Which religious group did Pope Innocent III target in southern France?

Pope Innocent III targeted the Cathari—a dualist religious movement also known as the Albigenses—in southern France.12

Viewing their beliefs as a dangerous heresy that threatened the salvation of souls and the unity of the church, Innocent III initially attempted to convert them through peaceful preaching. However, after the murder of a papal legate in 1208, the pope called for the Albigensian Crusade in 1209. This conflict, which pitted northern French nobility against the south, was characterized by significant violence and destruction. While the Crusade failed to immediately eradicate the movement, it established a framework for the Inquisition to eventually suppress the group in the following century.12345