Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
Pope Innocent III called the crusade against the Languedoc's heretics, also known as Cathars or Albigensians. "They believed the world was created by a Satan-like entity, practiced vegetarianism, and believed in reincarnation." They considered themselves Christians but did not recognize the Roman Catholic Church. The crusade was called against the Cathars and the count of Toulouse in the southern-most region of France. The conflict continued for much of the 13th century. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 were slaughtered at Beziers with only 200 being Cathars. After the massacre, Languedoc was absorbed into the kingdom of France and much of its ancient culture was destroyed. [Furtado: 1001 Days]