Bernard Clergue
Encyclopedia
Bernard Clergue was the town bayle
of Montaillou
in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. A great deal about his life is recorded in the Fournier Register
and has been studied by historians, most notably Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
.
Bernard was a member of the powerful Clergue family, the wealthiest in the village. He was the son of Pons and Mengarde Clergue and the brother of Pierre Clergue
. While Pierre became the village priest, and thus the local representative of the church, Bernard became the bayle, the representative of the government. The bayle was the tax collector and the main enforcer of law and order in the town, reporting to the châtelain
who ruled to town for the Comté de Foix.
While Bernard was one of the few educated and literate people in the town he was still a peasant
and most of his work was farming. As bayle he farmed not only his own land, but also that of the Comté. This included the land seized from Cathar heretics. As with the rest of the family Bernard himself was a staunch Cathar
, but was for a long time protected by his wealth and connections.
While not as great a womanizer as his brother Pierre, Bernard did father a child out of wedlock: Mengarde Clergue, who later married Raymond Aymeric of Prades d'Aillon. Bernard later fell deeply in love with Raymonde Belot, who he married.
Pierre was the unquestioned leader of the family and Bernard was devastated when he was arrested by the inquisition
. Bernard reported that he had lost his "god" and his "ruler". He thus went to great ends to try to free Pierre, including dispensing some 14,000 sous
in bribes, a great deal of money at the time.
Bernard himself was arrested by the inquisition in 1324, after a month in prison he died in the summer of that year.
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
of Montaillou
Montaillou
Montaillou is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-History:The town is best known for being the subject of Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's pioneering work of microhistory, Montaillou, village occitan. It analyzes the town in great detail over a thirty-year period from 1294 to 1324...
in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. A great deal about his life is recorded in the Fournier Register
Fournier Register
The Fournier Register is a set of records from the inquisition into heresy run by Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers between 1318 and 1325. Fournier was later to become Pope Benedict XII.-Interrogation:...
and has been studied by historians, most notably Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie is a French historian whose work is mainly focused upon Languedoc in the ancien regime, particularly the history of the peasantry.-Early life and career:...
.
Bernard was a member of the powerful Clergue family, the wealthiest in the village. He was the son of Pons and Mengarde Clergue and the brother of Pierre Clergue
Pierre Clergue
Pierre Clergue was a priest in the village of Montaillou, France in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century. He is the central figure in Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's book Montaillou, a pioneering work of microhistory...
. While Pierre became the village priest, and thus the local representative of the church, Bernard became the bayle, the representative of the government. The bayle was the tax collector and the main enforcer of law and order in the town, reporting to the châtelain
Châtelain
Châtelain was originally merely the French equivalent of the English castellan, i.e. the commander of a castle....
who ruled to town for the Comté de Foix.
While Bernard was one of the few educated and literate people in the town he was still a peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
and most of his work was farming. As bayle he farmed not only his own land, but also that of the Comté. This included the land seized from Cathar heretics. As with the rest of the family Bernard himself was a staunch Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
, but was for a long time protected by his wealth and connections.
While not as great a womanizer as his brother Pierre, Bernard did father a child out of wedlock: Mengarde Clergue, who later married Raymond Aymeric of Prades d'Aillon. Bernard later fell deeply in love with Raymonde Belot, who he married.
Pierre was the unquestioned leader of the family and Bernard was devastated when he was arrested by the inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. Bernard reported that he had lost his "god" and his "ruler". He thus went to great ends to try to free Pierre, including dispensing some 14,000 sous
Solidus (coin)
The solidus was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans, and a weight measure for gold more generally, corresponding to 4.5 grams.-Roman and Byzantine coinage:...
in bribes, a great deal of money at the time.
Bernard himself was arrested by the inquisition in 1324, after a month in prison he died in the summer of that year.