It was the first city to be besieged. The viscount left it and went to Carcassonne. The Catholic bishop tried to persuade the inhabitants to convert themselves to Catholicism, then left too. The army arrived on the 22^nd of July 1209. Béziers fell, and was pillaged. The horror of this slaughter, is that the crusaders did not distinguish Catholics from Cathars and killed everyone, with Simon de Monfort saying: "Kill them all, God will recognize His"...

The City

The history of the city itself started in the 6^th century B.C. It underwent a lot of invasions till the Francs' in the middle of the 8^th century. From the beginning of the 12^th and the 13^th century, the Trencavel family ruled over the City. It was the Cathar period.

After the pillage of Béziers, Simon de Monfort laid siege to the city in August 1209. Raimond-Roger de Trencavel surrendered and converted himself. But despite Monfort's promise to let him free, he died in jail a few months afterwards. .Carcassonne was given as a present by the king of France to Simon de Monfort, as well as Béziers. 

Inside court of the castle

A bartizan

When he died, his son, Amaury, left his rights to Saint Louis, who had a second wall built in order to strengthen the first one which was in a very bad shape (1240).

Shortly afterwards, Raimond de Trencavel (Raimond-Roger's son), tried to take the city back with an army of "Faydits". He failed because of this second wall, and had to flee. But the king pardoned him, and he came back in 1247.

Furious because he had just been defeated in Lastours (see forward), Simon de Monfort laid siege to Minerve in August 1210. The exceptional situation of the city and its fortress was in favor of its resistance to the assaults of the crusaders: 

the only access through the plateau was defended by the Castle, and the place was itself surrounded by abrupt cliffs.

Remains of the Castle in Minerve

Simon de Monfort put catapults all around, and bombed the city with them. Rapidly, the biggest of these catapults, the "Malevoisine", covered the only reservoir of the city. Heat and dryness vanquished the resistance of the inhabitants, and Guillaume of Minerve surrendered

But it was polluted due to dead rats, and the besieged inhabitants fled. Raimond of Termes was made prisoner, and he died in jail shortly afterwards.

In autumn 1209, Simon de Monfort laid siege to the 4 fortresses built on a rocky crest. The lord, Pierre-Roger de Cabaret, attacked the crusaders with his people, and vanquished rapidly. He also made a very special prisoner, Bouchard De Marly, Simon de Monfort's cousin.

Surdespine

 The latter, mad with rage, left and went to Minerve, then Bram. He took 100 prisoners from this latest victory, blinded them all except for one, and cut their tongue. Then he ordered them to go to Lastours "to show them what he can do", and he followed them.

When he saw these poor fellows, Pierre-Roger de Cabaret was horrified. Fearing that his people might be treated the same way, he surrendered in February 1211 when he learnt that Simon de Monfort was about to launch a great attack. He also freed Bouchard de Marly, and promised that his people would all convert. Touched by his gesture, Simon de Monfort allowed him to stay in the castles under the domination of Carcassonne.

Tour Régine et Cabaret

 In April 1212, after the fall of Lastours, Simon de Monfort laid siege to the fortress lead by Izarn d'Hautpoul. 

The siege lasted 3 days. Izarn and a few of his people, managed to escape and to hide in the mountains. 

Map of the land at the time of the crusade

But the castle, the church, and the fortifications were destroyed.

(a road sign with an engraved hen)