The Albigensian wars were initiated by the papacy. These were the campaigns of the knights of the northern part of France to the southern lands to suppress the Albigensians, who were recognized as heretics. By the end of the wars, the French king joined them.
The Albigensians were defeated, the southern lands became part of the French kingdom, the original Southern French civilization was destroyed. What are the dates of the beginning and end of the Albigensian Wars? Can they be considered crusades?
Development of the southwestern lands of France
The southwestern part developed apart from the rest of France. In the last years of the existence of the Roman Empire, a Gothic kingdom was formed on these lands. The ancient heritage has left an indelible mark. The Arabs, who penetrated the lands through the Pyrenees, contributed to the development of culture.
In the south of France, the poetry of the troubadours was widely developed. At the courts of Aquitaine and Toulouse, a knightly culture developed. She was freeand graceful manners. People's thoughts were freer than in the northern regions. Southerners considered it permissible to make fun of priests and monks.
In such a rather liberated environment, teachings began to appear that were far from those that were allowed by the Catholic Church. Over time, this led to the Albigensian Wars.
Waldensian sect
On the banks of the Rhone, the Waldensian sect appeared and became widespread. It got its name from the name of the we althy merchant Pier Waldo, who lived in Lyon. Another name for the sect is "Poor Lyon".
Merchant Waldo gave away his property to poor people. Before that, in 1170, he prepared and distributed the Gospel and parts of the Old Testament. The books were translated from Latin into Languedoc (the native language of the southern lands). So people received information that was dangerous for the Catholic Church, since believers could understand it, and therefore reflect.
Waldenses believed that there is only hell and heaven without purgatory, so prayers are useless. They were skeptical about the sacraments of the Church, including communion with bread and wine. For them, the most important thing was to live without lies.
Soon the Waldensians were recognized as heretics. It happened in 1184 at the Verona Cathedral. The question may arise, who is a heretic? The answer is simple - this is an apostate, a preacher of heresy that contradicts church dogma.
Pierre Waldo did not renounce his beliefs. He has many supporters. Three centuries later they joined the Reformation.
Albigenses
In Languedoc and Aquitaine, another sect appeared - the Albigensians. It received its name from the city of Alba, which acted as the center of the new teaching. It is believed that the ideas of the Albigensians are close to Iranian Manichaeism. They came to the southern lands from the Bulgarian Bogomils.
According to their beliefs, the world consisted of two halves:
- divine - light, spiritual;
- devilish - real, sinful.
These halves are irreconcilable. They attributed the church to the kingdom of darkness, and considered themselves "pure." For them, the “perfect” were the carriers of the light, who had high morality, did not eat meat, remained chaste, and did not have their own home. Such people wandered all their lives, living off alms.
The Albigensians recognized the sacrament of "consolation", which was given to the dying during their trial of death throes. “Consolation” could only be given by the “perfect”. The rest of the adherents of the sect were "believers." They lived like ordinary people, went to the Catholic Church, so as not to attract too much attention.
The Pure movement was spreading, bringing the start of the Albigensian Wars closer.
Albigensian Cathedral
In 1167 a council was held by the "pure". On it they confirmed their doctrine. The heretic bishop Nikita from Byzantium was present at the council. He represented the Bulgarian Bogomils. Ten years later, the Toulouse Count Raymond the Fifth reported that the churches were abandoned, many influential people, including priests, were captured by heresy. Even the earl's son, Raymond the Sixth, kept"perfect".
Rome's attempts to pacify the Albigensians
Such events greatly disturbed Rome. Popes began to send preachers to urge the people to change their minds. All their attempts were unsuccessful. People trusted more the words of the "perfect" who lived and acted among the people.
The Albigensian Crusade could have been stopped by the Dominicans.
Dominic Activities
A monk named Dominic, along with his companions, admonished people. He managed to find his way to the souls of the Albigensians, as he spoke from the standpoint of evangelical modesty and simplicity.
