The Cathars were largely a homegrown, Western European / Latin Christian phenomenon, springing up in the Rhineland cities ( particularly Cologne ) in the mid-12th century, northern France around the same time, and particularly southern France — the Languedoc — and the northern Italian cities in the mid-late 12th century.

As the Languedoc was supposedly teeming with Cathars and Cathar sympathisers, this made the region a target for northern French noblemen looking to acquire new fiefs.

The Albigensian Crusade had begun in 1209, ostensibly against the Cathar heretics of southern France and Languedoc in particular, though it soon became a contest between lords of northern France and those of the Occitania in the south.

The county of Toulouse was made up of what would later be called Languedoc, but it also included the province of Quercy ( now département of Lot and northern half of the of Tarn-et-Garonne ) and the province of Rouergue ( now of Aveyron ), both to the northwest of Languedoc.

At some times it even included the province of Agenais ( now eastern half of the of Lot-et-Garonne ) to the west of Languedoc, the province of Gévaudan ( now of Lozère ), the province of Velay ( now the central and eastern part of the of Haute-Loire ), the southern part of the province of Vivarais ( now the southern part of the of Ardèche ), and even all the northern half of Provence.

The population of the former province of Languedoc is currently the fastest-growing in France, and also among the fastest-growing in Europe, as an increasing flow of people from northern France and the north of Europe relocating to the sunbelt of Europe, in which Languedoc is located.

In modern times textual analysis of the letter's variant Hebrew versions have suggested an origin among the Jews of northern Italy or Languedoc: several Italian words remained in the Hebrew texts.

" The herb is called sain-foin in France, in Italy herba medica, in Provence and the Languedoc luzerne.

He afterwards led the French forces in Italy, but after his defeat before Alessandria in 1657 retired to Languedoc, where he devoted himself to study and mysticism until his death.

The " Como-Pavian " architectural sculpture is recognized in the cathedral of Modena and its Torre della Ghirlandina, in central and southern Italy, west across Languedoc to Iberian Peninsula, across southern Germany as far as Hungary, and even in England.

They also may be found throughout the Mediterranean, as in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, València, Languedoc, Provence, Liguria, the Apulia region of Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, and in the Canary Islands, including retaining walls used for terracing.

The Crusade had devastated Languedoc and forced many troubadours of the area, whose poetry had not always been kind to the Church hierarchy, to flee to Italy, where an Italian tradition of papal criticism was begun.

The remaining Roman territory in Gaul in the northwest was connected the Roman possessions in the Auvergne, Provence and Languedoc by a small strip connecting it to Italy.

Saint Dominic met and debated the Cathars in 1203 during his mission to the Languedoc.

There followed twenty years of war against the Cathars and their allies in the Languedoc: the Albigensian Crusade.

The Cathars: Dualist heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle Ages.

A new take on Catharism in Languedoc — argues against any kind of doctrinal unity of mid-13th-century Cathars.

Cathars outside of Languedoc

Deriving from earlier varieties of gnosticism, Cathar theology found its most surprising success in the Languedoc and the Cathars were known as Albigensians, either because of an association with the city of Albi, or because the 1176 Church Council which declared the Cathar doctrine heretical was held near Albi.

The Cathars did not recognize the authority of the French king or, evidently, the Catholic Church, and so initially a delegation of friars was sent out to assess the situation in the province of Languedoc.

During the 1990s, after a teaching exchange visit to Paul Valery University in Montpellier inspired an interest in the Cathars of Southern France, he started working on Languedoc Variorum: A Defense of Heresy and Heretics.

By 1985, the group had encountered Burlington, Vermont luthier Paul Languedoc, who would eventually design two guitars for Anastasio and two basses for Gordon.

There would later be a SNCASE SE. 161 Languedoc build, which was a much more successful plane, and over 100 of these were built, with 40 of them being placed into service through Air-France.

Alfonso's involvement in the affairs of Languedoc, which would cost the life of his successor, Peter II of Aragon, for the moment proved highly beneficial, strengthening Aragonese trade and stimulating emigration from the north to colonise the newly reconquered lands in Aragon.

Gévaudan is often considered to be a sub-province inside the province of Languedoc, in which case Languedoc would account for 86. 6 % of Languedoc-Roussillon.

On the other hand, there are some who would like to merge the Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées regions, thus reunifying the old province of Languedoc, and creating a large region.

