"The archcardinal...was a top-drawer nobleman of France, which included the British Isles." (p. 362)
In our timeline, the Duke of Normandy became the King of England while remaining Duke of Normandy so England could have become part of France or the King of England, defending his Duchy of Normandy, could have conquered more French territory and thus incorporated France into England. Instead, the two countries have had a very mixed relationship down the centuries.
Keith Denison continues:
"'He had to order the burning of heretics and the massacre of peasants who got above themselves. Not that he minded, he considered it his duty, but he didn't enjoy it either, like some characters I met.'" (p. 362)
He didn't enjoy it! That's big of him! How could anyone think that burning was a legitimate form of execution for any offence, let alone for heresy? When I was twelve, I read a textbook that acknowledged that a man had been burned to death but, in mitigation, informed us that, while dying, he had cried out the most shocking blasphemies, even denying the existence of God! That's not so bad, then.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
While I agree with you about the sheer awfulness of burning as a method of execution, I don't think a leader like Archcardinal Albin, would necessarily be a bad man if he honestly believed harsh measures were sometimes necessary. I think it's plain that was also how Anderson thought as well.
I recall Stirling commenting that it was his belief a successful English conquest of France after Agincourt would have inevitably meant England getting absorbed into France. Because the latter was so much larger, wealthier, and populous that French influence would have ended up overwhelming the English.
It's my belief God raised up St. Joan as the unlikely heroine who rallied France in its hour of despair to prevent that conquest. To prevent a king like Henry VIII from ruling both countries and doing even worse harm to the Catholic Church thru dragging both nations into heresy and schism. An idea I first came across in one of Henri Daniel-Rops' books.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
In THE SHIELD OF TIME, "The French tail wagged the English dog..." (p. 366)
Paul.
aor, Paul! Thanks. Now I remember that. Anderson too thought any kind of union of France and England would inevitably mean the latter being absorbed by the former. Ad astra! Sean
I suppose if you believe that God burns sinners in hell *forever* you aren't going to feel bad about burning them for a short time on earth.
I just can't think of a crime bad enough that the appropriate punishment would being tortured forever, with a possible exception for building a dungeon in which to torture people forever.
Sean,
Whether Albin was a good or a bad guy is a red herring. The main point has to be that there is something very wrong with a system that burns people for anything, let alone for heresy. Harsh measures? Some people can honestly believe in anything.
Paul.
Kaor, Jim and Paul!
Jim> The orthodox Catholic teaching is that no one is damned who does not choose to prefer hell over God. In fact, for the damned, Heaven would be more agonizing than hell.
Paul> Of course! Only the very worst of crimes should get capital punishment, not including burning.
Ad astra! Sean
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