Good synthesis together on a too little known about

The word "Inquisition" thrilled today, it is associated to the most atrocious tortures and entire carts of people sent to the pyres. But what was it really?
Didier le Fur establishes an honest painting of this period from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. It does not take sides on one side (exaggeration of facts) or the other (minimizing) in this fascinating subject.
It begins by explaining the why of the Inquisition, in a thirteenth century when as now the Church was discredited when the clergy had lost the confidence of the people and the dissident movements (Vaudois and Cathar) to the Roman Church beginning to spread in the south. It recounts the interrogation methods, the sentences, the missions of the inquisitors but also competition between the inquisitorial power, the secular clergy and the royal power. We then see that those sentenced to death were not as numerous as kindly to tell the same XIXth if they existed and that torture was well used to extract confessions. Annexed Didier le Fur reproduced excerpts from "Manual Inquisitor" from Bernard Gui to outline questions during interrogation.

The author wanted to synthesize in his book for the general public and update it is possible to know the current state of research on this heresy of stalking equivalent period from the fourteenth to the chase the witches. The investigation is not complete, this is an overview of the Inquisition and by no means a comprehensive study. Those who would like more information can head over to the bibliography at the end of the book.

In this book, we also learn a lot about different doctrines considered heretical at the time, the lifestyle and beliefs of the Vaudois and the Cathars and the place and the reality of persecution against Jews in the late Middle -age.

One can however blame Didier le Fur not try to do in its conclusion a human toll (number of dead, imprisoned, robbed, etc.) and spiritual of the Inquisition. The book, however, is written in a very accessible way, so we can advise the general public.