1209

1209 is the natural number that follows 1208 and precedes 1210. In mathematics, 1209 factors to 3 × 13 × 31, making it a squarefree, composite number with divisors 1, 3, 13, 31, 39, 93, 403, and 1209. In Roman numerals it is written MCCIX.

1209 CE was a year of note in medieval Europe. In the context of the Albigensian Crusade, the city of Béziers was captured on 22 July 1209, and its inhabitants were killed in a massacre that became widely cited as an example of crusading violence. The crusade campaign in southern France continued with sieges such as that of Carcassonne, which began in 1209 as crusaders pressed their campaign in the region and continued into the following year. The year also marks the period during which English scholars who had fled Oxford due to political tensions established a center of learning at Cambridge, an origin widely regarded as the seed of the University of Cambridge. The Cambridge foundation would develop through the 13th century, growing into one of the world’s oldest continually operating universities.

In science and culture, 1209 did not see landmark inventions or publications recorded in mainstream histories, but the year is often cited for its place in the broader history of the Crusades and the development of medieval scholarship in England.