440 Epilogue
ated with heretics and given them fish.^136 Giuliano’s deposition may well
reflect fear or pain—he confessed to Bompietro’s accusations that he had
spread Catharism at Padua, even after his sentencing to crosses by the inqui-
sition, and to more: that he had been spreading heresy for the last five years
in Florence, that he had come north at Bompietro’s bidding, and that he
had spread heresy there in Bologna. Even if elicited under fear or pain, the
old Cathar preacher’s confession was probably essentially true. We have no
reason to believe he had any remorse for his missionary work. The stage was
now set for the two men’s sentencing and the events that would follow. No
other business was to be conducted at the tribunal that day, or on the follow-
ing day, the date of the execution.
By his sentences on the morning of 12 May (which were witnessed by,
among others, Giuliano’s hapless proctor Don Manfredo), Fra Guido de-
clared the tworelapsiexcommunicated and released to the secular authori-
ties. On hand to receive them in the name of Don Ottolino of Mandello del
Lario, podesta of Bologna, were his judge and assessor Giacomo of Baradello
and his knight Andriotto. Guido placed at their disposal the notary Alberto
to draw up the document of condemnation.^137 Although the executions
would take place under the auspices of the communal government in accord
with the statutes of Bologna, which made heresy a capital offense, the process
before Fra Guido would be the only trial. It was the podesta’s duty to con-
demn and execute those identified as relapsed by the inquisition.^138 Accom-
panied by the inquisitor and the friars, the agents of the commune conveyed
Bompietro and Giuliano to the Palazzo Nuovo, the seat of the podesta.
The procession of friars and officials probably attracted some attention as
it crossed the Piazza Maggiore (fig. 60 ). This square, which already had its
spacious modern size, would have been filled with people, since Tuesday, 12
May, was a business day.^139 Benches for trade were set up in the square,
some even at the foot of the tower of the Arenga in the center of the palazzo
complex (fig. 61 ), and under the arcade of the Palazzo Vecchio, which faced
the square. An official of the podesta rang the bell of the commune, an-
nouncing that an official act was about to be performed. Attention would
- Contessa would later be cited herself, ibid., nos. 46 , 47 , 68 , 1 : 78 – 80 , 102 – 3.
- Ibid., pp. 304 – 5 , 1 : 308 – 9.
- See the podesta’s oath in Bologna Stat.i, 1 : 67.
- Of those who made depositions, twenty-two identified themselves as present in the Platea Com-
munis or at the Arenga. These must be understood as the core group of the protest on 12 May, thedie
condempnationis. Paolini,Eresia, 66 – 67 , identifies 355 participants in thetumulto(which he places on 13 May,
at the execution), by counting the depositions related to the protests. This number is lower than that of
Dupre ́Theseider, ‘‘Eresia a Bologna,’’ 414 , whose calculation is 362 (larger because he includes individu-
als who protested but were identified by Paolini asfuori tumulto). My computerized tally is as follows: All
individuals (some represented by more than one deposition) involved in protests: 345. Those protesting
in the Piazza Comunale: 22. Total of those actingany placeon the day of the condemnation: 46. Those at
the execution: 12. Those actingany placeon the day of the execution: 19. How many actually shouted
protest at the Arenga is impossible to say, but a number much over fifty, let alone over one hundred,
seems very unlikely.