Arnaud Vital was a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs shoes * Cobbler (food), a type of pie Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler' ...

in the

Comté de Foix The County of Foix (, ; , ; , ) was a medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern ''département'' of Ariège (the western part of Ariège being Couseran ...

in the early fourteenth century. He is notable for appearing in

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie Emmanuel Bernard Le Roy Ladurie (, 19 July 1929 – 22 November 2023) was a French historian whose work was mainly focused upon Languedoc in the ''Ancien Régime'', particularly the history of the peasantry. One of the leading historians of Franc ...

's ''

Montaillou Montaillou (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department in the south of France. Its original, medieval location was abandoned and the current village is a short distance away. H ...

''. Originally from a peasant family in

Prades d'Aillon Prades may refer to: Places ;France * Prades, Ardèche, in the Ardèche ''département'', France * Prades, Ariège, in the Ariège ''département'', France * Prades, Haute-Loire, in the Haute-Loire ''département'', France * Prades, Pyrénées-Orie ...

, he moved to Montaillou living as a boarder in the house of the Belot family. He was later joined by his sister Raymonde who came to work as a servant in the Belot home. Arnaud was a committed

Albigensian Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

and spent much time guiding parfaits through the mountains. He was also a great womanizer, the lover of Alazaïs Fauré whom he converted to Catharism. At one point he tried to force himself upon

Raymonde Testanière Raymonde Testanière, known as Vuissane, was a servant in the Comté de Foix in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. She is known to us through her testimony recorded on the Fournier Register and examined in Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's ...

, mistress to

Bernard Belot Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern ...

, but she resisted him. Arnaud later married another servant in the Belot household named Raymonde. The couple lived with the Belots another two months before leaving and setting up their own home. Vital was one of only two artisans in town the other being Raymond Maury the

weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainmen ...

. While his business was somewhat limited by the lack of money in the village he was successful enough to become only the third villager to add a solier to his home. He also became assistant bayle in the town to Bernard Clergue. His marriage was unhappy, however, he ignored his wife and continued to philander with women such as Raymonde Rives and Alazaïs Gavela.

References

*Le Roy Ladurie, Emmanuel. ''Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error.'' translated by

Barbara Bray Barbara Bray (née Jacobs; 24 November 1924 – 25 February 2010) was an English translator and critic. Early life Bray was born in Maida Vale, London; her father had Belgian and Jewish origins. An identical twin (her sister Olive Classe was al ...

. New York: G. Braziller, c1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vital, Arnaud 14th-century French people French artisans People from Montaillou Catharism Year of birth missing