History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 146, the Crusade, the Crusade against the Cathars, the Battle of Muray Part 2.

Hello again.

Last week we saw King Peter the second of Aragon invade Long Dock,

intent on confronting Simon de Monfort on the battlefield and driving the Northern Frenchmen and his

crusaders out of southern France. King Peter and the combined forces of the counts of Toulouse, Foir and Comage had taken the initiative,

moving out of the city of Toulouse and besiee.

At the end of last week's episode, Simon de Monfor and his much smaller army were making their way to

Mure to confront the rebel forces and rescue the besieged

garrison. Simon and his men had stopped to rest at Savardin, and Simon himself had risen early, attended a dawn mass, made

his confession, and had also drawn up his last will and testament.

As the morning progressed, yet another church service was held at which the senior clergy

accompanying Simon's forces ex excommunicated, Count Raymond the 6th of Toulouse and his son,

the count of Fwa and his son, the count of Camage, and every single person in the rebel army.

The only person to escape the mass excommunication was King Peter himself,

who you might remember could only be excommunicated by the Pope.

Believing it to be likely that the army would be attacked on their way to Muray, Simon divided his forces into three units,

which Peter the Monk piously points out reflected the Holy Trinity, and in battle formation they cautiously hit the road and

slowly made their way to Muray.

Simon really shouldn't have worried about placing his army into battle-ready positions, as

King Peter's plan was to lure him and his army into the town of Muray itself where the entire Crusader army could be surrounded and, so the theory went, defeated.

However, King Peter is having some trouble keeping control over the large and diverse rebel army

...