Table of Contents
361-363 AD: Persecution under Julian the Apostate – Roman Emperor Julian attempted to revive paganism, restricting Christian teachings and favoring pagans, leading to sporadic violence against Christians. Deaths: Limited, estimates under 100 direct killings.
380 AD: Edict of Thessalonica – Emperor Theodosius I declared Nicene Christianity the state religion, initiating persecution of Arian Christians, pagans, and heretics through bans on gatherings and temple destructions. Deaths: Not systematically recorded, but thousands affected over time.
614 AD: Persian Sack of Jerusalem – Sassanid Persians captured Jerusalem from Byzantines, destroying churches and massacring Christians during the Byzantine-Sassanid War. Deaths: Around 60,000-90,000 Christians killed or enslaved.
The Great Schism (East-West Schism) – 1054 AD
This event divided the unified Christian Church into two branches:
- Roman Catholic Church (Western, centered in Rome, under the Pope).
- Eastern Orthodox Church (Eastern, centered in Constantinople, led by patriarchs). The split resulted from long-standing differences in theology (e.g., the Filioque clause in the Creed), authority (papal supremacy), liturgy, language (Latin vs. Greek), and cultural-political tensions. Mutual excommunications in 1054 marked the formal break, though tensions had built for centuries.
First Crusade (1095-1099 AD)
Pope Urban II called for Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control; crusaders captured Jerusalem after sieges. Marked the start of holy wars between Christians and Muslims. Deaths: Estimates 200,000-300,000 total, including 40,000 in the 1099 sack of Jerusalem.
Second Crusade (1147-1149 AD)
Launched after Muslims recaptured Edessa; European forces failed to achieve major victories. Deaths: Around 100,000, mostly from battles and disease.
Third Crusade (1189-1192 AD)
Led by Richard I of England and others to retake Jerusalem after Saladin’s conquest; ended in truce. Deaths: 100,000-200,000.
1202-1204 AD: Fourth Crusade – Diverted to sack Constantinople, weakening Byzantine Empire. Deaths: 10,000-20,000 in the sack.
1209-1229 AD: Albigensian Crusade – Pope Innocent III’s campaign against the Cathars in southern France; involved massacres and sieges. Deaths: 200,000-1,000,000.
1217-1221 AD: Fifth Crusade – Targeted Egypt; failed after siege of Damietta. Deaths: 50,000-100,000.
1228-1229 AD: Sixth Crusade – Emperor Frederick II negotiated control of Jerusalem without major battles. Deaths: Minimal, under 10,000.
1248-1254 AD: Seventh Crusade – Led by Louis IX of France against Egypt; ended in defeat and ransom. Deaths: 50,000-100,000.
1270 AD: Eighth Crusade – Louis IX targeted Tunis; failed due to disease. Deaths: Around 20,000.
1271-1272 AD: Ninth Crusade – Led by Edward I of England; minor gains, ended Crusader presence in Levant by 1291. Deaths: 10,000-20,000.
1209: the Pope Innocent III sent an army into southern France to exterminate the Cathars
In 1208, Innocent III declared the crusade, and in 1209 the first army arrived.
In 1209, the Pope sent an army into southern France to exterminate the Cathars — a Christian movement that taught direct access to the sacred, without priests, without sacraments, without the institution. Twenty thousand people were killed in a single day at Béziers.
The crusade continued for about 20 years. While it severely weakened Catharism, it did not fully eradicate it. The more systematic, long-term suppression through the Papal Inquisition was later formalized by Pope Gregory IX in 1231 (after Innocent III’s death).
By 1244, the last major Cathar stronghold at Montségur had fallen, and two hundred of the surviving Perfecti — their senior clergy — were burned alive at the foot of a mountain. Thirty-five years from edict to extermination.
