Editing Albigensian Crusade (section)

==Background==
===Political and cultural background===
Cathar theology found its greatest success in the [[Languedoc]], a name eventually given to a region later incorporated into the French nation.{{sfn|Mosheim|1867|p=385}}{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=10}} An alternative name for the region is "Occitania."{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=10}} In the Languedoc, political control and land ownership was divided among many local lords and heirs.{{sfn|Costen|1997|p=26}}{{sfn|Graham-Leigh|2005|p=42}} Before the crusade, there was little fighting in the area.{{sfn|Falk|2010|p=169}}{{sfn|Tyerman|2006|pp=575–576}} Regions to the north were divided into separate polities, but all of them generally recognized themselves as part of the [[Kingdom of France]]. They spoke different dialects, but these could broadly be classified under the French language.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=1–4}}

By contrast, Languedoc regions did not consider themselves French. Their language, [[Occitan language|Occitan]], was not mutually intelligible with French. Instead, it was closer to [[Catalan language|Catalan]].{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=1–4}} The [[County of Toulouse]], the dominant political entity in the region, was a [[fief]] to the [[Angevin Empire]], which controlled the [[Duchy of Aquitaine]] in the west. In many areas south and east of Toulouse, the [[Crown of Aragon]] and the [[Principality of Catalonia]] were both more influential than the French kingdom or even northern Languedoc.{{sfn|Falk|2010|p=169}}{{sfn|Tyerman|2006|pp=575–576}}{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=11}}

By the early 13th century, the power of towns in the Languedoc was growing rapidly. The city of [[Toulouse]] was the main urban center in the region. By 1209, it had a population of 30,000–35,000 people, and enjoyed greater size, wealth, and influence than anywhere else in the Languedoc. It also enjoyed a high level of political autonomy. The Count of Toulouse resided in the [[Château Narbonnais]] inside of the city but had little real control over it. Small towns were built with defense in mind, generally with thick walls and on high mountains, often next to cliffs. Hence, a municipality was called a ''[[castrum]]'', meaning "fortified place."{{sfn|Marvin|2008|pp=10–11}}

The urbanized character of the Languedoc distinguished it from the more rural north, and more readily allowed for the mixing of different groups of people. This fostered an atmosphere of comparative religious tolerance. Jews in the Languedoc experienced little discrimination, as was the case with the religious dissidents appearing in the area in the 12th century. [[Muslim]]s were not accorded the same level of tolerance, but Islamic literature and scholarship were respected.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=8–10}}

Historian [[Joseph Strayer]] summarizes the cultural differences between the North and South as follows:
{{blockquote|[T]he North and the South of what is now France were, in the twelfth century, two different countries, as different as France and Spain are today. The people of each country disliked and distrusted those of the other. The northerners thought the southerners were undisciplined, spoiled by luxury, a little soft, too much interested in social graces, too much influenced by contemptible people such as businessmen, lawyers, and Jews. The southerners thought the northerners were crude, arrogant, discourteous, uncultured, and aggressive. The climate was such that if war were to break out between the two countries it was sure to be long and bitter.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=9–10}}}}

===Growth of Catharism===
[[File:Cartes Occitanie.png|thumb|300px|A map of [[Languedoc]] on the eve of the Albigensian Crusade]]
A number of prominent 12th century preachers insisted on it being the responsibility of the individual to develop a relationship with God, independent of an established clergy. [[Henry of Lausanne]] criticized the priesthood and called for lay reform of the Church.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=186}} He gained a large following.{{sfn|Costen|1997|p=54}} Henry's preaching focused on condemning clerical corruption and clerical hierarchy, and there is no evidence that he subscribed to Cathar teachings on dualism.{{sfn|Barber|2014|p=31}} [[Arnold of Brescia]], leader of the Arnoldists, was hanged in 1155 and his body burnt and thrown into the [[Tiber River]], "for fear", one chronicler says, "lest the people might collect them and honour them as the ashes of a martyr".<ref>{{Catholic Encyclopedia |no-icon=1 |prescript= |wstitle=Arnold of Brescia |last=Vacandard |first=Elphège}}</ref> The Waldensians, followers of [[Peter Waldo]], experienced burnings and massacres.{{sfn|Ellwood|Alles|2007|p=471}}

