The
Albigensian Crusade or
Cathar Crusade (1209–1229) was a 20-year military campaign initiated by
Pope Innocent III to eliminate
Catharism in
Languedoc, in the south of 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, 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.