On 12 September 1213, the Battle of Muret was fought between the Crusaders under Simon de Montfort against Toulouse and Aragon under Peter II and Raymond VI during the Albigensian Crusade.
Why did it happen?
During the twelfth century, southwestern France experienced a revival of Gnostic and Alchemical ideas under the patronage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and local nobles who sought independence from northern France. As stated by Jay Weidner, “At the heart of this mystic reunion was a desire to reinvigorate Europe with the ancient alchemical knowledge of the path to liberation and enlightenment” (Rose, 2002, p.105). One of these movements was Catharism, which incorporated aspects of Gnosticism in its teachings and practices, including the distinction between the Christian God, or Demiurge, and the higher power known as the Originator. This attracted the wrath of the Catholic Church, and in 1209, Pope Innocent III declared a Crusade against the Cathars. At first, the Crusaders captured a string of fortresses and massacred their inhabitants, with papal legate Arnaud-Amaury infamously stating, “Kill them all, God will know his own” (Grant, 2005, p.110). However, when Raymond VI of Toulouse and Peter II of Aragon intervened in the conflict, the Crusaders found themselves trapped inside the fortress of Muret in September 1213.
Who was involved?
The Crusader forces at Muret numbered 1,200 infantry and 900 cavalry. Realising that they were outnumbered, the Crusaders planned to ride out from the city and launch a surprise attack on the Allied army before they could react accordingly. The Crusader force was divided into three divisions: the first two divisions were under the command of William of Barres, while the third division was led by Simon de Montfort. The combined forces of Toulouse and Aragon numbered 30,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry. The Aragonese force was led by Peter II and the Count of Foix, while the Toulouse force was under the command of Raymond VI. A large portion of the Toulouse infantry was besieging Muret while the Aragonese army was arrayed to the north of the city.
What happened?
Under siege from the forces of Toulouse and Aragon, Simon de Montfort led his 2,100-strong force out from Muret towards the Aragonese camp. After crossing the Louge River, two Crusader divisions under William of Barres rode in a wide arc to crash into the Aragonese line under the Count of Foix. Driven back by the Crusader army, King Peter II of Aragon ordered his forces to pull back to their rear line and camp. Simon de Montfort led his third Crusader division over the Louge River and charged Peter’s right flank. Already disordered and surprised by the sudden assault, the Aragonese cavalry struggled to retain cohesion and began to retreat after a sword blow killed Peter II. After pursuing the Aragonese cavalry, Simon de Montfort rode towards the Toulouse camp and scattered the cavalry before turning on the infantry besieging Muret. In the rout that followed, Raymond of Toulouse escaped with his cavalry. The combined forces of Toulouse and Aragon sustained 7,000 casualties, while Crusader losses were a mere 100 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Muret was a Crusader victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Raymond fled, and Simon de Montfort took control of Toulouse. However, in 1216, the citizens of Toulouse rebelled, and Raymond saw an opportunity to regain his lands after Simon sacked the city. In September 1217, Raymond re-entered Toulouse, only to be besieged by Crusader forces until July 1218, when Simon’s death forced the Crusaders to withdraw. The Albigensian Crusade continued until 1229, when King Louis VIII of France intervened to agree on peace. Catharism continued to flourish in southwestern France until 1244 when its remaining members were wiped out at Montsegur. In the aftermath of this event, the ancient alchemical knowledge of human transformation went underground until the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries with the emergence of the Rosicrucian Enlightenment.
Bibliography
Bellviure, Joel. “Battle of Muret map.” Wikimedia Commons. Last revised August 18, 2018. www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Muret_Map_-_en.svg
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Rose, Sharron. The Path of the Priestess: A Guidebook for Awakening the Divine Feminine. Rochester, Inner Traditions, 2002.
Snow, Peter. Battles Map by Map. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2021.