The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western Europe, 950–1250

Jul 2, 2026

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A historical study of how persecution was formed and maintained in Western Europe from 950–1250, linking authority, deviance, and institutional classification. The author explains the book’s central question by examining church-designated “heretics” alongside other minority groups such as Jews and lepers, and notes parallels with later minority persecution. Instead of grounding causation solely in victims or threats, the analysis turns to changes among the persecutors and the society that enabled them.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages234

Reading Time9 h 50 min

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Introduction

Persecution

Heretics

Jews

Lepers

The Common Enemy

Classificaton

Purity and Danger

Power and Reason

A Persecuting Society

Bibliographical Excursus

Bibliography

Index

The Formation of a Persecuting Society The Formation of a Persecuting Society Authority and Deviance in Western Europe 950–1250 Second Edition R . I. Moore © 1987, 1990, 2007 by R. I. Moore BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of R. I. Moore to be identiﬁed as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First edition published 1987 Paperback edition published 1990 Second edition published 2007 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2007 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Moore, R. I. (Robert Ian), 1941- The formation of a persecuting society : authority and deviance in Western Europe, 950-1250 / R. I. Moore.—[2nd ed.] . [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: Persecution (heretics, Jews, lepers, the common enemy)—Classiﬁcation—Purity and danger—Power and reason. ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-2964-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-4051-2964-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Power (Social sciences)—History. 2. Social history—Medieval, 500–1500. 3. Europe—Social conditions—To 1492. 4. Persecution—Europe—History. 5. Deviant behavior—History. I. Title. HN375M66 2006 323.1409′021—dc22 2006050241 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10.5 on 13 pt Sabon by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd, Hong Kong Printed and bound in Singapore by COS Print Media Pte Ltd The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and cover board used have met acceptable environmental accreditation standards. For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: [www.blackwellpublishing.com](www.blackwellpublishing.com) CONTENTS Preface to the Second Edition vi Preface to the First Edition xi Introduction 1 1 Persecution 6 Heretics 11 Jews 26 Lepers 42 The Common Enemy 57 2 Classiﬁcation 62 3 Purity and Danger 94 4 Power and Reason 117 5 A Persecuting Society 144 Bibliographical Excursus: Debating the Persecuting Society 172 Bibliography 197 Index 213 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION Most books are written to answer a question. This book was intended rather to ask one. By the middle of the 1980s I had come to think that the persecution in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries of those whom the Church designated ‘heretics’ could not be satisfactorily explained either by reference to their beliefs and behaviour, or as a necessary response to any real danger that they presented to the Church itself or to society at large. I had also been increasingly impressed by similarities between the ways in which these ‘heretics’were treated and the treatment accorded to some other minority groups in Europe at the same time, including Jews, lepers and gay people. This made me wonder whether the explanation was to besought not among the victims, but among the persecutors, and connected in some way with changes which were taking place in the world in which they lived. So I began to think of western Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries as a persecuting society. It also seemed to me, however, that Europe had not exhibited the habit of persecution to anything like the same degree before the eleventh century, but that it continued to do so thereafter for the rest of its history, at

FAQs

What central question does the author say the book is intended to ask?

The author states the book was meant not only to answer but to pose a question: why persecution of church-designated “heretics” in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries could not be explained satisfactorily by beliefs, behavior, or real danger.

Why does the author compare heretics with other minority groups?

The author notes similarities in how “heretics” were treated and how other minorities were treated in Europe at the same time, including Jews and lepers, as part of testing where the explanation should be sought.

Where does the author argue the explanation for persecution should be found?

The author suggests the explanation should be sought among the persecutors and connected to changes in the world in which they lived, reframing persecution as a feature of a broader “persecuting society.”

Jul 2, 2026

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