On this day, March 16, in 1244 over 200 Cathar believers were burned at the stake by the hand of the Inquisition in southern France at the fortress known as Montsegur. Their story is told in my novel Shadows of Montsegur--with a touch of romance.

Shadows of Montsegur, A Tale of the Cathars, book trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupYD74ztWc


Andreva's story tells of a tragic event in medieval history. It reflects our time with freedoms and lives in jeopardy. 

Andreva de Beringer is joyful upon her uncle’s summons to leave the abbey in Toulouse to care for her grandmother. She arrives in Lavelanet to find a village gripped by the terror of the Inquisition and a growing army surrounding the Cathar fortress known as Montsegur. While Andreva strives to hold on to her family, her faith, and the young farmer she loves, all around her, Good Men (Cathars) must fight for their religion and life itself. 

In the right place, but at a dreadfully wrong time, and under the wrath of the Inquisition, might this faith-filled but naïve girl be forced to witness the massacre and burning of every Cathar man, woman, and child, and also lose the young farmer she loves?

The venturesome reader, students of history, and those who cheer for the rights of mankind can learn from this seldom-told tale of medieval history at its darkest.

What do you know about the Albigensian Crusade, the Cathars, or their extermination?