Editing Albigensian Crusade (section)

====Massacre at Béziers====
{{main|Massacre at Béziers}}
The Crusaders captured the small village of Servian and then headed for Béziers, arriving on 21 July 1209. Under the command of [[Arnaud Amalric]],{{sfn|Costen|1997|p=121}} they started to besiege the city, calling on the Catholics within to come out, and demanding that the Cathars surrender.{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|p=89}} Neither group did as commanded. The city fell the following day when an abortive sortie was pursued back through the open gates.{{sfn|Peter of les Vaux de Cernay|1998|pp=90–91}} The entire population [[Massacre at Béziers|was slaughtered]] and the city burned to the ground. It was later alleged that Amalric, when asked how to distinguish Cathars from Catholics, responded, [[Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.|"Kill them all! God will know his own."]] Strayer doubts that Amalric actually said this, but maintains that the statement captures the "spirit" of the Crusaders, who killed nearly every man, woman, and child in the town.{{sfn|Strayer|1971|p=62}}

Amalric and Milo wrote in a letter to the Pope, claimed that the Crusaders "put to the sword almost 20,000 people".{{sfn|Guillaume de Puylaurens|2003|p=128}} Strayer says that this estimate is too high, but noted that in his letter "the legate expressed no regret about the massacre, not even a word of condolence for the clergy of the cathedral who were killed in front of their own altar".{{sfn|Strayer|1971|pp=62–63}} News of the disaster quickly spread and afterwards many settlements, with [[Narbonne]] being a prominent example, surrendered without a fight. Others were evacuated. The Crusaders encountered no opposition as they marched toward Carcassonne.{{sfn|Guillaume de Puylaurens|2003|p=128}}{{sfn|Tyerman|2006|p=591}}