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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
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communications.Whenthosefailed,theChurchcalleduponthesecularauthor-
ity.Ancientmanuscriptsprovidedthejuristswiththeoreticalargumentationin
supportofthecooperationofsecularandecclesiasticpowerinfightingheresy
andpunishingthisheaviestofcrimeswithdeath.Frenchbishopspresentatthe
SecondSynodofTours(1163)officiallypetitionedthesecularauthoritiestoas-
sumeanactivepositionagainstthespreadingheresies;theissueatstakewas,
amongothers,fortheseculararmtoinstigateanactivesearchfortheculprits
(inquisitio)insteadofwaitingpassivelyfortheaccusationtobelodged.Inthe
decreeVergentisinsenium(1199),PopeInnocentIIIcomparedheresytothe
crimeoflèsemajesté,i.e.onewhichinthemajorityofEuropeancountrieswas
punishablebydeath.Thisdecree,togetherwiththe1184bullAdabolendamdi-
versarumhaeresumpravitatemofPopeLuciusIII,influencedlegalsystemsin
variouspartsofEurope.AccordingtoMenendez(1965),thosewhozealously
implementedthoseedictscouldcountontotalimpunity:“Letitbeknownthatif
anynobleorcommonerdiscoversahereticinhisestateandkillsorwoundshim,
depriveshimofhispossessionsorotherwiseinjureshim,shallnotbepunished
inanyway,butonthecontrary,shallbedeservingofourgrace”(Menendez
1965,p.213).
The13thcenturybroughtafurtherintensificationofthestruggleagainsther-
esy.ManyprovincesofFrancesufferedacutelyintheprocess,forinstance
Languedoc,wherethecrusadetookafewyearsandruinedthecountry.Afterthe
fallofBéziers,thecrusadersputallthesixtythousandofthecity’sinhabitantsto
thesword,andthepapallegateAmalric,askedhowtodistinguishhereticsfrom
thetruebelievers,issupposedtohaveanswered:“Killthemall,Godwillknow
Hisown”(Girgulevi1985,p.83).
TheCatharandAlbigensiancrusadesspeededuptheprocessofcreatingthe
medievalinquisition.Intheyear1215,theFourthCounciloftheLateranpub-
lishedseveralcrucialanti-hereticdecreesandemphasizedthatthedutytofight
heresyfellequallyontheecclesiasticandsecularauthority.Synodsheldinthe
followingyearsdefinedtherelevantsanctions,judiciarycompetencesandpun-
ishments.Somesynodsattemptedtorestraintheprocessofinquisitionanden-
sureimpartiality;suchweretheintentionsofPopeGregoryIXinentrustinghis
mandatetotheDominicans(Biały1989,p.12).
ThefinalstageofcreatingthemedievalinquisitionwasthebullAdextri-
pandaofPopeInnocentIV
,issuedin1252.Inthisdocument,thecrucialnovum
wasthecomparisonofhereticstoordinarycriminals,whichwasimmediately
interpretedaspapalpermissiontousetortureaninvestigativetechniquethen
widelyusedinsecularcourtsoftheentireEuropeinthetrialsofheretics.With
thepublicationofthebullAdextripandabeginthetransformationsinthepapal