This is the story of the Cathars, the so-called heretical sect in the outstandingly beautiful Languedoc region of the south of France. Heresy was a well-known feature of life in medieval Europe. It basically meant holding beliefs contrary to those of the Roman Catholic Church. This might cover a multitude of sins ranging from belief in two gods, one good and one evil, objection to marriage and sexual intercourse as a means of reproducing the species and also to the eating of meat since all living creatures were seen to be the creation of the evil god. At the same time heretical beliefs could simply be objections to the worldliness and corruption of the Catholic Church. The existence of heresy was never seen by the Church as that much of a threat before the end of the 12th century. But then the Church came to take particular exception to the Cathars in the south of France. They were thought to have formed an organised Church spreading their beliefs. As a result of the inability of legates sent by the Pope to destroy heretical belief Pope Innocent III launched an armed crusade, known as the Albigensian Crusade, at the beginning of the 13th century to wipe out the heresy. This led to a 20 year war in which thousands of so-called heretics were killed many burnt at the stake. At that time the kingdom of France did not directly rule the Languedoc, but ultimately its intervention in the war led to the region coming under direct French rule. The war did not by any means eliminate the Cathars and the Church called on the Inquisition to weed out and try the remaining heretics and their task was not completed until the early 14th century. Whilst sad it is a fascinating story which continues to excite popular imagination in literature, TV and film.