Dominic was able to bring the heretics back to the Catholic faith. But he alone could not influence the minds of thousands. Who is a heretic, showed one of the knights of Raymond the Sixth, when he killed the papal legate Pierre Costelno, who appeared at the court of Toulouse.
The 1209 Crusade
Pope Innocent III declared a crusade against the heretics of southern France. It happened in 1209. Thus began the Albigensian War.
The King of France at that time was Philip II Augustus. He did not take part in the campaign, because he was busy with the conflict with England, and in general he had little interest in eradicating heresy. Dad had someone to support. The knights of the northern lands reacted with great zeal to the call of the Catholic Church. They had long been interested in the we althy south. They were led by Simon de Montfort, Count of Leicester.
The leader of the northerners owned lands in France and England. Hewas determined to fight in the Fourth Crusade, but he was stopped by papal disapproval. The Count was able to wait for his unspent energy to be used.
The lands of the county of Toulouse were destroyed. The knights of the northern lands were fueled not only by religious zeal, they were engaged in robberies and seizures. There were quite a lot of massacres. During the Albigensian Crusade, many representatives of Catholicism were killed.
Southern Response
Simon de Montfort decided to appropriate the county of Foix, whose ruler took the side of the Albigensians. This did not please the king of Aragon, Pedro II, who was the father-in-law of Raymond the Sixth. In addition, the Aragonese king was not amused by the neighborhood with an aggressive and fanatical count.
Catalonia and Aragon had a close relationship with the Languedoc and Toulouse at the cultural level, and their rulers were related by family ties. Therefore, in 1213, Pedro the Second and Raymond the Sixth besieged the castle of Muret in order to defeat Montfort.
However, there was a bishop in the castle who inspired the defenders with promises that all their sins would be forgiven. According to him, heavenly bliss awaited those who fell in battle. The southerners failed. They were attacked by the besieged and defeated. King Pedro II died.
The Albigensian wars in France led to mass burnings at the stake of the spiritual leaders of the "pure". No one knows how much "consolation" helped them at that moment.
Decision of the Fourth Lateran Council
Dad was pleased with the success of the company. However, he could not calmlyto watch how the fertile land is ruined. He was also opposed to the Toulouse county passing Montfort. However, everything was decided at the Lateran Council in 1215.
The prelates, together with the crusader lords, put pressure on the pope. They threatened Innocent III that if he did not allow the count to take the lands, they would be devastated by fire and sword. Dad had to give in. However, Montfort soon suffered from his own greed. He wished to win the Languedoc from Raymond the Sixth and died in battle.
The result of the Lateran Council was also the recognition of the Dominican order. Monk Dominic throughout the history of the Albigensian wars urged heretics to change their minds. Those who repented had to pay tribute to the pope. For this they were forgiven. Those who were admonished at the episcopal court were sentenced to penance and confiscation of property. Those who did not want to take the path of correction were waiting for the fire.
Intervention of the King of France
In 1225, Raymond the Sixth was excommunicated. A year later, the French king Louis VIII led another campaign. Cities with castles surrendered without resistance. Only Avignon fought fiercely. He held out in the siege for three months, but also capitulated.
Louis VIII suddenly died. However, this did not prevent his successor from completing the case. In 1229, Raymond the Seventh signed a treaty in Mo.
The Albigensians held out for many more years. Their last stronghold fell in 1244. But even after that, the words "perfect" sounded.
Conclusion
To understand if the Albigensian wars were different from the crusades, you need to know what is behind these names. The Crusade refers to religious warfare in Western Europe between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries. The Albigensian Wars took place from 1209 to 1229, they were connected with the question of religion. From this we can conclude that the Albigensian wars were no different from the crusades. Only the war was fought not against the Seljuk Turks, but with the inhabitants of the south of France.
It is also important to clarify that the reasons for the Albigensian wars were not only religious issues, but also the desire of the knights of the northern lands to profit from the rich southern region.
As a result of the twenty-year war, about one million people were killed. In the fight against heretics, the Dominican Order and the Inquisition were established. The latter has become a powerful tool in the fight against dissent from the Catholic Church.
