The Occitanie region in the southwest of France is steeped in a rich and turbulent history, marked by cultural heritage and traditions. It’s a place where medieval troubadours once sang about the Holy Grail in the fortress of Carcassonne, where heretics were burned at the stake, and where Visigoths, Franks, Merovingians, Moors, Angevins, and the French all took turns ruling.
In the midst of this historical turmoil, the city of Albi became synonymous with the Albigensians, now more commonly known as the Cathars. This group of Christian non-conformists gained substantial popularity between the 12th and 14th centuries. They believed in a lifestyle of abstinence and asceticism, rejecting the Catholic Sacrament of the Eucharist and standing in moral opposition to what they saw as the corrupt and decadent Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church was against the Cathar movement from the get-go in the early 12th century. Pope Innocent III excommunicated the lords who defended the Cathars, but it wasn’t until he managed to persuade the King of France to take action against these heretics that things escalated. King Philip II eventually decided to act against the lords allowing Catharism in their territories. Although the actual crusade itself was brief, lasting just a few years, the internal conflict between the Church and the Cathars went on for two decades.
The Albigensian Crusade, also known as the Crusade against the Cathars, began in 1209 under the leadership of Simon De Montfort. During its violent early years, a significant event took place on July 22, 1209, when the crusading army killed between 15,000 and 20,000 inhabitants of Béziers. Although the exact source of the statement is unclear, it is often claimed that when questioned about sparing the lives of Catholics in Béziers, the Cistercian abbot Arnaud Amalric allegedly said, “Kill them all, God will know His own.”
Shortly after this massacre, the fortress of Carcassonne surrendered without a fight, as did nearby towns like Albi, Castelnaudary, Castres, Fanjeaux, Limoux, Lombers, and Montréal. Raymond Roger Trencavel, the viscount of Carcassonne, was imprisoned and died in his dungeon at the age of 24. A year after the massacre at Béziers, the fortified city of Minerve surrendered after a month-long siege due to the destruction of their well. The Cathar residents were given a choice: convert to Catholicism or die. Out of those, 140 chose death and were burned at the stake on July 22, 1210.
Over the next few years, towns switched hands between the defenders of the Cathars, led by Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, and the Catholic forces under Simon de Montfort. The intervention of King Peter II of Aragon in 1213 did little to change the momentum, as he was killed in battle, marking the end of Catalan influence north of the Pyrenees. Pope Innocent III’s death in 1216 and Simon de Montfort’s death in the siege of Toulouse in 1218 temporarily disrupted the crusade.
Needing a new strategy to eliminate Catharism, the Catholic Church established the Inquisition in 1234. By employing tactics like imprisonment, forced pilgrimages, and public burnings, the Inquisition succeeded in crushing the movement from within. The final blow came at Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars. After a nine-month siege, 210 Cathars were burned at the stake on March 16, 1244. The Château de Montségur was destroyed, and the ruins visible today are remnants of a 17th-century border fortress. Nonetheless, they stand as a symbol of the Cathar movement and their resistance against doctrinal conformity.
Today, echoes of this history remain in the structures that have withstood the test of time. The ruins of old castles, the grand brick Cathedral in Albi built post-Crusade to assert Catholic dominance, and the fortified Bastide towns all tell the stories of the past. Built by Catholics or as a result of their rule, these buildings also symbolize the Albigensian Crusade and the Cathars, preserving the events and history that shaped them.
The history of the Cathars is just one of the many layers that make up the rich tapestry of Occitanie. It doesn’t solely define the region but helps explain some of its culture, architecture, and self-understanding. And there are many more layers to peel back and explore in this fascinating part of France.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into this history, exploring the region’s top attractions, or learning more about France, there are plenty of resources available to continue your journey of discovery.
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