Battle of Muret

The Battle of Muret (Occitan: Batalha de Murèth), fought on 12 September 1213 near Muret, 25 km south of Toulouse, was the last major battle of the Albigensian Crusade and one of the most notable pitched battles of the Middle Ages. Although estimates of the sizes of the respective armies vary considerably even among distinguished modern historians, it is most well known for a small force of French knights and crusaders commanded by Simon de Montfort the Elder defeating a much larger allied army led by King Peter II of Aragon and Count Raymond VI of Toulouse. Like Hastings and Bouvines, Muret is regarded as one of the most decisive tactical victories of the High Middle Ages and a much more complete victory than the first two. It showed Montfort had no equal as a battlefield commander, having now after his previous exploits defeated, against all odds, a man whose status as a sovereign king, general and crusader matched or exceeded the Frenchman's own reputation. Charles Oman described the battle as the most remarkable triumphs ever won by a force entirely composed of cavalry over an enemy that used both horse and foot. The death of Peter II and the heavy loss of life among the Aragonese nobility had permanent political consequences in the region. The outcome of the battle removed Aragonese influence over the Languedoc and its surrounding provinces and allowed the Crown of France to assert its own control over them, which led to an expansion of the French royal domain further south. Simon IV de Montfort was the leader of the Albigensian Crusade aimed at destroying Catharism and bringing the Languedoc under Capetian control. He invaded County of Toulouse and exiled its count, Raymond VI. Count Raymond sought assistance from his brother-in-law, King Peter II of Aragon, who felt threatened by Montfort's conquests in Languedoc. He decided to cross the Pyrenees and to deal with Montfort at Muret. On 10 September, Peter's army arrived at Muret, and was joined by contingents from Languedoc led by Raymond and other southern French lords.