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Carcassonne

The city of Carcassonne, overlooking the Aude Valley in the south of France, may have been a settlement site as far back as the sixth-century B.C.E. Its place in the annales of French medieval history is secured by the attention paid to the small city by historical figures including the Visigoths, Clovis, Pepin the Short, the Cathars, the Albigensian Crusade, and Louis IX. Any examination of the chronology of the city reveals instances in its history like the following: 412 C.E.- The Visigoths Occupy the City 509 C.E.- Clovis chases retreating Visigoths to Carcassonne, which Clovis is unable to capture 711 C.E.- Arab Invasion of Spain reaches as far as Carcassonne 725 C.E.- Arabs capture Carcassonne 732 C.E.- Charles Martel defeats the Arabs at Poitier [or Tours], driving many back to Spain, but the Arabs hold Carcassonne 750 C.E.- Pepin the Short recaptures Carcassonne from the Arabs 1209 C.E. Armies of the Albigensian Crusade led by Simon de Montfort takes the town after a two month siege 1217 C.E.- The Count of Toulouse recaptures his city from the crusaders 1226 C.E.- Louis VIII occupies Carcassonne *Chronology adapted from the book, Carcassonne: Cathar Castles (Estel, 2001) 2-3. The military architecture of the city is striking in appearance as one approaches the outer towers of the Narbonne Gate, as is the well preserved Count's Castle when seen from the covered way above the Aude gate.The Cathedral of St. Nazaire and St. Celse  alone is worth the trip, but  the city provides so many attractions that any student of medieval history will benefit from time spent there.

Albigensian Crusade-Crusades-Encyclopedia

Primary Sources of the Albigensian Crusade- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Reconquista- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Primary Sources of the Reconquista- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Louis VIII- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Charles Martel- Crusades-Encyclopedia

The Arab Conquests- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Clovis- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Pepin the Short- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Poitiers [Tours]- Crusades-Encyclopedia

Visigoths- Crusades-Encyclopedia

(c) Andrew Holt, May 2005- Permission is granted for electronic copying and distribution in print for educational and personal use. No permission is granted for commercial use.