Joseph Strayer's The Albigensian Crusade

In Joseph Strayer’s The Albigensian Crusade, a little more light is shed on the differences we see in this particular crusade compared to others. This specific crusade would not be fought a long distance away, but rather in the homelands of the Christians. This crusade would also not be against the foreigners, but instead against fellow Christians. The Albigensian Crusade will be one of the most diverse crusades in medieval Europe that will change the culture of the crusades, the impact made on the people who would fight crusades, and the Pope

This would lead to the wars being fought with Christians, specifically the Cathars and Roman Church. There is an understanding that southern France had many culture differences that would help create conflicts between the north and south. The north and south had differences in languages from each other in addition to the areas having stigmas against each other. The northerners thought that southerners were undisciplined, spoiled, and they believed that southerners were influenced by businessmen and Jews. The southerners thought northerners were crude, arrogant, uncultured, and aggressive. Differences in these cultures would cause that war to be long and harsh. However, for the men who would join this crusade, distance and time would be a large motivation for contributing in the war. The Pope was allowing for crusaders to fight for the forty days to receive some form of penitence. Many would see this as a large opportunity to help fight for the Pope and not have to go completely overseas. Traveling within Europe would be a much better choice if having to choose between the two to gain penitence. The Albigensian Crusade will differ from foreign crusades in fighting fellow Christians, distance would be drastically closer compared to the Holy Lands, and how this particular crusade was also different in the beginning of how it