Carcassonne

The day after my 62nd. birthday I took a train from Toulouse to Carcassonne, about 1 hour, 90km south. Carcassonne is another ancient city that is at least 2500 years old. Because of its strategic location in the Languedoc region of S. France the Romans began developing it as an enclosed fortified walled city on a hill high over the River Aude. There is a bas ville (lower village) at the bottom of the hill on the banks of the river outside of the walls. 

  After the fall of the Roman Empire it was frequently attacked and occupied by Visigoth, Saracen and Frankish assailants.  One legend about the name of the city attributes it to this story.  During the Saracen occupation, the city was besieged for a long time by Charlemagne.  The widow of the Saracen lord, Dame Carcas, continued to lead the citizens of the city after her husband's death. Near starvation and with only one pig and a small bag of wheat grain left,  Dame Carcas had the grain stuffed into the pig and the pig tossed from the ramparts at the feet of Charlemagne's crusaders. The pig of course burst open and the grain spilled out. When Charlemagne saw this he immediately lifted the siege and began withdrawing his troops thinking that if these people could waste such food they must be very well supplied and immune to his siege.
As his army was withdrawing Dame Carcas ordered all of the bells in the city to be rung. Charlemagne sent a soldier back to investigate and at that instant Dame Carcas surrendered the city and pledged allegiance to Charlemagne. Charlemagne was so moved by the intelligence and bravery of Dame Carcas that he spared her and the city. Since then the city was know as Carcas sonne (sonner is the French verb; to ring).

As promised in a previous posting I will continue explaining a bit more about the Cathars or Albigensians as the Roman papacy called them. 

"The Cathars were a 13th century religious sect critical of corruption in the established church. Cathar dissent flourished in independent Languedoc as an expression of separatism, but the rebellion was rapidly exploited for political purposes. Peter II of Aragon was keen to annex Languedoc, and Philippe II of France joined forces with the pope to crush the Cathar heretics in a crusade led by Simon de Montfort in 1209. This heralded the start of over a century of ruthless killing and torture.

The crusade against the Cathars was vicious. Heretics' land was promised to the crusaders by the pope, who assured forgiveness in advance of their crimes. (murder and rape, arson and pillaging) In 1209,  20,000 citizens were massacred in Béziers and the following year 140 were burned to death (rather than to confess their heresy and pledge allegiance to the pope) in Minerve.  In 1244,  225 Cathars died defending one of their last fortresses at Montségur.


Carcasonne's strategic position meant it was often at the center of religious conflict. The Cathars were given sanctuary there in 1209 by Raymond-Roger Trenceval when besieged by Simon de Montfort."  The city eventually fell and Trenceval died in prison.
( "Quoted" narrative from DK Eyewitness Travel:France)


In 1226 the city was annexed to the royal domain and more fortifications and improvements continued. Before the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Carcassonne protected the border between France and Aragon (Spain). After the treaty the old walled city entered into a 200 year decline with the stone fortifications becoming a quarry for the surrounding inhabitants. In the 19th century the famous and talented historian and architect, Viollet-le-Duc, began restoring the city and its medieval look. It was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997.


With its ramparts, towers and medieval fortifications such as a barbicon and double porcullis at the main gate, Carcassonne is a wonderfully restored example of military medieval architecture. Today the streets of the inner city has numerous shops and restaurants to service the tourist trade. It is a very popular hitorical site and I believe a must see destination for the S. France tourist.