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HéPoS: A Research Project on Heresy

Medieval heresy is a subject hotly debated among medieval historians. These debates are the enduring ripples of seminars organised in the 1990’s by Monique Zerner at Nice and published in the volume Inventer l’hérésie ? The goal of this ‘Nice School’ was not revolutionary in itself: they simply suggested that medieval sources should be considered in the ‘context of their production.’ This approach inevitably led to underlining the ‘use of texts by ecclesiastical institutions’ and questioning the existence of medieval heresy as self-evident. In the years since the historians at Nice cast their rock into the placid waters of medieval heresy, historians have been divided on several fundamental questions: Was the accusation of heresy a tool for eliminating enemies? To what extent do historians play a role in the invention of medieval heresies? For example, why are Cathars so prevalent in modern historical publications when they are barely mentioned in the original medieval sources?

In 2017 five French research centers formed a GIS (Groupement d’Intérêt Scientifique) called HéPoS (Heresy, Power, and Societies in the Antique, Medieval and Modern Eras) with the objective of investigating medieval heresy using approaches derived from the Nice School. This blog documents the work of this GIS (their conferences and publications) while providing resources for researchers, teachers, and students, as well as for the general public.