History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 167, the Crusade against the Cathars, the end of the Crusade.

The Crusade.

Hello again.

Last week we saw King Louis Hello again.

Last week we saw King Louis's Crusade besiege the city of Avignon, which capitulated after three months,

leaving King Louis free to continue onto his destination, Long Dock.

Now, before we follow the Crusaders out of Avignon, there's a couple of matters we need to discuss. Firstly, while King Louis has been

besieging Avignon, a veritable stream of lords and noble personages from Long dock have been pouring into the city, desperate to renounce

their battles against the church and throw themselves at the mercy of the French crown. Now you should remember that Long dock has now been

at war for nearly 20 years and pretty much everyone in the region has just had enough. They are desperate for peace.

With the despised Simon de Monfor, no longer providing an incentive for them to take up arms, many of the former rebels have simply lost the

will to fight.

There is, of course, another factor driving their will to surrender. Should they decide to

defy King Louis the odds were stacked against them. King Louis's army is

massive and Raymond the 7th has no army of his own to match it.

The siege at Avignon had shown that King Louis was prepared to go to great lengths to defeat cities which dared to defy him.

And the massacre at Marmond back in 1219 served as a lesson that King Louis would show no mercy to the citizens of

rebellious cities. So nobleman after nobleman streamed into King Louis camp outside Avignon bearing letters of

submission and pledging their allegiance to the French crown.

In what must have been a devastating blow for Raymond, even the young Count of Camage, who of course

had been a steadfast ally of the rebel cause, placed his forces at King Louis' disposal.

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