On the Problem of the Inquisition’s References to Heresy in Krems, Prague, and Świdnica: Reflections and New Insights

The present study deals with reports of heretics in Austria, Bohemia, and Silesia in the second decade of the fourteenth century, with particular attention given to the background of the narratives of the inquisition and the factors that influenced the church’s view on the beliefs of heretics. The research brings to light questionable aspects of the categorisation of heretics, which may not have been apparent to the inquisitors. In the sources, we find two types of reports: information that indicates the typology of heresy and data that approximate inquisitorial practices. A new comparison of reports from Krems, Prague, and Świdnica suggests heresy based on the earlier beliefs of the Poor Lombard heretics, while marginal influences originating in Catholicism, the folk imagination, and other heretical trends are visible at the same time. The study also revisits older theses on Cathar and dualist influences on the beliefs of the heretics from 1315.