The Murder of Marguerite Porete, Paris, France 1310

Marguerite Porete wrote a book.  One bishop said it was heretical and burnt it. Three theologians said it wasn't heretical, just really difficult for regular people to work with, on account of in order to follow it, you'd have to be as spiritually ardent as Marguerite Porete, and very few people were. The head Inquisitor of France got a committee together, and they said the book was heretical and she should take it back and say sorry.  She didn't. They burned her and the book both.  The crowd wept. The book (since not all the copies had been burnt) became very popular, but nobody knew who had written it.  But we know now!  It was Marguerite. In this episode, we explain what she wrote. And Michelle discovers that really Philip IV of France was quite dreadful and she's sorry she had such pity for him when we covered the Tour de Nesle affair, and really he got what was coming to him.