La documentazione pontificia

This essay delves into the limited collection of papal documents regarding Peter of Verona’s inquisitorial work and his murder. Crafted by the mid-13th-century papal chancery — arguably the most sophisticated administrative machine of the Western Middle Ages — these charters offer a unique lens for exploring Peter’s case. Yet, their capacity to reveal the ‘historical’ truth about the inquisitor’s life and deeds is minimal, if not entirely absent. Instead, their true value lies in showcasing how Innocent IV’s chancery (the jurist-pope Sinibaldo Fieschi), masterfully turned this criminal episode to its advantage. The metamorphosis of the ‘historical’ Peter — an inquisitor battling Cathar dualists — into Peter-the-saint, a martyr for the faith, laid the groundwork for an unprecedented escalation in anti-heresy policies, both in scope and severity.