Massacre at Béziers
Encyclopedia
The Massacre at Béziers refers to the slaughter of the inhabitants during the sack of Béziers
, an event that took place on July 22, 1209 and represented the first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade
.
had declared a crusade to eliminate Catharism in the Languedoc
, a crusader army consisting of knights mostly from northern France with their retinue, professional soldiers, mercenary bands (routiers
), and pilgrims assembled and departed from Lyon
in early July 1209. While Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse was able to switch sides in time and joined the crusaders at Valence, the attempt by Raymond-Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Béziers, to peacefully submit was rejected at Montpellier
. The Viscount departed from Montpellier in a hurry, ahead of the Crusader army, to prepare his defenses. On the way to Carcassonne
he stopped at Béziers, promising reinforcements, and taking along a few heretics and the Jews.
Béziers, a stronghold of Catharism, was the first major town the crusaders would encounter on the way to Carcassonne. It was well fortified, amply supplied, and in a position to withstand a longer siege.
, the Abbot of Citeaux
Arnaud Amalric
, the crusader army reached the outskirts of Béziers on July 21, 1209. As they started to pitch their camp, the Bishop of Béziers, Renaud de Montpeyroux, tried to avert bloodshed and to negotiate. He brought the message that the town would be spared provided it would hand over their heretics. The Bishop had drawn up a list of 222 individuals, mostly Cathars, some Waldensians, likely to be perfecti or leaders of their communities. In a meeting at the Cathedral it was determined that this was not possible as these leaders had too much support within the town, and the Bishop asked the Catholics to leave the town to save themselves. This proposal was rejected, and the Bishop left the town with just a few Catholics.
On July 22, the crusaders were busy getting settled and still days away from starting the siege
proper. A group of soldiers or perhaps just armed civilians from the town made a sortie
exiting the gate overlooking the Orb River
. As they started to harass routiers and pilgrims of the crusader army, a brawl ensued and soon the attackers from the town found themselves outnumbered and retreated in disarray. The routiers took quickly advantage of the chaos, stormed the walls that were not properly manned, and entered the gate, all without orders. The crusader knights, realizing that the defenses had been broken by the routiers, soon joined the battle overwhelming the garrison, and the city was doomed.
The routiers rampaged through the streets, killing and plundering, while those citizens who could ran sought refuge in the churches, - the Cathedral
, the church of St Mary Magdalene and of St Jude. Yet the churches did not provide safety against the raging mob of the invaders. The doors of the churches were broken open, and all inside were slaughtered, nobody was spared.
After the massacre it came to the distribution of the spoil of the city. The crusader knights became enraged that the rabble of the army had already taken the plunder now took control of the situation, chased them from the occupied houses and took their booty away. In turn, the angry and disappointed routiers responded by burning down the town. In the engulfing fire the plunder was lost, and the army left the city in a hurry.
About twenty years later Caesarius of Heisterbach
relates this story about the massacre,
While there remains doubt that the abbot said these words - also paraphrased as "Kill them all, God will know His own", "Kill them all, God will sort his own", or "Kill them all ,/and let God sort them out" -, there is little if any doubt that these words captured the spirit of the assault, and that the crusaders intended to kill the inhabitants of a stronghold that offered resistance. However, typically that would involve killing the men, not women and children, and not the clergy. The crusaders allowed the routiers to rampage and kill without restraint, but quickly stepped in when it came to the loot.
It is quite possible that Almaric's account of the death of 20,000 is exaggerated, just like Pierre des Vaux de Cernay's report that 7,000 were slain in the Church of St Magdalene. It has been estimated that the town inhabited less than 14,500 people at the time and an unknown number may have escaped the massacre.
Simon de Montford
who would later lead the crusade was a participant in these events but not yet in a leadership role.
, then, hunted down the remaining Cathars.
During the fire the cathedral of Saint Nazaire
, burned too and collapsed. A plaque opposite the cathedral records the 'Day of Butchery' perpetrated by the 'northern barons'. A few parts of the Romanesque
cathedral of St-Nazaire survived, and repairs started in 1215. The restoration, along with that of the rest of the city, continued until the 15th century.
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
, an event that took place on July 22, 1209 and represented the first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
.
Background
After Pope Innocent IIIPope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
had declared a crusade to eliminate Catharism in the Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, a crusader army consisting of knights mostly from northern France with their retinue, professional soldiers, mercenary bands (routiers
Routiers
The routiers were mercenaries associated with free companies who terrorized the French countryside during the Hundred Years War. The word routier is French for "road-man", referring to their travelling nature. -Background:Routiers were a product of their time...
), and pilgrims assembled and departed from Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in early July 1209. While Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse was able to switch sides in time and joined the crusaders at Valence, the attempt by Raymond-Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Béziers, to peacefully submit was rejected at Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
. The Viscount departed from Montpellier in a hurry, ahead of the Crusader army, to prepare his defenses. On the way to Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
he stopped at Béziers, promising reinforcements, and taking along a few heretics and the Jews.
Béziers, a stronghold of Catharism, was the first major town the crusaders would encounter on the way to Carcassonne. It was well fortified, amply supplied, and in a position to withstand a longer siege.
The sack of Béziers
Commanded by the Papal LegatePapal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
, the Abbot of Citeaux
Cîteaux Abbey
Cîteaux Abbey is a Roman Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. Today it belongs to the Trappists, or Cistercians of the Strict Observance . The Cistercian order takes its name from this mother house of Cîteaux, earlier Cisteaux, near Nuits-Saint-Georges...
Arnaud Amalric
Arnaud Amalric
Arnaud Amalric was a Cistercian church leader who took a prominent role in the Albigensian Crusade. He is remembered for allegedly giving advice to a soldier wondering how to distinguish the Catholic friendlies from the Cathar enemies to just "Kill them all...
