The Albigensians: Their Origins and the Action of the Church in the 12th Century

from one century to another, from one year to another, from one month to another, but from one day to the next, that the situation changes. Here, the dates each have a specific meaning. Undoubtedly, the tendency always remains the same: certain facts are common to all dates, and the reader might think that we have repeated ourselves; but, alongside these, there are also new facts that are constantly added to the old ones. Eugene III, Alexander III, and Innocent III took disciplinary measures within the Church, passed canons against heresy in Councils, and ordered Missions. The various legates of the Holy See, whether simple monks or those raised to the honor of the Roman purple, acted toward the same goal but through diverse means. To explain the conduct of the popes and legates as the question of the Albigensians develops, was it not appropriate to make each particular situation known? That is not repeating ourselves, it seems to us. At that rate, history would be nothing but a deceptive restriction. Impartiality, which is the first duty of the historian, justifies the length of the details; to give the reader the right to judge the men who played