[Mrs. Don-o]

->> egged on by the presence of unfettered islam - nearly brought Christianity down<<

I know but little about the Abigensian Crusade, but the little I know sure looks like a protracted series on crimes and aggressions on the part of Simon de Montfort et al.

So educate me (I know I’m ignorant) — was there a Muslim connection? Really?

[x_plus_one]

In the 8th century, southern France was a separate country known as Occitania. It was in play for hundreds of years between Franks, moslems and the local gentry.

Recent research by Toulouse historian Sydney Forado shows that it was in fact the battle of Toulouse in 721, much more than the battle of Poitiers - sometimes called the battle of Tours - 11 years later, which prevented further, and possibly more permanent, Muslim gains in southern France. Just as significantly, Eudes's victory at Toulouse resulted in a number of Islamo-Christian political alliances in southwestern France, initiating those first crucial cultural and commercial exchanges between Muslim Spain on the one hand and Languedoc, Gascony, southern Aquitaine, the Pyrenees, Septimania and Provence on the other.

https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199302/the.arabs.in.occitania.htm

Some claim protestant ideas are actually derived from Catharism - http://www.cathar.info/

Troubador culture was the high point of Le Languedoc. Their influence was profound and far-reaching, giving rise to the development of virtually all modern western literature other than religious "legends".http://www.languedoc-france.info/1904_troubadours.htm

Origins of Cathar heresy are still unknown.- http://www.cathar.info/cathar_origins.htm

The big picture is that the Christian church was competing with many ideologies and nearly died (according to the Catholic online histories and they would know).

Waldensian Germans - Italian Cathars and more were taking over.

Today, the Orthodox Church in Moscow sees itself as the inheritor of the mantle of Christianity. They see western protestants as heretics and the Roman church as slackers. Orthodox priests are in every army unit. If Rome and western cities get nuked, the orthodox establishment will move in. They have no problem calling a spade a spade and targeting western heretics for conversion.