A crusader army captured Béziers, France, and massacred the city's inhabitants in the first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade.

Béziers is a city in southern France. It is a subprefecture of the Hérault department in the Occitanie region. Every August Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, which is centred on bullfighting. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event.

The Massacre at Béziers occurred on 22 July 1209 during the sack of Béziers by crusaders. It was the outcome of the Siege of Béziers, which was the first major military action of the Albigensian Crusade.

The Albigensian Crusade, also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown and promptly took on a political aspect. It resulted in the significant reduction of practicing Cathars and a realignment of the County of Toulouse with the French crown. The distinct regional culture of Languedoc was also diminished.