The Occitan War
A Military and Political History of the Albigensian Crusade, 1209–1218

A political and military history of the Albigensian Crusade of 1209–1218.

Laurence W. Marvin (Author)

9780521123655, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 19 November 2009

356 pages
23 x 15.3 x 2.4 cm, 0.6 kg

'[Marvin's] description of the battle of Muret in 1213 is exemplary in its precision. His estimation, description, and praise of the martial skill of Simon de Monfort are reliable and learned … Marvin's clarity of purpose and candid perspective make The Occitan War a worthy contribution to scholarship.' The Journal Of Ecclesiastical History

In 1209 Simon of Montfort led a war against the Cathars of Languedoc after Pope Innocent III preached a crusade condemning them as heretics. The suppression of heresy became a pretext for a vicious war that remains largely unstudied as a military conflict. Laurence Marvin here examines the Albigensian Crusade as military and political history rather than religious history and traces these dimensions of the conflict through to Montfort's death in 1218. He shows how Montfort experienced military success in spite of a hostile populace, impossible military targets, armies that dissolved every forty days, and a pope who often failed to support the crusade morally or financially. He also discusses the supposed brutality of the war, why the inhabitants were for so long unsuccessful at defending themselves against it, and its impact on Occitania. This original account will appeal to scholars of medieval France, the Crusades and medieval military history.

1. Introduction
2. The campaign of 1209
3. Simon of Montfort and the campaign of 1210
4. The campaigns of 1211
5. Drawing the noose: the campaign year of 1212
6. The athlete of Christ triumphs: late 1212 through Muret 1213
7. From Muret to Casseneuil: September 1213 to December 1214
8. The two councils and Prince Louis's crusade, January–December
9. The southern counterattack begins: February 1216 to Fall 1217
10. The second siege of Toulouse and end of the chief crusader: 1217 to 1218
Aftermath and epilogue.

Subject Areas: Crusades [HBWC], Military history [HBW], Medieval history [HBLC1], European history [HBJD]