Albigensian Crusade

The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade (1209–1229) was a 20-year military campaign. Pope Innocent III started it to eliminate the Cathar heresy in Languedoc and make the Roman Catholic Church supreme there again. The nobles of the Kingdom of France did most of the fighting, and it resulted in a reduction in the number of practicing Cathars. It also resulted in a realignment of Occitania, bringing it into the sphere of the French crown.

Albigensian Crusade
Part of the Crusades
Massacre against the Albigensians by the Crusaders
Date July 1209 – 12 April 1229 Location Languedoc, France Result Crusader victory
Belligerents
Crusade Papal States Episcopal Inquisition Dominican Order Militia of the Faith of Jesus Christ Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit Knights of Saint George Kingdom of France Duchy of Burgundy Duchy of Brittany County of Nevers County of Auxerre County of Saint-Pol Viscounty of Donges Viscounty of Torèna English volunteers Duchy of Austria Duchy of Berg Electorate of Cologne County of Aurenja County of Provence-Forcalquier	Cathars County of Toulouse Viscounty of Béziers and Albi County de Valentinés Lordship of Séverac Marquisate of Provence Template:Country data Béarn Viscounty of Béarn County of Astarac Crown of Aragon Template:Country data Foix County of Foix County of Comminges Viscounty of Carcassonne Lordship of Menèrba Lordship of Tèrmes Lordship of Cabaret Lordship of Montsegúr Exiled knights
Commanders and leaders
Simon de Montfort  † Amaury VI of Montfort Philip II of France Louis VIII of France Odo III of Burgundy Ramon Berenguer IV of Provence Balduin of Toulouse Leopold VI of Austria Adolf VI of Berg Engelbert II of Berg	Raymond Roger Trencavel Raymond VI of Toulouse Raymond VII of Toulouse Peter II of Aragon  †
Casualties and losses
	At least 200,000 to at most 1,000,000 Cathars killed
Considered by many historians to be an act of genocide against the Cathars, including the coiner of the word genocide himself Raphael Lemkin

Political map of Languedoc on the eve of the Albigensian Crusade

Albigensian Crusade Media

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  This Pedro Berruguete work of the 15th century depicts a story of Saint Dominic and the Albigensians, in which the texts of each were cast into a fire, but only Saint Dominic's proved miraculously resistant to the flames.

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  Carcassonne with the Aude river in the foreground

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  The type of yellow cross worn by Cathar repentants

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  Pope Innocent III excommunicating the Albigensians (left). Massacre against the Albigensians by the Crusaders (right).

References

• Lemkin, Raphael (2012). Jacobs, Steven Leonard (ed.). Lemkin on Genocide. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7391-4526-5.
• Pegg, Mark Gregory (2008). A Most Holy War: The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-019988371-4.
• Robertson, John M. (1902). A Short History of Christianity. London, UK: Watts & Co.
• Tatz, Colin Martin; Higgins, Winton (2016). The Magnitude of Genocide. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-3161-4.