The Albigensian Crusade

In the twelfth century, Languedoc, a subversive heresy of Eastern origin, flourished to an extraordinary degree. The Albigenses believed that the world was created by an evil spirit, and that all wordly things—including the Church—were by nature sinful. Sumption's acclaimed history examines the roots of the heresy, the uniquely rich culture of the region which nurtured it, and the crusade launched against it by the Church—a campaign that resulted in one of the most savage of all medieval wars.