Born in France, Simon de Montfort was the second son of the Simon de Montfort who had led the Albigensian (Fourth) Crusade in 1202-4. Simon fils arrived in England for the first time in 1230 at about the age of 22, and pursued his family's claim to the earldom of Leicester, which he was allowed the following year. The new earl of Leicester immediately expelled the Jews from the town.
Shortly after he had arrived in the country, de Montfort had met and become friends with Henry III, who was only a year older. Some seven years later, in 1238, de Montfort married Henry's youngest sister Eleanor. However, within a year, a rift had developed between the two men that never truly healed. De Montfort went abroad, where he acquired a reputation for his military skill. His contempt for Henry also grew. As for the monarch, he is reported to have said that 'frightened as he was of thunderstorms, he dreaded Simon more than any thunder and lightning.'
In 1248, as the king's deputy in Gascony, de Montfort put down a minor rebellion with a heavy hand. The king, jealous of the earl's popularity, listened eagerly to the complaints made against him and sent de Montfort to trial. Acquitted of all charges, the earl resigned his post in 1253 and, seething, returned to England.
In 1258, after 42 years on the throne, Henry's rule was attracting increasing criticism. De Montfort joined barons who were becoming quite vocal in their dissatisfaction. On 12 April, he signed a 'confederacy' that began the revolutionary movement. He then became one of the 24 authors of the Provisions of Oxford, which set out to return the government of England to what it had been during Henry's minority: ministers reporting and responsible to councils of lay and Church members.
As the barons began to disagree on how far the changes should go, de Montfort soon became the undisputed leader of the reformers. However, when in both 1260 and 1261 he tried to activate the barons into taking action, they backed down. De Montfort withdrew from public life, disgusted at their spinelessness. Two years later, Louis IX of France, arbitrator of the dispute between Henry and the barons over the Provisions, ruled that the king did not have to obey them. Suddenly the barons came back to life and de Montfort reluctantly joined them.
Once again the leader of the rebellion, de Montfort collected military forces. On 14 May 1264 at Lewes in Sussex, the rebel army clashed with Henry and his son, the future Edward I. The royal side was defeated, the king surrendered and the prince was taken hostage.
For the next 15 months, de Montfort ruled England in Henry's name. He called his first Parliament to meet on 20 January 1265, including not only the usual knights but also 'discreet, loyal and honest citizens and burgesses' – a bold move and not one that would endear him to the barons. Rifts soon developed and this time they were permanent. A number of de Montfort's closest supporters abandoned him and went over to the king.
The end began with the escape from captivity of Prince Edward, who immediately began to create an army to fight de Montfort. The two sides met at Evesham in Worcestershire on 4 August 1265. After only a few hours, it was all over and de Montfort was dead. Edward denied him a Christian burial and ensured that his body was brutally dismembered.
|
|
 Simon de Montfort and the Baronial Crisis of 1258-65
www.triviumpublishing.com/articles/simon
demontfort.html
Fascinating article on the crisis and de Montfort's position within it. Examines the earl's motives and his ultimate reputation.
 |
Simon de Montfort by J R Maddicott (Cambridge University Press, 1996)
Through chronicles, public records and Montfort's family archives, this biography offers not only a narrative of the life of one of the most famous men of medieval England, but also, unusually, a study of character and temperament.
Get this book
|
 |
Simon de Montfort and Baronial Reform: Thirteenth-century essays by R F Treharne (Hambledon & London, 1986)
A series of essays that focus on Simon de Montfort's role in the Barons' War of the 1260s and the conflict's place within the wider political scene of the century.
Get this book
|
Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of third-party sites. |
|
