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Political Events

The German king Friedrich II gains papal support by a bull that he promulgates July 12 at Eger renouncing all lands claimed by the pope since the death of the emperor Heinrich VI in 1197. Friedrich's rival, Otto IV, has the support of his uncle John Lackland.

The English Parliament has its beginnings in the Council of St. Albans (see 1258; Magna Carta, 1215).

Religion

Pope Innocent III has a change of heart with regard to persecuting the Cathar "heretics" (see 1212). He writes to the monk Arnold Amaury in January that a crusade to the Holy Land must take precedence over the Algibensian crusade, but he writes a letter May 21 ordering a resumption of efforts to suppress the Cathar. Infantrymen from Toulouse lay siege August 30 to the town of Muret on the Garonne River. Simon de Montfort strips his other castles and forts to assemble a force of 800 heavily armed horsemen and 1,200 foot soldiers and archers. They reach the Garonne opposite the town September 11 after a forced march from Carcassonne. The Battle of Muret near Toulouse September 12 ends in victory for the Norman crusaders of Simon de Montfort after a terrible slaughter in which at least 7,000 men have been killed outright and thousands more drowned in the Garonne in their efforts to escape. Pedro II of Aragon has been the most powerful supporter of the Cathar "heretics" and is killed at age 39; his brother-in-law Raymond VI, comte de Toulouse, flees to the protection of his kinsman John Lackland at London; Pedro's 5-year-old son was betrothed 2 years ago to Montfort's daughter and is given into Montfort's hands. The young king will be put in the care of the Knights Templar at the insistence of Pope Innocent III, brought to Saragossa in 1216, and reign until 1276 as Jaime I, but the defeat of Pedro II will strengthen the power of French kings later in the century and help them extend their rule to the Pyrenees (see inquisition, 1233).

The archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton returns after years on the Continent and absolves John Lackland, who submits to Pope Innocent III. Both England and Ireland become papal fiefs.

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