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Cagot. The Cagots ( pronounced [ka.ɡo]) were a persecuted minority who lived in the west of France and northern Spain: the Navarrese Pyrenees, Basque provinces, Béarn, Aragón, Gascony and Brittany. Evidence of the group exists as far back as 1000 CE.
Marie-Pierre Manet-Beauzac is the only living Cagot, a hidden pariah tribe in the Pyrenees. She traces the roots of her people, who endured centuries of brutal prejudice for reasons no one can even remember.
Cagots were an ethnic minority in the Pyrenees Mountains who faced discrimination and persecution for centuries. Learn about their origins, history, and identity from various sources and perspectives.
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- 10 A Vanishing People
- 9 Stereotypes
- 8 Possible Origin: Moorish Soldiers
- 7 Possible Origin: Descendants of The Visigoths
- 6 Possible Origin: Cathars
- 5 Possible Origin: A Medieval Guild
- 4 Mark of Shame
- 3 Religious Restrictions
- 2 End of Legal Persecution
- 1 Japanese Parallel
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By the 21st century, the Cagots of Francehad seen their numbers dwindle significantly. For over 1,000 years, the Cagots of southwestern France existed on the periphery of European culture, and now their unique identity and history may evaporate for good. Around 2008, British newspapers and magazines began profiling Marie-Pierre Manet-Beauzac, the w...
Throughout much of their history, the Cagots were regarded as a diseased people. Their neighbors told stories about how all Cagots had misshapen heads, webbed feet, and missing earlobes. Today, the term “Cagot ear” is still used to describe an ear without an earlobe. The stories about physical deformities among the Cagots are probably indicative of...
One of the more enduring theories about why the Cagots were once so hated originates in nearby Spain. In 711, an Islamic army led by Arabs and composed mostly of Berber and other tribal soldiers from North Africa conquered Visigothic Spain (which included parts of modern-day Portugal). As a result, Spain became part of the Umayyad Caliphate based i...
The theory of Moorish ancestry for the Cagots is primarily based on the idea that Cagots normally have darker skin than their non-Cagot neighbors. However, some DNA analysis has proven that Cagots are not genetically different from other populations in the Pyrenees. In his book The Discovery of France, Graham Robb says that the Cagots are unremarka...
One theory purports to explain the long-standing hatred toward the Cagots. According to this view, the Cagots are the descendants of the Cathars, a religious sect that was expelled and expunged from French life during the Albigensian Crusade. In the early 13th century, the Catholic Churchand the king of France sought to stamp out the independence o...
In the medievalworld, entire industries and their workers were often set up as guilds. These guilds were more than just early labor unions. They often provided mutual aid, insurance, and protection to their members. Some guilds also enjoyed economic monopolies, meaning that no major construction project could be undertaken without the support of va...
In the annals of European history, the yellow Star of David is often upheld as an infamous reminder of legalized prejudice. During the reign of the National Socialists in Germany, Jews were forced to wear the yellow star on their clothing so that everyone would know that they were unwanted outsiders in the German body politic. During the Middle Age...
In medieval times, the Christian faith and its practice defined life in Europe. The Catholic Church in France was the source of knowledge, social mores, and legal legitimacy. Therefore, Catholic restrictions on the Cagots indicated that something about them displeased the church and God. Cagots were forced to enter churches via a side entrance. Cag...
By the 17th century, the increasingly centralized French state began passing lawsagainst anti-Cagot prejudice. In 1681, the parliament in the city of Rennes made it illegal for any citizen to persecute Cagots. In 1723, following a brawl between a Cagot and several local councillors in the French town of Biarritz, the parliament of Bordeaux decided ...
Many have noted the similarities between the Cagots and the Dalits of India. Some have noticed also that the Cagots bear a striking resemblance to the Burakumin of Japan. The Burakumin are regarded as “untouchables” because they have long been associated with unclean professions. The Burakumin specialize as butchers, sanitation workers, undertakers...
Learn about the Cagots, a mysterious and persecuted people of the Pyrenees Mountains who may have Moorish or Visigoth origins. Discover their history, stereotypes, and current status in this article.
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Jul 9, 2022 · Cagots were a group of people who were discriminated and segregated in medieval France for centuries. Learn about their possible origins, physical features, restrictions, and their struggle for recognition and acceptance.
'Chimeras that degrade humanity': the cagots and discrimination. Daniel B Hawkins. The cagots were a poorly understood marginalised group found on both sides of the western Pyrenees. They started to become prominent from the thirteenth century before largely disappearing in the twentieth century.
Starting in the late 18th and throughout the 19th century, the Cagots progressively disappeared and lost their Cagot identity: some moved away, to other towns or to foreign lands, while others married non-Cagot people.
