§ 85. THE CRUSADES AGAINST THE ALBIGENSES. 509
Europe was laid waste and the counts of Toulouse were stripped by the pope of their authority and territory.
The long conflict was fully opened when Innocent called upon Louis VII. to take the field, that " it might be shown that the Lord had not given him the sword in vain," and promised him the lands of nobles shielding heresy.1 Raymund VI., who was averse to a policy of repression against his Catharan subjects, was excommunicated by Innocent's legate, Peter of Castelnau, and his lands put under interdict. Inno cent called him a noxious man, vir pestilens? and threatened him with all the punishments of the future world. He threatened to call upon the princes to proceed against him with arms and take his lands. " The hand of the Lord will descend upon thee more severely, and show thee that it is hard for one who seeks to flee from the face of His wrath which thou hast provoked."
A crisis was precipitated in 1208 by the murder of Peter of Castelnau by two unknown assassins.3 Again, the su preme pontiff fulminated the sentence of excommunication against the Tolosan count, and made the expulsion of all heretics from his dominions the condition of withdrawing suspicion against him as the possible murderer of Peter.4 Nowhere else was the intrepid energy of Innocent more signally displayed ! A crusade was announced. The connec tions of Raymund with France through his uncle, Louis VII. , and with Aragon through Pedro, whose sister he had married, interposed difficulties. And the crusade went on. The Cistercians, at their General Chapter, decided to preach it. Princes and people from France, Flanders, and even Germany swelled the ranks. The same reward was promised to those who took the cross against the Cathari and Waldenses, as to those who went across the seas to fight the intruder upon the Holy Sepulchre.
1 Epp., VII. 186, 212 ; Migne, 215, pp. 503, 527. In the second letter In nocent compares heretics to Samson's foxes and to beasts, belluas.
2 Ep., X. 69 ; Migne, 215. 1165 sqq.
3 For another version of the murder, see Lea, I. 145. It has been com pared to Becket's taking-off. « Ep., XI. 26, 32 ; Migne, 215. 1354, 1361.
510 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1049-1294.
In a general epistle to the faithful, Innocent wrote : — •
"O most mighty soldiers of Christ, most brave warriors; Ye oppose the agents of anti- Christ, and ye fight against the servants of the old serpent. Perchance up to this time ye have fought for transitory glory, now fight for the glory which is everlasting. Ye have fought for the body, fight now for the soul. Ye have fought for the world, now do ye fight for God. For we have not exhorted you to the service of God for a worldly prize, but for the heavenly kingdom, which for this reason we promise to you with all confidence.1' 1
Awed by the sound of the coming storm, Raymund offered his submission and promised to crush out heresy. The humiliating spectacle of Raymund's penance was then enacted in the convent church of St. Gilles. In the vesti bule, naked to the waist, he professed compliance with all the papal conditions. Sixteen of the count's vassals took oath to see the hard vow was kept and pledged themselves to renew the oath every year, upon pain of being classed with heretics. Then holding the ends of a stole, wrapped around the penitent's neck like a halter, the papal legate led Rayrnund before the altar, the count being flagellated as he proceeded.2
Raymund's submission, however, did not check the muster of troops which were gathering in large numbers at Lyons.3 In the ranks were seen the archbishops of Rheims, Sens, and Rouen; the bishops of Autun, Clermont, Nevers, Baseur, Lisieux, and Chartres; with many abbots and other clergy. At their side were the duke of Burgundy, the counts of Nevers, St. Pol, Auxerre, Geneva, and Poitiers, and other princes. The soldier, chosen to be the leader, was Simon de Montfort. Simon had been one of the prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, and was a zealous supporter of the papacy. He neglected not to hear mass every day, even after the most bloody massacres in the campaigns in South-
1 Ep., XL 230 ; Migne, 215. 1546. Innocent wrote repeatedly and at length, encouraging the enterprise. Epp., XI. 33, 229, etc. ; Migne, 215. 1361, etc. 2 See full description in Hurter, II. 317 sq., and Lea, 1. 150 sq.
3 Hurter, II. 322, always careful, speaks of the army as a zahllosr Menge, and then of 50,000. Lea, I. 152, is inclined to accept a much larger number, 20,000 knights and 200,000 footmen.