Political intrigue and religious fervour combined in 1209 with the creation of the Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc, France.

Languedoc in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was separate from France, and governed by the count of Toulouse, and French kings coveted the territory. Always looking for a means to annex the Languedoc, in the early 1200s France found the perfect instrument in Pope Innocent III. You see, in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, a wave of heresy was flowing through the Catholic Church and the papacy was fighting hard to stamp it out everywhere in Christendom. Without getting too deep into theology, let’s just say these heresies all revolved around what the divine nature of Jesus was (or was not) and the individual’s relationship with God (as in, do you really need priests?). In part these heresies were fuelled by doctrinal study and in part by anticlericalism brought on by widespread corruption in the Church. In the Languedoc, one of these heresies sprang up and gathered a significant following in the 1100s: the Cathars.

Cathars believed, contrary to accepted Catholic doctrine, in dualism - the belief that two opposed forces exist; God (the force of good) and demiurge (the force of evil). For Cathars, the physical world was evil and the spiritual world was pure and unsullied by the physical world. In this view, Jesus was not a man but a phantom angel. Because Jesus was divine, the Cathars believed stories about him in the Bible were allegorical. This belief ran afoul of Catholic doctrine which was monotheistic, and believed Jesus had both divine and human nature.

For Catholic hierarchy, the Cathars heresy was bad enough, but was made worse by its application. Because Cathars rejected the evil physical world, they also rejected the Catholic Church as an unworthy corruption of the corporeal world. As such, Cathars rejected Christian sacraments, oaths, allegiances and, most offensive of all to the papacy, the authority of the Church. Pope Innocent III, coming to the papacy in 1198, resolved to stamp out the Cathar heresy. For assistance he turned to King Philip II of France, who was supportive but, as France was at war with England at the time, unable to commit a fighting force. As a solution, with Phillip’s tacit support, the pope proclaimed the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 (so named as the city of Albi in Languedoc was a centre of Catharism).

The call went out to Christendom, and a crusading army made up of professional soldiers, mercenaries and common folk pilgrims assembled near Lyon. The terms of commitment for the crusade were attractive to the soldiering class: crusaders only had to commit for forty days service in exchange for atonement of all their sins, and, even better, they would be allowed to keep booty and lands they “liberated”. The Crusaders were to be led by the papal legate, the abbot of Citeaux Arnaud Amalric.

The political target of the crusade was Raymond VI, the current count of Toulouse, whom Philip II wanted to control and whom the pope criticized as being too soft on heresy. While it seems, Raymond was not a Cathar, it was clear that he had little interest in stamping out the heresy in Languedoc. Seeing what was coming his way, Raymond appealed to Amalric and the pope, promising to join the crusade and deal with Cathars in his lands. Raymond’s submission was accepted, but the crusade progressed. A large crusading force had assembled and could not be easily dismissed.

In July 1209, Arnald Amalric made demands on Raymond Roger Trencavel, count of Bézier and Raymond VI’s kin,  to allow a foreign garrison, oppressive rule, and reparations to eliminate heretics from Bezier. Raymond Roger tried to submit but his entreaties were rejected – the crusade needed blood, and its first target was Bézier.

On July 21 1209, the crusader army drew up and besieged Bezier. Further attempts were made to negotiate a deal but were unsuccessful. At this point the defenders of Bezier should have settled in to wait out the siege. Crusaders were only obliged to provide forty days service, and Bézier would likely have been able to survive a siege even longer than that. However, instead of waiting, on July 22, a sortie party from the city attacked the routiers (free companies of mercenary soldiers) and pilgrims of the crusading force early in the morning, hoping to catch them at breakfast and unprepared. This attack was repelled, and the sortie party was chased back to the city gate over the Orb River. In the crush to retreat, the defenders could not secure the city gate, and the ribald troops made their way into the city on the heels of the confused retreat. Learning of the fight, crusading knights joined in and soon overwhelmed the garrison.

The routiers poured into the streets and began to plunder the city.  Many citizens of Bézier sought safety in the town churches of St. Jude and St. Madeleine and the Cathedral of Saint Nazaire. Legend has it that Arnald Amalric was asked what to do about the citizens sheltering in the churches who included both Catholics and Cathars. His response was “Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt elus” ("Kill them all, for the Lord knoweth them that are His"). Slaughter ensued; the doors of the churches were broken, and all inhabitants killed, including priests. The Cathedral of Saint Nazaire was set afire and its roof collapsed, killing everyone inside.  While accurate numbers are not known, it is estimated that several thousand people were massacred in Bzier. Upon leaving, the crusaders set the town on fire.

Whether or not the papal legate used these words to condemn the inhabitants of Béziers as alleged is unknown, but it is clear that the Crusaders fully intended to send a message to “submit, or else” to the peoples of the Languedoc. This message of terror was clearly heard as over the next few months many fortified towns and castles were either abandoned or opened their doors to the Crusaders, including the mighty fortress of Carcassonne.

Not all of Languedoc submitted though, and the Crusade raged on for another twenty years, ending with the Treaty of Paris in 1229. The fight is infamous for atrocities and slaughter on both sides, and the Languedoc would suffer under the Catholic Inquisition for another century.

Béziers Today

Béziers is a great town to wander through. From the Orb River, the town rises with the old town on the crest of a hill. It is a protected historic town and it is easy to spend an enjoyable day poking around shops, cafes and sites.

While most famous as the site of the 1209 massacre, Bézier was originally founded as a Roman colony in 36 BC and became a centre for the wine industry in the nineteenth century. The rebuilt Saint Nazaire Cathedral dominates the view of the city from below and there are great views of the valley below from the cathedral.

Northeast of the cathedral is the Church of Saint Madeleine in Place de la Madeleine. Also, on the Place de la Madeleine is a covered market, inside of which are several good places to dine.

Other musuems and art galleries in Bézier include:

• Le Musée des Beaux-Arts (Hotel Fabregat): a collection of paintings including works by Decamps, Degas and Rodin musee-des-beaux-arts-hotel-fabregat

• Le Musée des Beaux Arts (Hotel Fayet): a collection of sculptures by local artist Jean-Antoine Injalbert that includes a performance space. musee-des-beaux-arts-hotel-fayet

• Le Musée du Biterrois: a museum with artefacts ranging from prehistoric to the present. musee-du-biterrois

• Le Museum d’Histoire Naturelle: a diverse collection of natural history. museum-dhistoire-naturelle

• Espace Taurin: dedicated to bull fighting and includes some works by Goya musee-taurin

• Espace Riquet: an ancient convent that is now a contemporary art museum Espace_Riquet

Near the town is the Fonseranes Canal Lock, a succession of seven locks allowing boats to manoeuver a 21-meter level change. This lock is the most remarkable on the Canal de Midi. the-canal-du-midi

Outside the centre of Béziers is  the Abbaye de Fontcaude. This is an important historical monument worth a visit. Still standing after being set on fire during the religious wars of the sixteenth century and sold during the French Revolution, the Abbaye features interesting architecture, a gorgeous view, and the tasty cuisine from neighboring restaurants. It also hosts an ancient bell foundry and sculpture museum. abbaye-de-fontcaude

The Feria festival is based on Spain’s corrida, this festival happens in the middle of August and lasts for four days. It features bullfighting, concerts, spectacles, and partying. feriabeziers