Preferire l’eresia? Donne catare in Linguadoca nel primo Trecento

This essay is referred to the participation of women to Languedocian catharism in the early fourteenth century and opens up a discussion on the fundaments of female conversions. These fundaments are not to be found just in doctrinal elements – which were often ignored by many believers – but were mostly related to the complexity of social relations. Next to the basic tenets usually repeated while preaching, some other themes, though secondary for conversions, seem to touch the interest and attention of women: in fact, they frequently occurred in preaching to new female credentes.