Siege of Nègrepelisse

The Siege of Nègrepelisse (French: Siège de Nègrepelisse) was a siege accomplished by the young French king Louis XIII in 1622, against the Protestant stronghold of Nègrepelisse in France. This siege followed the Siege of Montauban, in which Louis XIII had failed against the Huguenot city.

The city was captured after a short siege, but all the inhabitants were massacred, without distinction of age or sex, practically all women were raped, and the city was looted and burnt to the ground. This severe treatment was due to the false claim that a Royal regiment left in garnisson in the city by the Duke of Mayenne had been exterminated by the citizens. The king had ordered:

""I command you to give no quarter to any man, because they have irritated me, and shall be served as they have treated the others.""

- Louis XIII.