Free EXECUTIONERS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Phil Clarke, Liz Hardy

extermination, which exemplified the beliefs of the Mendicant orders, there were unfortunately a number of inquisitors who were less keen to rescue a life and more devoted to the annihilation of all heretics. These rather unscrupulous souls would prove to be effective executioners.

Conrad Of Marburg

     
    The actions of the papal inquisition effectively began with the appointment of one man: Conrad of Marburg. His reign of terror throughout the Rhineland in the early 1200s would single-handedly help the Inquisition become the force that has been so well-documented in modern times. A man of unequalled religious zeal, Conrad crusaded against the many heretical sects that existed throughout Germany with the full power of the Pope behind him, sending large numbers to the stake with his hard-line and hang-tough approach of recant or die.
    The early life of this notorious inquisitor is shrouded in mystery. Little of note is known about his parentage or his schooling, however, it is widely believed he did complete a course at a university, possibly at Paris or Bologna, having been referred to as a magister – one involved in academia – in writings from the time. At some stage following completion of his scholastic studies he became a priest, though doubt surrounds which order he belonged to. Modern thinking suggests he was not attached to either the Dominican or the Franciscan orders but was a non-monastic or secular clergyman.
    Conrad first came to prominence in 1213 when he spoke vehemently in favour of the religious crusades against heretics called for by Pope Innocent III. In turn, the Pope became a strong and vocal supporter of this austere priest. During these turbulent times, the Catholic Church was concerned with the piety of their own officials and Innocent’s successor, Honorius III, saw Conrad as the right man to reform the errant convents and monasteries of Germany and to ensure its wayward clergy were brought back into line. During this tour of re-education, he encountered Ludwig, the Landgrave, or Count of Thuringia, who took to Conrad and made him a leading figure at court. Conrad became highly influential, with one of his many powers being to appoint ecclesiastical livings which was soon confirmed by Pope Gregory IX in June 1227. His significant role at the Thuringian court was that of spiritual counsel and confessor to Ludwig’s wife, Elizabeth.
    The relationship between Conrad and Elizabeth was a peculiar one. The Landgravine was a match for the strict priest’s ascetic ways and willing to adhere to Conrad’s severe instruction. She took to wearing a hair shirt beneath her regal attire, was often separated from her three children and would regularly submit herself to violent physical attacks from her spiritual tutor in a bid to become worthy of the religion she held so dear. These correctional episodes may well have been too excessive to endure, as it is thought by some to have been the cause of her death on 19 November 1231. Her confessor may well have been her killer, and yet rather than suffer any reproach, Conrad was asked to look into and document the virtuous life of Elizabeth and assist in the application for her beatification. His efforts were a success and she was canonised four years later.
    By the time Pope Gregory IX had commissioned him as the first papal inquisitor of Germany on 11 October 1231, Conrad had already built a reputation as a dedicated terroriser of the unorthodox sects. The first that we know of to fall before this fanatic was Heinrich Minnike, the Provost of Goslar in Lower Saxony, who was to suffer a trial lasting two years before he was found guilty of heresy and suffered the flames. Conrad’s persistent endeavours were observed by all. Heretics and high officials within the Catholic Church alike followed his wicked work throughout Germany, generating two divergent factions: those that championed his efforts such as the archbishops of Trier and Mainz, who both wrote letters