In the twelfth century a new religion took root in Europe which we know today as Catharism.
Based on the fundamental principle of good and evil, spirit and matter, the Cathars wanted to release man from his carnal self and render him his divine purity.
The Catholic Church regarded Cathars as heretics and Pope Innocent III called a full scale crusade against them.
From 1208 a series of military campaigns were launched against the Cathars and their sympathisers.
The local nobility along with the rest of the local population, sided with the Cathars.
As the crusade progressed, Cathars and their sympathisers took refuge in castles and fortified towns, often located on spectacular hill tops in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
After several generations of war the local lords were defeated and dispossessed by the Catholic crusaders.
The Cathars were exterminated – burned alive by the hundred.
The first Papal Inquisition ensured that there would be no re-emergence of the Cathar religion.
Their castles fell into the hands of the victors, and the area was annexed to France.
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