The Song of the Cathar Wars

A History of the Albigensian Crusade

Janet Shirley, Janet Shirley

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351881715
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

The Song of the Cathar Wars is the first translation into English of the Old Provençal Canso recounting the events of the years 1204-1218 in Southern France. In an effort to extirpate the Cathar heresy, Pope Innocent III launched what is now known as the Albigensian Crusade, but it was fiercely resisted by the lords and people of the Languedoc, if in the end in vain. This 'song' was written in two parts, the first by William of Tudela, a supporter of the crusade; the second by an anonymous continuer, wholeheartedly in sympathy with the southerners, although not with the heretics themselves. It stands as a historical source of great importance, not least because it depicts the side that lost. The poem is also a skilful, dramatic and often impassioned composition, evoking the brilliant world of landed knights and the glories and bloody realities of battle. Janet Shirley is an award-winning translator of works on the French Middle Ages. Other publications by her include the Song of Roland and, in this Crusade Texts in Translation series, Crusader Syria in the 13th Century and, with Peter Edbury, Guillaume de Machaut: The Conquest of Alexandria.

The Song continued by William’s successor

Peter is still speaking

Laisse 132

‘The clergy and the French are trying to disinherit my brother-in-law the count and drive him out of his fief. No one can point to any crime or any sin he has committed; they are simply trying to eject him for reasons of their own. And I ask my friends, I ask those who would do me honour, to concentrate now on preparing arms and equipment, for in a month’s time I intend to cross the passes together with all those of my companies who are willing to join me.’ And they replied,

‘This must indeed be done, my lord. Never can we oppose any wish of yours!’ Then they separated and went to make their preparations; each man did all he could, bargaining and raising loans, to get armour and equipment together. And the king commanded them all to have the pack-beasts and carts loaded up, for it would soon be summer, they would find the fields and meadows growing green again and the vines and trees putting out fresh leaves day by day.

July 1213, Count Raymond captures Pujol

While the king of Aragon was busy with his preparations, the count of Toulouse considered going to recapture Pujol, and spoke about this to the Capitol.¹ Its members all replied:

‘Yes, certainly, let us do that’ Immediately they had it proclaimed throughout the town that everyone should go out along the road by the mills, and they mustered in the Montaudran meadows.

‘My lords,’ said Count Raymond, ‘I have called you here because I have been having careful watch kept on my enemies. They want to destroy us, they will harass us so that we cannot get this year’s harvest in. And look how near you they are: they are this side of Lanta.’²

‘My lord,’ said the people, ‘let us go and surround them, for with God’s help you will have plenty of companions. We are all armed, we shall be able to cut them to pieces. And the valiant count of Foix, God save and keep him, and the count of Comminges, they can join you, and the Catalans too, who have come here to help you. We are all well equipped; let us move fast before those drunkards can find out and get away.’

Laisse 133

The French soldiers have entered Pujol and the great count of Toulouse has surrounded them. With him are the count of Foix, his valiant son Roger Bernard, the count of Comminges, nobly equipped, and the Catalans brought by King Peter, as well as the men of Toulouse who came with all speed, knights, citizens and commoners. First a wise lawyer³ spoke, a member of the Capitol and an eloquent man:

‘My lord, great count and marquis,¹ if it please you, listen; and you too, all you others gathered here:- We have brought up the catapults and other siege weapons so as to fight hard against the enemy, for I trust in God we shall defeat them quickly, as we are in the right and they are in the wrong. They are destroying our inheritance before our very eyes. I tell you this, my lords, and you may know it for truth: we have seen letters and sealed missives sent us by dear friends of ours: if we do not defeat those men before tomorrow evening, they will receive help and strong reinforcements, well equipped knights and armed sergeants, and they will do us great dishonour and a double injury if we go away without cutting them to pieces. We have plenty of crossbows, plenty of feathered quarrels. Let us fill up the ditches, and let us make sure our deeds are equal to our words! Now let us all go together to get branches and sheaves of corn, let us fetch enough to fill the ditches. For inside that castle are the flower of all the crusaders and if we can take them, we shall bring down the pride of Sir Simon de Montfort who has sworn such oaths against us. Now let us show why we are gathered here, let us go and fetch filling for the ditches!’

