12091209–1229 · Languedoc
The Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars
Pope Innocent III called a crusade against the Cathars, Christians the Church condemned as heretics, and the southern lords who sheltered them. In July 1209 the crusaders sacked Béziers and killed much of its population; Carcassonne surrendered weeks later. Twenty years of war under Simon de Montfort and then the French king brought Languedoc under the crown and led to the first papal Inquisition.
Sites
- Site 1: Cathédrale Saint-Nazaire, BéziersHilltop cathedral above the town sacked in 1209.Map ↗
- Site 2: Cité de CarcassonneWalled city of the Trencavel viscounts, surrendered to the crusaders.Map ↗
- Site 3: MinerveGorge-top village besieged in 1210, with a memorial to the Cathars burned there.Map ↗
- Site 4: Châteaux de LastoursFour castle ruins on a ridge that held out against Montfort until 1211.Map ↗
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