After the failure of Raymond Trencavel II in 1240, Raymond VII of Toulouse had one last hope of popular uprising in the Languedoc against the French occupiers and the Inquisition. The uprising was planned for 1242, supported by the Holy Roman Emperor, James I King of Aragon, Henry III King of England , Roger IV Count of Foix, Raymond Trencavel II, and other allies.
It proved a disaster. The Holy Roman Emperor kept delaying until it was too late. Henry III was defeated at Taillebourg by Louis IX King of France. The Aragonese forces were not enough to galvanise the exhausted population, and the new Count of Foix deserted his family's ancient ally, sealing both their fates.
The only achievement of note was the killing of a few widely
hated Inquisitors at Avignonet, along with their retinue,
during the night of 28 May 1242 by soldiers from Château
of Montségur (
Montsegùr)
led by Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix. The removal of these Inquisitors
was enormously popular. Church bells were rung to celebrate
the event as the solders passed through villages on their
way home.
The Château at Avignonet, where the Inquisitors were lodging, belonged to Raymond VII of Toulouse, and was kept by his his brother-in-law, Raymond d'Alfaro.
The events at Avignonet prompted the final notable action
of the war - the famous siege of the Château
of Montségur (
Montsegùr)
in 1243-4. Many of those who had participated in the
killing of the Inquisitors were captured at Montsegur and
interogated by the Inquisition. This is why historians have
a remarkable amount of detail about them and their movements.
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