Albigensian Crusade

The Albigensian Crusade (1208 - 1229) - or rather crusade against the Albigensians - was a Croisade proclaimed by the Catholic church against the Hérésie - mainly the Catharisme and to a small extent the Valdéisme. This crusade went in first against the grounds of the Trencavel, Viscounts of Albi, Béziers and Carcassonne, which was worth its name to him.

Course of the crusade

Call to the crusade

At the beginning of his pontificate, the pope Innocent III worries about the growing influence of the Church Cathare in Languedoc. He on several occasions tries to initiate a crusade against this Hérésie, initially near the nobility and of the high-clergy Languedociens, then near the king of France Philippe Auguste, without much success.

During this period, many priests sent by the pope and his legates preach publicly against the catharism. It is by meeting one of these delegations, whose efforts are unfruitful, that Dominique de Guzmán with the idea to create the Ordre of the Preachers which takes model on the itinerant preaching of Jesus in order to better touch the local populations.

In 1208, the assassination of the papal legate, Pierre de Castelnau is used as element release with the crusade. The call of the pope is finally heard by some French barons of north who take the cross with in an individual capacity, without engaging the crown of France.

The crusade of the Barons

The cross lords and their continuations go down about the South by the Vallée from the Rhone. Raymond VI of Toulouse, already struck excommunication by the pope, feels the threat and are repent publicly, going even until crossing. Raimond-Roger Trencavel, count de Béziers and Viscount of Carcassonne, wanted to make in the same way, but the crusaders refused, the crusade would not have more raison d'être if all the Languedocien lords crossed the ones after the others.

The bag of Béziers

See also: Bag of Béziers

The July 21st 1209, the army of the crusaders arrives at Béziers. Trencavel is absent because it organizes the defense of the Cité of Carcassonne. The inhabitants of Béziers refuse the offer of the crusaders to deliver the cathares and prepare for a long seat. But the crusaders penetrate by surprised in the city and all its occupants, cathares or catholics massacre some. (famous quotation allotted - probably wrongly - to Arnaud Amaury: " Kill all, God will recognize the siens"). (On the question of the authenticity of this sentence, to see article Arnaud Amaury.)

The fall of Carcassonne and the county

After the catch of Béziers, the crusaders, on August 1st, encircle, the Cité of Carcassonne where Trencavel is cut off. The crusaders attack by north and make themselves main of the water points which supply the city. The seat is tightened around the ramparts. Suffering from the lack of water, and in spite of a short appearance of the king d' Aragon Pierre II, the city must capitulate and Trencavel goes to Arnaud Amaury, under the condition express which its knights can leave the place without encumbers.

Elected official chief of the crusade, Simon IV of Montfort then undertakes the systematic conquest of the Razès. He occupies Montreal, Preixan, then Fanjeaux, given up by his inhabitants. Trencavel, which is old only 24 years, dies in its prison of the city of Carcassonne.

In June 1210, Simon de Montfort undertakes the seat of Minerve. As in Carcassonne, the crusaders destroy the points of water and the city must go. The garrison with the safe life, but the 140 cathares, which refuse to disavow their faith, are burned alives. Encouraged by his success with Minerve, Simon de Montfort decides to attack the Château of Terms. He comes to end only after four months from seat. The Castle of Puivert, after, three days of seat, is invested by the crusaders. The lord Pierre-Roger de Cabaret decides, after the fall of Terms and Puivert to give his Châteaux of Lastours to the chief of the crusade in exchange of the release of the lord of Saissac, Bouchard de Marly. To the end of the year 1210, Simon de Montfort, secured by the title of Viscount of Razès, distributes to its lieutenants the conquered grounds. It can now attack the two most powerful lords of the area, the count of Toulouse and the count de Foix.

The head office of Lavaur and the battle of Low wall

At spring 1211, the crusaders arrive at the foot of the ramparts of Lavaur. May 3rd, they penetrate in the city. Repression is terrible. The lord, Aymeri of Montreal, and its 80 knights are hung, Dame Guiraude, sister of Aymeri, is lapidated at the bottom of a puit and the 400 cathares are burned alives. At once afterwards, Simon de Montfort besieges Toulouse. It is a failure. Raymond VI and the count de Foix Roger Bernard having decided, after the head office of Lavaur, to link itself to fight the crusaders.

See also: Battle of Low wall

For the first time, the Languedocien lords are gathered to face the crusaders. The confrontation takes place with Castelnaudary in September 1211. The combat is bloody and each camp asserts the victory. In 1212, Pierre II of Aragon finally decides to intervene and, the following year, very haloed prestige which confers to him its victory against the Moslems with Las Navas de Tolosa, penetrates in Languedoc with the head of an army. But once more, the military engineering of Montfort is essential, also facilitated by the absence of coordination between the allied chiefs: September 12th 1213, in the plain of Low wall where the agreement occitane undergoes a demolished cuisante, the Aragon loses its king. The consequences of the battle of Low wall are important, since Foix, Narbonne, the Comminges fall into the hands from Simon de Montfort. In November 1215, the fourth Concile of Lateran dispossesses Raimond VI and Raimond II Trencavel with the profit of Simon de Montfort who is entitled from now on duke of Narbonne, count de Toulouse, Viscount of Carcassonne and Razès. Arnaud Amaury becomes archbishop of Narbonne.