, the crusader army reached the outskirts of Béziers on July 21, 1209. As they started to pitch their camp, the Bishop of Béziers, Renaud de Montpeyroux, tried to avert bloodshed and to negotiate. He brought the message that the town would be spared provided it would hand over their heretics. The Bishop had drawn up a list of 222 individuals, mostly Cathars, some Waldensians, likely to be perfecti or leaders of their communities. In a meeting at the Cathedral it was determined that this was not possible as these leaders had too much support within the town, and the Bishop asked the Catholics to leave the town to save themselves. This proposal was rejected, and the Bishop left the town with just a few Catholics.
On July 22, the crusaders were busy getting settled and still days away from starting the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
proper. A group of soldiers or perhaps just armed civilians from the town made a sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
exiting the gate overlooking the Orb River
Orb River
The Orb is a 145 km long river in the Herault département of Southern France that flows into the Mediterranean Sea, in Valras-Plage. The river flows through the towns Bédarieux and Béziers, where it is crossed by the canal du Midi on the Orb Aqueduct. In ancient times, the Orb was crossed at...
. As they started to harass routiers and pilgrims of the crusader army, a brawl ensued and soon the attackers from the town found themselves outnumbered and retreated in disarray. The routiers took quickly advantage of the chaos, stormed the walls that were not properly manned, and entered the gate, all without orders. The crusader knights, realizing that the defenses had been broken by the routiers, soon joined the battle overwhelming the garrison, and the city was doomed.
The routiers rampaged through the streets, killing and plundering, while those citizens who could ran sought refuge in the churches, - the Cathedral
Béziers Cathedral
Béziers Cathedral , is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Béziers, France.The structure dates from the thirteenth century and was erected on the site of an earlier building which was destroyed during the sack of Béziers in the Albigensian Crusade.The cathedral was formerly the seat of the Bishopric of...
, the church of St Mary Magdalene and of St Jude. Yet the churches did not provide safety against the raging mob of the invaders. The doors of the churches were broken open, and all inside were slaughtered, nobody was spared.
After the massacre it came to the distribution of the spoil of the city. The crusader knights became enraged that the rabble of the army had already taken the plunder now took control of the situation, chased them from the occupied houses and took their booty away. In turn, the angry and disappointed routiers responded by burning down the town. In the engulfing fire the plunder was lost, and the army left the city in a hurry.
"Kill them all, God will know His own"
Amalric's own version of the siege, described in his letter to Pope Innocent in August 1209 (col.139), states:
While discussions were still going on with the barons about the release of those in the city who were deemed to be Catholics, the servants and other persons of low rank and unarmed attacked the city without waiting for orders from their leaders. To our amazement, crying "to arms, to arms!", within the space of two or three hours they crossed the ditches and the walls and Béziers was taken. Our men spared no one, irrespective of rank, sex or age, and put to the sword almost 20,000 people. After this great slaughter the whole city was despoiled and burnt...
About twenty years later Caesarius of Heisterbach
Caesar of Heisterbach
Caesarius of Heisterbach , sometimes erroneously called in English Caesar of Heisterbach , was the prior of the former Cistercian Heisterbach Abbey, in the Siebengebirge near the little town of Oberdollendorf, Germany.He is best known as...
relates this story about the massacre,
When they discovered, from the admissions of some of them, that there were Catholics mingled with the heretics they said to the abbot “Sir, what shall we do, for we cannot distinguish between the faithful and the heretics.” The abbot, like the others, was afraid that many, in fear of death, would pretend to be Catholics, and after their departure, would return to their heresy, and is said to have replied “Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius - Kill them all for the Lord knoweth them that are His” (2 Tim. ii. 19) and so countless number in that town were slain.
While there remains doubt that the abbot said these words - also paraphrased as "Kill them all, God will know His own", "Kill them all, God will sort his own", or "Kill them all ,/and let God sort them out" -, there is little if any doubt that these words captured the spirit of the assault, and that the crusaders intended to kill the inhabitants of a stronghold that offered resistance. However, typically that would involve killing the men, not women and children, and not the clergy. The crusaders allowed the routiers to rampage and kill without restraint, but quickly stepped in when it came to the loot.
It is quite possible that Almaric's account of the death of 20,000 is exaggerated, just like Pierre des Vaux de Cernay's report that 7,000 were slain in the Church of St Magdalene. It has been estimated that the town inhabited less than 14,500 people at the time and an unknown number may have escaped the massacre.
Simon de Montford
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
who would later lead the crusade was a participant in these events but not yet in a leadership role.
Aftermath
The crusaders had a achieved a quick and devastating victory. Horror and terror spread through the land, and many castles and towns submitted without further resistance. Carcassonne fell within a month and Raymond-Roger Trencavel died in captivity later that year his lands being given to Simon de Montford. However, the crusaders lost the support of the local Catholic population and thus became a hated occupying force. The war became protracted, eventually the French king entered the war and took control over the Languedoc. The inquisitionInquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
, then, hunted down the remaining Cathars.
During the fire the cathedral of Saint Nazaire
Béziers Cathedral
Béziers Cathedral , is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Béziers, France.The structure dates from the thirteenth century and was erected on the site of an earlier building which was destroyed during the sack of Béziers in the Albigensian Crusade.The cathedral was formerly the seat of the Bishopric of...
, burned too and collapsed. A plaque opposite the cathedral records the 'Day of Butchery' perpetrated by the 'northern barons'. A few parts of the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
cathedral of St-Nazaire survived, and repairs started in 1215. The restoration, along with that of the rest of the city, continued until the 15th century.