Although these dissenting groups shared some common features with the Cathars, such as [[anti-clericalism]] and rejection of the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacraments]], they did not, except the Paulicians and Bogomils, subscribe to Cathar dualist beliefs. They did not specifically invoke dualism as a tenet.{{sfn|Barber|2014|pp=22, 31}} The Cathars may have originated directly from the Bogomils, as some scholars believe in a continuous [[Manichaean]] tradition which encompassed both groups. That view is not universally shared.{{sfn|Peters|1980|p=108}} Following the [[First Crusade]], Latin settlers established a dualist community in [[Constantinople]]. It is theorized that this group provided Westerners with Latin translations of Greek Bogomil texts, which included the ''consolamentum'' ritual, thus helping to generate the first organized dualist movement in Western Europe.{{sfn|Tyerman|2006|p=573}}

By the 12th century, organized groups of dissidents, such as the Waldensians and Cathars, were beginning to appear in the towns and cities of newly urbanized areas. In western Mediterranean France, one of the most urbanized areas of Europe at the time, the Cathars grew to represent a popular mass movement,{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|p=5}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Martin-Chabot |first=Eugene |title=Chanson de la croisade albigeoise |language=fr |trans-title=Song of the Albigensian Crusade |title-link=Song of the Albigensian Crusade |date=1931–1961 |page=2}}</ref> and the belief was spreading to other areas. One such area was [[Lombardy]], which by the 1170s was sustaining a community of Cathars.{{sfn|Costen|1997|pp=60–61}} The Cathar movement was seen by some as a reaction against the corrupt and earthly lifestyles of the clergy. It has also been viewed as a manifestation of dissatisfaction with papal power.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=214}}

The Cathar movement occasionally mingled with Waldensianism. However, it was distinct from it, for while Waldensians agreed with the Cathars in their opposition to the Catholic hierarchy and emphasis on poverty and simplicity, they generally accepted most Catholic teachings. Both movements eventually came under violent persecution, but the main energies of the Church were directed against Catharism, which was both the more radical and the more numerous of the two sects.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=36–39}}

In [[Cologne]] in 1163, four Cathar men and a girl who had traveled to the city from [[Flanders]] were burned after refusing to repent. Burnings for heresy had been very uncommon, and in the past had sometimes taken place at the behest of noblemen for political rather than religious reasons over the objections of leading Catholic clergy. After this event however, they grew more frequent.{{sfn|Moore|2012|pp=1–4}} Contact was maintained between the older dualist communities in the [[Byzantine Empire]] in the east and the new ones in Western Europe. Emissaries from the former strengthened the dualist beliefs of the latter.{{sfn|Tyerman|2006|pp=573–574}}

[[File:Berruguete ordeal.jpg|thumb|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.]]

Catharism continued to spread, but it had its greatest success in the Languedoc. Cathars established virtually no presence in England, and communities in the kingdoms of France and Germany generally did not last long. It was in the Languedoc that they were the most durable.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=14–15}} The Cathars were known as Albigensians because of their association with the city of [[Albi]], and because the 1176 Church council which declared the Cathar doctrine heretical was held near Albi.{{sfn|Mosheim|1867|p=385}} The condemnation was repeated through the [[Third Lateran Council]] of 1179.<ref name="Albigenses"/>

Various reasons have been proposed for the Cathar movement's success in the Languedoc relative to other places. A traditional explanation has been the reputed corruption and poor quality of the clergy, which, according to many accounts, manifested itself through love of money and sexual escapades. Many priests in the Languedoc, especially those in rural parishes, were often poorly educated and functionally illiterate. Many were appointed to their posts by laymen. The theory that the inadequacy of the clergy was the primary factor has been challenged on the grounds of similar stories about clergy appearing elsewhere in areas of Europe that did not have large numbers of religious deviants.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=15–23}}

However, there is evidence of greater corruption among bishops in the Languedoc than in other areas in Europe. [[Pope Innocent III]] wrote a letter in which he accused the [[Archbishop of Narbonne]] of never having visited his diocese during his 10 years as bishop and of demanding money from someone as payment for consecrating him as a bishop. Innocent eventually suspended four bishops in the Languedoc—the Archbishop of Narbonne, and the bishops of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse|Toulouse]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Béziers|Béziers]], and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Viviers|Viviers]]—from their duties.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=15–23}}

