Overview
Carcassonne is like something out of a picture book. It is the largest fortress in Europe and one of the very few remaining examples of a fully preserved medieval fortified town.
Entering the citadel across the drawbridge, you pass through double curtain walls and a fortified gateway into a narrow, bustling street lined with shops. At the end of this street lies the inner fortress — the last stronghold where inhabitants would retreat if the outer defences fell. Around the citadel are small squares with wells, the Basilica of St. Nazaire, and an open-air theatre used for the annual festival.
Despite the tourists, it is easy to imagine the town’s turbulent past: brilliant courts with troubadours, knights and noblewomen; long sieges where residents survived on rats and dogs; and desperate battles fought from its formidable ramparts.
The Romans built the first fortified settlement here in the 2nd century BC, naming it Carcasso. They constructed ramparts that form the foundations of the inner wall. By the 5th century AD, Roman authority collapsed under successive invasions. The Visigoths ruled for 300 years until the Franks captured the town in the 8th century. Although the Visigoths reinforced the walls, Carcassonne could not withstand the Saracens, who held it for 30 years until Pepin the Short recaptured it in 759.
The Legend of Lady Carcas
During the Saracen occupation, Charlemagne besieged Carcassonne for five years but failed to take it. Inside the walls, only one piglet and a measure of corn remained. Lady Carcas, a Muslim princess, devised a plan: she ordered straw dummies of archers placed on the battlements and fed the last corn to the pig. When it was fat, she had it thrown over the ramparts to suggest abundant supplies. Discouraged, Charlemagne began to withdraw. As the bells rang to recall him for negotiations, he heard “Carcas sonne!” — giving rise to the name Carcassonne.
The Trencavels and the Albigensian Crusade
For 400 years Carcassonne was ruled by Counts and later Viscounts under the Counts of Toulouse. The Trencavel dynasty built the Château Comtal, strengthened the fortifications, and began construction of the Basilica in 1096. Their court became a vibrant centre of learning and culture.
This prosperity ended with the Albigensian Crusade of 1209. The Cathar (Albigensian) heresy had taken hold in the Languedoc and was supported by the Trencavels, who resented clerical authority. The Cathars believed in a radical dualism between Good and Evil: Satan ruled the material world, while the true God ruled the spiritual one. The Parfaits (the elect) lived in extreme purity — chastity, poverty, humility — and were venerated by the Croyants (believers).
Rejecting the sacraments and condemning Church corruption, they alarmed the Vatican. After peaceful persuasion failed, Pope Innocent III launched the Crusade. Carcassonne fell after a 15-day siege; young Raymond de Trencavel was imprisoned and died soon after. Simon de Montfort took control, devastating cities and massacring populations to stamp out the heresy. Although a truce came after 20 years, the Cathars were not fully defeated until 1244, when 270 were burned at Montségur.
Royal Control and Reconstruction
In 1240, Raymond Trencavel’s son attempted to retake Carcassonne but was defeated. Saint Louis ordered the destruction of the suburbs that had grown around the base of the walls, and the population was banished for seven years. When they were allowed to return, they built a new town across the River Aude — today’s ville nouvelle, dating from 1247.
Saint Louis simultaneously ordered the construction of a second, outer defensive wall with fourteen towers. The area between the double walls (les Lices) was cleared, and today offers superb walking along the ramparts with views of the twenty-four towers of the inner wall.
By 1659, Carcassonne’s military importance diminished when Roussillon was annexed to France. With the frontier now far away, the citadel declined into a quiet garrison town and gradually fell into disrepair.
In the 19th century, the Romantic movement revived interest in medieval architecture. Viollet-le-Duc was commissioned to restore Carcassonne. Though criticised for being overly enthusiastic, he preserved what is now perhaps Europe’s most impressive surviving medieval fortress.
Medieval Siege Warfare
Carcassonne is an ideal place to explain medieval military architecture. European armies learned new siege tactics during the Crusades, encountering Near Eastern fortresses that required prolonged sieges to overcome. Until gunpowder changed warfare in the mid-15th century, a well-constructed fortress gave defenders a major advantage.
A moat filled with water — and sewage — surrounded the walls. At danger’s first sign, the drawbridge was raised and the portcullis dropped, isolating the citadel. Archers manned battlements and arrow-slits, pouring boiling oil, lead or burning pitch on attackers. Many towers had projecting wooden galleries for this purpose. Tower bases curved outward to prevent climbers from gaining a foothold, and angled edges helped deflect projectiles.
Defenders relied on stocked food stores and, above all, secure sources of water. Wells were vital; if water entered from outside, its route was kept secret to prevent enemies from poisoning or contaminating it.
Attackers fortified their own positions with ditches, palisades and watchtowers to prevent breakout attempts or reinforcements. They used battering rams, catapults, and movable siege towers. Sappers dug tunnels under walls, while moats were filled to allow scaling ladders. Many fortresses ultimately fell not by force but through famine, disease or betrayal.
Cuisine
The regional speciality is cassoulet — also claimed by Castelnaudary — a rich, slow-cooked mixture of white beans with preserved duck or goose, cured pork and sausage. Hearty and filling, it is best enjoyed on a cooler day.