The reconquista occitane

Raimond VI, taken refuge in Catalonia where it raises an army and its son Raymond VII, starting from Provence which the council of Lateran had left him, take again the fight and inflict in Montfort its first defeat in August 1216 with Beaucaire. The following year, whereas the chief of the crusaders besieges Toulouse, it is reached with the head by a stone jet and dies, on June 25th 1218.

Amaury VI of Montfort, succeeds his/her father with the head of the cross army. In 1220, it encircles Castelnaudary, where is cut off the count de Foix. The seat is prolonged until March 1221 and the new chief of the crusaders, is constrained of raising the camp and cutting off themselves in Carcassonne. In February of the same year, Raimond VII and its ally fuxéen seize Montreal. In June, Roger-Bernard de Foix takes again Fanjeaux, Limoux and Pieusse before continuing the reconquest in the Carcasses and its Loup brother of Foix, releases Bas-Razès. Finally in March 1223, Mirepoix is released and Guy Ier de Lévis must gain Carcassonne.

The royal crusade

However, Louis VIII, pushed by his White wife of Castille, decides to intervene with the head of the royal army, descends the valley from the Rhone in 1226 and subjects Avignon. In June, informed approach of the royal army, the middle-class men of Carcassonne revolt against Trencavel, which had been established in the city, and force it to be folded up on Limoux, in company of Roger-Bernard de Foix. From there, the two allied ones organize resistance. By a charter of June 17th 1227, Trencavel places Limoux and all Razès under the protection of Roger de Foix. For at the time, the royal intervention breaks the hopes of Trencavel which must flee in Catalonia, and those of Raimond VII because the treated of Meaux and Paris, signed in 1229, ensure the royal influence on Languedoc.

Prolongation of the crusade

The attack and the failure of Raymond Trencavel

During the summer 1240, an army, emerges from the Corbières. Its chief Raymond Trencavel, with the head of faydits of Razès, Carcassonnais and Fenouillèdes, shouldered by a body of Aragonese infantry, tries to take again his old fields with king de France. Benefitting from the effect of surprise, it melts on Carcassès, but instead of attack directly the quoted, the Viscount prefers to return in possession of Razès. Thus, the seneshal of Carcassonne, Guillaume of the Elms have time to reinforce its defenses. The seat of the city by Raymond is a failure and is locked up in Montreal. The counts of Toulouse and Foix present themselves then to the camp of French and manage to obtain a honourable rendering for Trencavel, authorized to join Aragon.

The ultimate attempt and the tender at Raymond VII

Raymond VII of Toulouse, supported by Trencavel, the Viscount of Narbonne Amalric and by the count de Foix, seizes Razès in 1242, then Minervois, of Albi, before entering to Narbonne. The French hold Carcassonne and Béziers firmly. General rising that Raymond VII discounted is not produced: neither the duke of Brittany, neither the count of Provence, nor king d' Aragon had answered his call. Moreover, Louis IX travelled towards Languedoc, with the head of an army. Under these conditions, the count of Toulouse in is tiny room to be treated with the king of France. In January 1243, Raymond VII fact act of tender in Louis IX, imitated by the count de Foix and the Viscount of Narbonne.

Resistance cathare

The heresy cathare is actually always present on the grounds of the southernmost lords. The Inquisition is then created with an aim of extirpating the heresy, the cathares, but the of Vaud ones also suffer from this repression. This still causes several risings (the such head office of Carcassonne in 1240), and the catch of fortresses which had not been subjected yet (such castles of Montségur in 1244 and of Quéribus in 1255). The Enquiry remains still active in this part of the kingdom during approximately three quarter centuries until the catharism is completely extinct.

Assessment

This crusade had effects as much on the religious plan that on the political plan.

On the religious level initially, the direct consequences are the elimination of the catharism in Languedoc, the creation of the Ordre of the Preachers (the Dominican ones) and the creation of the medieval Inquisition.

On the political plan, the counties of Toulouse and Foix and the Trencavel Viscounts were vassal of king de France in theory, but independent compared to this last in fact, while being subject to the influence of the kingdom of Aragon. The crusade hustles this gives, old the Trencavel Viscounts becoming partly royal Sénéchaussée S and the area rocks under the real influence of the crown of France.

Ultimately, it is the kingdom of France which withdraws the most benefit of this conflict in which he did not want to imply himself at the beginning: Languedoc, which until there was still under the influence of Catalonia and the Aragoneses, returns definitively in the French sphere of influence. The crusade marks final separation between Occitans in north, more worried from now on French businesses, and the Catalans in the south, which complete their reconquest and turn more to the Mediterranean (Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica…).

Main characters

This crusade is thus a ballet between three powers in place: the Church, French lords and southernmost lords. The great figures of this conflict are spread out over two generations.

The Catholic church

  • the pope Gregoire IX which institutes the enquiry.
  • the Innocent pope III which initiates the crusade.
  • Honorius III, the pope of continuity.
  • Their legate, Arnaud Amaury, a long time the spiritual leader of the crusade.
  • the medieval Enquiry which continues the fight against the heresy.

French lords

  • Simon de Montfort, the temporal chief of the crusade at his beginning
  • Amaury de Montfort, his/her son
  • Their lieutenants, such Guy Ier de Lévis…
  • Louis VIII, king de White France
  • of Castille, its wife and regent of the kingdom for Louis IX

Languedocien lords

Chronology of the events

See also: Chronology of the Albigensian Crusade

See too

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