The poor quality of bishops in the Languedoc was due to a mix of the lack of political centralization in the region as well as the papacy placing higher importance on appointments in more politically sensitive areas. The chaotic situation in the episcopacy contributed to the inability of the Church to stamp out the heresy. Among the people, the Cathars were a minority, but they won acceptance from many Catholics in the region. Those who became Cathars were often accepted by their families. Several Cathars were chosen as members of the governing council of the city of Toulouse.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=15–23}}

The Languedoc region participated less in popular religious movements than other areas of Europe. The First Crusade stirred up some support in the area, as [[Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse]] was one of its principal leaders. Nevertheless, the popularity of Crusading was not as durable in the Languedoc as it was in France. Strayer speculates that a general climate of laxity prevailed in the region which allowed nonconformist religious movements to grow without being seriously challenged.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=15–23}}

===Prelude to crusade===
On assuming the papacy in 1198, Pope Innocent III resolved to deal with the Cathars and sent a delegation of friars to the province of Languedoc to assess the situation. The Cathars of Languedoc were seen as not showing proper respect for the authority of the French king or the local Catholic Church, and their leaders were being protected by powerful nobles,{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|pp=8–9}} who had a clear interest in independence from the king.{{sfn|Graham-Leigh|2005|p=6}} At least in part for this reason, many powerful noblemen embraced Catharism despite making little attempt to follow its strict lifestyle restrictions.{{sfn|Madden|2005|p=125}}

In desperation, Innocent turned to [[Philip II of France]], urging him either to force [[Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse]] to deal with the heresy or depose him militarily. By 1204, he offered to bless those willing to go on a military campaign against the Cathars with the same indulgence given to crusaders travelling to the [[Holy Land]]. The [[Fourth Crusade]], in its late stages at the time, had not shown any signs of going in that direction. However, Philip was engaged in conflict with [[King John of England]], and was unwilling to get involved in a separate conflict in the Languedoc. Hence, the plan stalled.{{sfn|Madden|2005|p=126}}

One of the most powerful noblemen, Raymond VI, did not openly embrace Cathar beliefs, but was sympathetic to Catharism and hostile to the French king.<ref name="Albigenses"/> He refused to assist the delegation. He was [[excommunicated]] in May 1207 and an [[interdict]] was placed on his lands.<ref name="Albigenses"/> Innocent tried to deal with the situation diplomatically by sending a number of preachers, many of them monks of the [[Cistercian]] order, to convert the Cathars. They were under the direction of the senior papal legate, [[Pierre de Castelnau]]. The preachers managed to bring some people back into the Catholic faith, but for the most part, were renounced.{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|pp=16–18}}

Pierre himself was extremely unpopular, and once had to flee the region for fear that he would be assassinated. On 13 January 1208, Raymond met Pierre in the hope of gaining absolution. The discussion did not go well. Raymond expelled him and threatened his safety.{{sfn|Madden|2005|p=126}} The following morning, Pierre was killed, allegedly by one of Raymond's knights. Innocent III claimed that Raymond ordered his execution;{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|pp=58–59}} [[William of Tudela]] blames the murder entirely on "an evil-hearted [[squire]] hoping to win the Count's approval".{{sfn|William of Tudela|Anonymous|2004|p=13}}

Pope Innocent declared Raymond anathematized and released all of his subjects from their oaths of obedience to him.{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|p=36}} However, Raymond soon attempted to reconcile with the Church by sending legates to Rome. They exchanged gifts, were reconciled,{{sfn|William of Tudela|Anonymous|2004|pp=15–16}} and the excommunication was lifted. At the Council of Avignon in 1209, Raymond was again excommunicated for not fulfilling the conditions of ecclesiastical reconciliation. After this, Innocent III called for a crusade against the Albigensians, with the view that a Europe free of heresy could better defend its borders against invading Muslims. The time period of the Crusade coincided with the [[Fifth Crusade|Fifth]] and [[Sixth Crusade|Sixth]] Crusades in the Holy Land.{{sfn|Falk|2010|p=169}}