I must say that Tom Holland's respect and enthusiasm for and generosity towards R I Moore's books is what it's all about. This is different from many of the Rest is History items, in that it is not as narrative-driven, and here one of the guys is passing new information to the other.  And how well he does it. And the excitement at 29:10 of "It's EXACTLY THAT!"  is very infectious.
As a more ordinary and limited scholar, it is exciting to find out what these terms I have always heard -  "The Cathars" "The Albigensian Crusade" - actually refer to. Just frigging love this stuff.

Otto Rahn, a German writer and later member of the SS, write about the Cathars in the 1930’s, in his book: Crusade against the grail. Where did he get his ideas from if this all wasn’t talked about before the 1970’s? Rahn exactly writes that the Cathars were sort of pure “spiritualists” who thought everything materiale was bad and that the materiale world was created by a lower God. Where as the highest God, who sent Jesus to us, created only the spiritual realm.

So interesting! Casts a whole new light on Catholism and the birth of the universities.

Loving the podcasts and videos!
Thank you.

Love you guys ❤️comforting as a warm cup of tea on a cold day

I last did any history at school & loving your work! Learned so much & & love the humour 🙂

Dom's point about the current culture wars is spot on. Those academics....

Thank you Tom and Dominic!

I appreciate your work

Thanks very much for these podcasts. You mentioned Chipping Norton which is famous for being the coldest place in England and marketing Hobgoblin Beer for the first time - I used to live near the Cotswolds so I know this

Thanks for your wonderful program.
A note: I’m concerned the apocryphal book found in the Catholic Bible “The Wisdom of Baruch” offers the strongest influence for the chastity of Priests rather than the political reasons you’ve mentioned.
Thanks again for your insights.

Thanks

Always thought provoking and fun…which any great historian ought to be : AJP Taylor anyone ? So why ‘commenters’ are being so snooty about this podcast is beyond me. However, Tom’s comments about the derivation of the word ‘pattarini or patarenes’ from a ‘cloth market’ in Milan is doubtful. I can find no market of that name or even close. The movement - La Pataria - is very much known and its adherents would consequently be ‘patarini’ but most Italian sources suggest this word might be derived from the Greek language but certainly there’s no connection of ‘place’ in Milan. Keep up the excellent work.

Enlightening and entertaining,  marvellous.

saw a cathar castle in the 2026 tour de france live stream and found this!

They are of great intellect the list of the eminent men on the list of the Priory of Sion.

If you put heavy pressure on a group of worshippers to conform, heresy will always emerge, People don't like being told what to believe or do. And the more you root it out, people will hide.

Peeling back the onion layers of history is absolutely fascinating. Well done, chaps.

would love a major motion picture of this that subtly suggests at the parallels to today.

I was thinking of Mao as well! Great minds, lol