The Cathar Crusade-Introduction

The Cathar Crusade, a crusade against non-violent followers of a different form of Christianity, lasted from 1209 to 1229, and resulted in the conquest of the Toulouse region by the French king, the establishment of papal domination over the Christian church in Europe and the creation of the Papal Inquisition, basically the first secret police. This introduction provides a quick summary of the series, and the key areas that will be covered.

Image Credit:
Pope Innocent III excommunicating the Albigensians (left). Massacre against the Albigensians by the Crusaders (right). 
By Chroniques de Saint-Denis - http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=43733, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13305991