The Daily Heretic: The Albigensian Crusade
A War Against Heresy
The Daily Heretic publishes weekdays and Sundays at 8 am. We look at history’s rebels, radicals, and occasional bonfire enthusiasts.
This week’s series: The Cathars.
Next week: The Gnostics.
Stay curious. Stay heretical. And subscribe! 🔥
In 1209, Pope Innocent III declared a crusade against the Cathars, launching one of the most brutal campaigns in medieval history. Known as the Albigensian Crusade, it was less about reclaiming holy land and more about eradicating heresy—by any means necessary.
The Siege of Béziers
The Albigensian Crusade kicked off in July 1209 with a bang—or rather, a bloodbath. Béziers, a bustling city in southern France, was home to both Cathars and Catholics. When the crusader army arrived, they demanded the city hand over its Cathar population. The locals, in a show of solidarity (or stubbornness), refused. What followed was less a battle and more a horror show.
As the crusaders breached the city walls—aided by overeager camp followers who stormed an undefended gate—chaos erupted. The papal legate Arnaud Amalric, when asked how to tell heretics from faithful Catholics, allegedly replied, “Kill them all. God will know his own.” Historians debate whether he actually said it, but the results were unambiguous: an estimated 20,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered, churches burned, and the city razed. The Church’s message was clear: dissent would be met with divine wrath.
Béziers became a grim template for the crusades. Its destruction wasn’t just about heresy; it was a flex of raw power, a warning to other towns. The Church’s “convert or die” policy backfired, though—it galvanized Cathar resistance and turned the Languedoc, a historical region in southern France, into a tinderbox. As for Amalric? He got a promotion. Medieval justice: do war crimes, get a better office. The more things change the more they…. ah, you know the rest.
The Fall of Carcassonne
Next came Carcassonne, where the Cathar leader Raymond-Roger Trencavel was captured and imprisoned. The city fell, and the crusaders celebrated their victory—though, as we’ll see, the Cathars weren’t done yet.
The Role of Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, the crusade’s military leader, became infamous for his ruthlessness. His campaigns devastated the Languedoc region, earning him a reputation as one of history’s most brutal figures. (How’s that look on a résumé?) However, Montfort will soon find himself between a rock and a hard place…
Tomorrow, we’ll meet the Perfecti, the Cathars’ spiritual elite, and explore their ascetic lifestyle and role in the movement. Join us as we uncover the lives of those who dared to live “perfectly” in an imperfect world. This next one is for all the ladies in the house. iykyk.
This is 3 of 5 in a series on the Cathars - Series here: The Daily Heretic
Subscribe, and join us as we uncover this epic battle between light and darkness in the heart of medieval Europe.
Stay curious. Stay heretical. And subscribe! 🔥