Laisse 134

At once the whole host went to get the filling; not one knight, citizen or sergeant but instantly shouldered a load. Into the ditches they tossed it and filled them up to the foot of the walls so that then they could sap the stonework with massive picks. But the French fought back, they flung down blazing fire and a torrent of rocks and great dressed stones and after that boiling water which fell on their armour. When they felt that, the attackers drew back, shaking themselves, and said to each other,

‘It’s worse than the itch, this hot water of theirs!’ And the archers shot so clos that none of the French dared be seen, or else he would be hit in the jaw or teeth. The siege engines, too, kept working and to such effect that no one could pause on the roundwalk without tailing, tumbling, covered with blood or mortally wounded; they had no shelter, neither galleries nor battlements were any good to them. Then the knights of Toulouse shouted aloud,

‘At them now, citizens, they’re yielding!’ Therepon they took the town and all its streets. Every Frenchman there, rich or poor, they seized without mercy and put to the sword; a few they hanged. Sixty of their knights died there, great, valiant and courteous men, as well as squires and sergeants.

Now a messenger arrived, an experienced man, and in a low voice told the Capitol privately, that Sir Guy de Montfort was coming, furious and spurring hard, that he had reached Avignonet, was riding fast and would attack them if he found them still there. Then very cheerfully they sounded the trumpets for retreat, ‘for we are well revenged on our enemies.’ Back they all went to Toulouse, rejoicing at their success.

Laisse 135

They rejoiced at their success, all the men of Toulouse and their friends. When Sir Guy de Montfort heard that the Frenchmen were dead he was grieved to the heart; he could not hold back his tears, but wept and mourned and bitterly lamented his shame and disgrace.

September 1213, Peter II at Muret

Now let us leave them, for I want to tell you about the good king of Aragon who has ridden his thousand-shilling horse to Muret; he has planted his banner before it and laid siege to the place. Many great vassals has he brought from their fiefs; the flower of Catalonia and gallant fighters from Aragon ride with him; nothing, they think, can stand against them, no warrior oppose them. And the king sent to Toulouse to tell his sister’s husband to bring his allies and join him at once; let Raymond come with his army and every fighting man, for he was ready to restore his fief to him, and theirs too to the count of Comminges and his kinsmen. Then he will ride in strength to Béziers; not one crusader will he leave in castle or tower between Montpellier and Rocamadour, all shall die in pain and sorrow. Hearing this, Raymond did not delay a moment but went straight to the Capitol.

Count Raymond joins King Peter before Muret

Laisse 136

To the Capitol went Raymond, count, duke and marquis; he told them that the king had arrived, had brought troops and laid siege to Muret; outside it stood tents closely arrayed; he had the French trapped; ‘and we are to bring catapults and all the Turkish bows,¹ and when Muret has fallen we shall go into the Carcassès and, God willing, recover the fief.’ And they replied,

‘Excellent, my lord count, if it can finish as well as it began. But the French are hard men and dangerous, they are resolute, lion-hearted, and very angry at their loss at Pujol where we killed and wounded so many of them. We must be sure we make no mistakes.’

Then the count’s trumpeters blew: the whole host must go at once, fully armed, to the king of Aragon at Muret. Out across the bridges went knights, citizens and the town’s militia, and very soon they reached Muret - where they would leave so many weapons, so much fine armour and so many courteous men! This was a tragedy, so help me God, one that diminished the whole world.

Laisse 137

It diminished the whole world, be sure of that, for it destroyed and drove out paratge,² it disgraced and shamed all Christendom. Now listen, my lords, and hear how it happened.

The good king of Aragon was at Muret, well prepared, and so was the count of St Gilles³ with all his lords. The citizens and militia of Toulouse set up the catapults, attacked Muret on every side and forced their way into the new town.⁴ They pressed the Frenchmen so hard that these all retreated into the castle and took refuge in the keep.

Then a messenger reported to the king: ‘My lord king of Aragon, the men of Toulouse have taken the town, if you will allow it; they have torn down houses and demolished buildings and driven the Frenchmen up into the keep.’ When the king heard that, he was not at all pleased. He went at once to the consuls of Toulouse and told them on his authority to leave the men of Muret alone.

‘For we should be fools to capture them now. I have had sealed letters telling me that Sir Simon de Montfort will be here in arms tomorrow. Once he is inside there, and my cousin Nunyo¹ has arrived, we’ll surround and assault the town and take them all, every...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of maps and figures
• Introduction
• The Song of the Cathar Wars by William of Tudela
• The Song continued by William’s successor
• Chronology
• Index