<P> The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade ( 1209 -- 1229 ) was a 20 - year military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc , in southern France . The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown and promptly took on a political flavour , resulting in not only a significant reduction in the number of practising Cathars , but also a realignment of the County of Toulouse in Languedoc , bringing it into the sphere of the French crown and diminishing the distinct regional culture and high level of influence of the Counts of Barcelona . </P>
<P> The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade ( 1209 -- 1229 ) was a 20 - year military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc , in southern France . The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown and promptly took on a political flavour , resulting in not only a significant reduction in the number of practising Cathars , but also a realignment of the County of Toulouse in Languedoc , bringing it into the sphere of the French crown and diminishing the distinct regional culture and high level of influence of the Counts of Barcelona . </P>
the first person to call for a crusade against heretics in western europe was
the first person to call for a crusade against heretics in western europe was
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III