Marguerite Porete facts for kids

Marguerite Porete (French: [maʁɡ(ə)ʁit pɔʁɛt]; 13th century – 1 June 1310) was a Beguine. She was a French-speaking mystic and writer. Her most famous book is The Mirror of Simple Souls. This book is about Christian mysticism and how agape (divine love) works. She was executed in Paris in 1310. She was burned at the stake for heresy after a long trial. Marguerite refused to take her book out of circulation or change her ideas.

Today, many scholars are interested in Porete's work. People who study medieval mysticism often read The Mirror of Simple Souls. It is also an important text for understanding the medieval Heresy of the Free Spirit. Some scholars see similarities between her ideas and those of Meister Eckhart about connecting with God. Porete is also studied by those interested in medieval women's writing.

Marguerite Porete's Life Story

We know about Marguerite Porete's life mostly from her Inquisition trial. The Inquisition was a powerful church court. This information might not be complete or fair. She was believed to be from the County of Hainaut. This was a French-speaking area in the Holy Roman Empire. However, this is not certain.

Marguerite was very well-educated. This suggests she likely came from a wealthy family. She was part of the Beguine movement. Beguines were groups of religious women who lived together without taking formal vows. This allowed her to travel quite freely.

Her Trial and Execution

Porete probably wrote the first version of her book in the 1290s. Sometime between 1296 and 1306, the book was called heretical. This means it was seen as going against church teachings. The Bishop of Cambrai ordered it to be publicly burned. This happened in Valenciennes, with Marguerite present.

One reason her book was controversial was that she wrote it in Old French. Most religious books were written in Latin. She was told not to share her ideas or the book again. But she continued to do so.

Arrest and Imprisonment

It is thought that she was arrested in 1308. This happened after she gave her book to a local bishop. She was then handed over to the Inquisitor of France. This was a man named William of Paris. She was charged with heresy.

Marguerite had said in her book that she had asked three church leaders for advice. One of them was Godfrey of Fontaines, a respected theologian. She claimed they had approved her writings.

Marguerite was arrested with a man named Guiard de Cressonessart. He was a Beghard, a male counterpart to a Beguine. He was also put on trial for heresy. Guiard said he would defend Porete. They were held in prison in Paris for about a year and a half. Then their trial began.

Refusal to Cooperate

Marguerite refused to speak to William of Paris or any of her judges. She stayed silent during her imprisonment and trial. In 1310, a group of twenty-one theologians studied parts of her book. They found these parts to be heretical. Nicholas of Lyra, a church scholar, was among those who condemned the book.

Guiard eventually confessed under great pressure. He was found guilty. But Marguerite refused to change her ideas. She would not take back her book. She also refused to cooperate with the authorities. She would not take the oath needed for the trial to continue.

Final Judgment and Death

Because Guiard confessed, he was imprisoned. But Marguerite's refusal to confess led the court to declare her guilty. She was sentenced to be burned at the stake. She was called a "relapsed heretic." This meant she had gone back to her old, forbidden beliefs. Three bishops made the final decision. Marguerite died on June 1, 1310, in Paris. She was executed at the Place de Grève.

The Inquisitor called her a "fake woman." He said her book was "filled with errors and heresies." A record of her trial was added to a historical book by Guillaume de Nangis. Even though Nangis had a negative view of Marguerite, his record says the crowd was moved to tears. They were touched by how calmly she faced her death.

After she died, parts of her book were used in a church decree. This decree was called Ad Nostrum. It was issued by the Council of Vienne in 1311. It condemned the Free Spirit movement as heretical.

Understanding The Mirror of Simple Souls

This is a French manuscript of The Mirror of Simple Souls from the late 1400s or early 1500s.

The title of Porete's book, The Mirror of Simple Souls, refers to a soul that is fully connected with God. This soul has no desires other than God's own. The book uses language and a dialogue style similar to popular love stories of the time. Characters like Love, Virtue, and the Soul speak to each other. This shows that Porete was well-educated and sophisticated.

Much of the book is like a logical debate between different characters. It also resembles the medieval French poem Romance of the Rose. Marguerite wrote that the Soul must let go of "Reason." She believed that normal, logical thinking cannot fully understand God or divine love.

The Annihilated Soul

The "Annihilated Soul" is one that has given up everything except God through love. Porete believed that when a Soul is truly filled with God's love, it unites with God. This union brings it to a state where it goes beyond the problems of this world. In this joyful state, the soul cannot sin. This is because it is completely united with God's will. It becomes unable to act in a wrong way.

Standard church teachings describe this as the effect of God's grace. Grace helps a person overcome their sinful nature. Porete's book aims to teach readers how to reach this simple state. She uses things like images to help explain. Her idea that humans can unite with God through love connects her thoughts with those of Meister Eckhart. Porete and Eckhart knew some of the same people. Many wonder if they ever met or read each other's work.

Porete's Vision of Love

Porete used words from John the Evangelist in her writing. She wrote:

I am God, says Love, for Love is God and God is Love, and this Soul is God by the condition of Love. I am God by divine nature and this Soul is God by righteousness of Love. Thus this precious beloved of mine is taught and guided by me, without herself, for she is transformed into me, and such a perfect one, says Love, takes my nourishment. (Chapter 21)

Porete's vision of the Soul being joyfully united with God is similar to the Catholic idea of the Beatific Vision. This is a perfect vision of God, usually thought to happen after death. Porete believed it could be experienced in this life.

Why Her Ideas Were Controversial

Porete faced problems with some church leaders because of her ideas. She described the Soul in this state as being "above" worldly rules and the control of the earthly church. Porete argued that a soul in such a high state did not need ordinary virtues. Not because virtues were bad, but because in its union with God, virtue became automatic. Since God cannot do evil, the "Annihilated Soul," perfectly united with God, could no longer do evil or sin. Church authorities saw the idea that someone was "above" ordinary virtue as dangerous. They thought it could lead to immoral behavior.

Marguerite Porete's Legacy

After Porete's death, The Mirror was still shared. But it was passed around as an anonymous work. It was first written in Old French. Later, it was translated into Latin, Italian, and Middle English. It became very popular. Even though it was known as a heretical book, it remained well-liked in medieval times. For a while, people thought that John of Ruusbroec had written it.

It was not until 1946 that Marguerite's authorship was confirmed. A scholar named Romana Guarnieri found Latin copies of the Mirror in the Vatican. These were identified as Marguerite's supposedly lost book. The Middle French version of the text was published for the first time in 1965.

Understanding the Controversy

This image from 1489 shows a Beguine.

People have wondered why Porete was seen as so controversial. Several reasons have been suggested. There was growing dislike for the Beguine movement among some religious orders. Also, Philip IV of France was politically active. He was also trying to suppress the Knights Templar. Church leaders were also afraid of the spread of the "Free Spirit" movement. This movement was seen as going against church authority.

Some people also linked Porete to the Brethren of the Free Spirit. This group was considered heretical because they believed they were above moral laws. However, later studies have shown that Porete's connection to the Free Spirits was not as strong as some church authorities thought.

In recent years, Porete's importance as a Medieval mystic has grown. She is now seen alongside other important mystics like Mechthild of Magdeburg and Hadewijch. They all expressed a type of "Love Mysticism" common in Beguine spirituality.

In 2006, the poet Anne Carson wrote a work called Decreation. Part of this work focuses on Marguerite Porete and her book. It explores how women like Porete "tell God" through their writings.

See also

• Hildegard of Bingen
• Julian of Norwich
• Margery Kempe
• Sister Catherine Treatise
• Mary Dyer