As a successor state for the Visigothic Kingdom ( 418 – 721 ), Aquitania ( Aquitaine ) and Languedoc ( Toulouse ) inherited the Visigothic Law and Roman Law which had combined to allow women more rights than their contemporaries would enjoy until the 20th century.

* On the other hand, there are those who stress the past of Toulouse, referring to the former County of Toulouse which extended to the Mediterranean Coast, and who would like to merge Midi-Pyrénées with Languedoc-Roussillon in order to create a large Languedoc region.

This indeed would reunify the old province of Languedoc, which was split between Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon, and it would also make sense historically speaking, creating a region roughly corresponding to the old county of Toulouse.

As a successor state for the Visigothic Kingdom and Kingdom of Aquitaine, Tolouse, along with Aquitania and Languedoc ( but not Gascony ), inherited the Visigothic Law and Roman Law which had combined to allow women more rights than their contemporaries would enjoy until the 20th century.

As a successor state for the Visigothic Kingdom ( 418 – 721 ), Aquitania ( Aquitaine ) and Languedoc ( Toulouse ) inherited the Visigothic Law and Roman Law which had combined to allow women more rights than their contemporaries would enjoy until the 20th century.

The county of Toulouse took its definite shape, from Toulouse in the west to the Rhone River in the east, a unity that would survive until the French Revolution as the province of Languedoc.

Women in Christian Spain and Southern France, those regions part of the Visigothic Kingdom ( 418 – 721 ) and its various successor states ( Asturias, León, Castile, Navarra, Aragon, Aquitania ( Occitania ) and Languedoc ) Visigothic Law and Roman Law combined to allow women more rights then their contemporaries would enjoy until the 20th century.

The provinces of Quercy and Rouergue, despite their old ties with Toulouse, were not incorporated into the gouvernement of Languedoc, instead being attached to the gouvernement of Guienne and its far-away capital Bordeaux.

In time they had increased their power well beyond military matters, and had become the real administrators and executive power of the province, a trend seen in the other gouvernements of France, but particularly acute in Languedoc, where the duke of Montmorency, governor of Languedoc, even openly rebelled against the king, then was defeated and beheaded in Toulouse in 1632 by the order of Richelieu.

Finally, for purposes of taxation, Languedoc was ruled by the States of Languedoc, whose jurisdiction included only Languedoc proper ( and Albigeois ), but not Gévaudan, Velay, and Vivarais, which kept each their own provincial states until 1789.

The historical makeup of Midi-Pyrénées is even more complex, as the provinces listed here are further subdivided into pays ( literally " countries "), with each their peculiarities and particular identities, such as Armagnac, Astarac, or Lomagne inside the Gascogne part of Midi-Pyrénées, Lauragais or Volvestre inside the Languedoc part of Midi-Pyrénées, Bonezan inside County of Foix, Lavedan inside Bigorre, and so on.

Also, people in Roussillon, with their distinct Catalan culture, might object to being incorporated into a very large Languedoc region where their identity could become diluted.

It retained these two names while it was ruled by the counts of Toulouse during early part of the Middle Ages, but the southern part became more familiar as Roussillon and the west became known as Foix, and the name " Gothia " ( along with the older name " Septimania ") faded away during the 10th century, except as a traditional designation as the region fractured into smaller feudal entities, which sometimes retained Carolingian titles, but lost their Carolingian character, as the culture of Septimania evolved into the culture of Languedoc.

And though the use of the latter has been greatly affected by what is known as la Vergonha — which is the physical, legal, artistic and moral repression of the tongue in all areas of society aiming at making children feel ashamed of their parents ' language to the benefit of French, — every region of the country of Òc gave birth to literary geniuses: Joan Bodon in Guyenne, Marcela Delpastre in Limousin, Robèrt Lafont in Provence, Bernat Manciet in Gascony and Max Roqueta in Languedoc.

After part of Languedoc was attached to royal demesne ( 1229 ), the lords ' ( and later dukes ') military skill and fealty to the Crown propelled their rise through the nobility, until, after the treason of the last Duke of Montmorency, beheaded in 1632, the title of First Duke of France fell to Uzès, who retain their stronghold in the center of town today, which has expanded round the 11th century Tour Bermond.

In June 1907, huge demonstrations broke out across the Languedoc with over 900, 000 protesters demanding that the government take action to protect their livelihood.

Navarre was quickly seized by the French, although the Spanish managed to hold their ground in Catalonia and even invaded French Languedoc.

The inter-cultural exchanges between groups were more frequent, and their influence spread to distances of 1000 kilometres or greater, as was the case with the Treilles, in the French Languedoc.