800th anniversary of Béziers massacre

The annual medieval fair in Béziers starts tomorrow. It’s called the Caritats.

You’ll know that something is happening in the town because half the shopkeepers get dressed to the nines in medieval garb, most of them as jolly maidens with very tall hats, or as posh gents with brightly coloured nappy turban type things on their heads.

And there is something rather surreal in watching comely medieval maidens having a fag break in ye olde  gear from troubador times.

This year's festival in Béziers

The festival is now in its fifth year and keeps getting bigger and bigger. There are food and craft stalls in the Allees Paul Riquet,  jousting and archery in nearby squares, and medieval banquets in the evenings (see timetable below).

All very very jolly. But this year also happens to be the 800th anniversary of the massacre of Béziers, when the town was sacked by Crusaders.

The Crusade against the Cathars

The anniversary proper of the massacre – by far the most important date in medieval history in the area – is two months later than the Caritats, and the events concerned are an entire universe away from the festival’s general quaint/fun vibe.

Eight centuries ago, Béziers was the stronghold of Catharism in the Languedoc, and Catholic forces from the north attacked the town at the start of the Albigensian Crusade.

On July 22, 1209, the Catholics within Béziers were given the chance to leave before the Crusaders’ siege. But they refused, and stayed on – fighting alongside the Cathars.

The local population would have been about 5,000 at the time, but other refugees seeking shelter within the city walls would probably have swelled the numbers to 20,000 people.

The Crusaders routed all of them in the bloody massacre on that day. No one was spared, not even those who took refuge in the churches or the cathedral of Saint Nazaire. The invaders set fire to it, and it collapsed on those who had taken refuge inside. The town was pillaged and burnt, and none were left alive.

‘Kill them all…’

The commander of the crusade was the Abbot of Citeau, Arnaud-Amaury (or Arnald Amalaricus). When asked by one of his soldiers how to tell the Catholics from the Cathars once they had taken the city, the abbot is alleged to have replied: “Kill them all, God will know his own.”

Then they moved on to the Cathars of Carcassonne, and after the Crusades came the Inquisition…

A good introduction to the history and religious beliefs of the Cathars is Sean Martin’s recently published book The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages (ISBN13: 978-1-904048-33-6). A bit dry at times, it nonetheless feels very comprehensive.

Back to the festival…

Meanwhile back at les Caritats, here are the main events in this year’s festival programme

Friday 22 May

• 9h-11h : accueil et activités pour les enfants des écoles (allées Paul Riquet)
• 11h : inauguration officielle (allées Paul Riquet)
• 13h-19h, jeux pour enfants de 6 à 14 ans, jeux traditionnels et de rôles avec costumes (parvis du théâtre et haut des allées), marché du terroir
• 15h-17h, visites guidées de l’église de la madeleine suivie d’une animation musicale médiévale
• 15h30-17h30 : tournoi équestre, combats, saltimbanques, dressage de chevaux, courses en sac (lice équestre, place Jean-Jaurès)
• 19h-20h30 Bal médiéval (parvis du théâtre)
• 21h-22h défilé en costumes, de la lice équestre (place Jean-Jaurès) à l’église de la Madeleine
• 22h30- spectacle par le groupe Oc, place de la Madeleine « Cathares, la Croisade-Episode 1 »

Saturday 22 May

• A partir de 9h, campement, artisans, jeux pour enfants, etc., place Jean_Jaurès
• 11h: défilé (place Jean-Jaurès/place de la Madeleine)
• 12h: Eglise de la Madeleine, scène de la remise de « la charte des libertés communales » et bénédiction
• 13h-19h animations, combats, saltimbanques, rapaces, dressage de chevaux, visites guidées de l’église de la madeleine et animation musicale médiévale…
• 20h30 : banquet médiéval, au cloître de la cathédrale St Nazaire

See? All fun fun fun. For events marking the anniversary on the day and throughout 2009, check out the press kit (in French) (PDF), including details of the “Tuez-les tous!” theatre spectacular on 22 July.
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