thought he was born in 742AD, probably on the borders between Germany and France. When his father died, Charlemagne and his brother shared their inherited empire, but within 3 years his brother had died, and Charlemagne at the age of 29 became ruler of a vast realm. He was King of the Franks, and it was the Franks who gave their name to France, despite the Romans having previously conquered Gaul.

Charlemagne became the ruler of western Europe “by the sword and the cross.” During his lifetime of 71 years, he waged ferocious campaigns across Europe to subdue the infidels and enforce Christianity. At the height of his power,  his empire extended across Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and part of Italy as well as most of France. It was only the French, however, who took Charlemagne to their hearts and he has become inextricably linked with the French nationality. Today most other Europeans know little of him and the debt modern Europe owes him...

They came from out of the mists of ancient times, quietly and peacefully at first, integrating easily to the way of life of the existing population. But hard on their heels came their more aggressive brothers, who battled their way across Europe and finally, finding their place in the sun, settled in France. These people, whose origins remain unclear, had come down from Bohemia and afterwards dominated Europe for over 1,000 years.