Simon de Montfort, Earl of
Leicester
Born and educated in France, Simon de Montfort renounced any claim to his father's estate in return for the sole right to pursue a claim to Leicester through his mother's line. Upon arrival in England he quickly became a favorite of Henry III and was recognized as Earl of Leicester. Henry arranged for his sister Eleanor to marry Simon, but when a faction of English noblemen protested on the grounds that the marriage broke Eleanor's vow of chastity, Henry turned against his new brother-in-law and drove him from Britain.
Simon's relationship with the king was repaired somewhat after he went on Crusade with Henry's brother Richard and joined the king in an unsuccessful invasion of France. But conflict again raised its ugly head over revolt in the English-held duchy of Gascony. Simon's ruthless suppression of the rebellion caused some Gascons to accuse him of illegal procedure, and Henry, fearful of renewed violence, brought Simon to trial in England. He was acquitted and returned to Gascony to handle a new revolt, but Henry replaced him with his son Edward (the future King Edward I).
Henry's turnabout treatment of Simon was one of the factors that caused the earl to consider the king unfit to rule. He led a group of barons in forcing on the king the Provisions of Oxford, a revolutionary governmental reform that limited the monarchy and provided for representatives from throughout the realm. When Henry refused to abide by the Provisions, Simon ultimately led a baronial rebellion and managed to capture the king at the Battle of Lewes. He then governed England as a military dictator until he was killed by Prince Edward at the Battle of Evesham.
Important Dates
Captured King at Battle of Lewes: May 14, 1264
Calls first English Parliament: Jan. 20, 1265
Killed: August 4, 1265
On the Web
Montfort, Simon de, earl of Leicester
Multipage biography at Infoplease.Simon de Montfort
A concise, heavily-hyperlinked bio is preceded by a short paragraph on Simon's father, at Wikipedia.Simon de Montfort and the Baronial Crisis of 1258-65
Substantial, scholarly essay by Nanci Lamb Roider at Trivium Publishing.
Also of Interest
The Provisions of Oxford
Useful explanation of the reforms and their history at Infoplease.
Images
The Fate of Simon de Montfort
This late-thirteenth-century illustration of Simon's grisly death is available at the website of the National Archives of the UK.
In Print
The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.
Simon de Montfort
by J. R. MaddicottSimon de Montfort and Baronial Reform
by R. F. Treharne
Related Resources
Medieval Britain
Sites that focus on general British medieval history, people, places, events, documents, the Norman Conquest, the Wars of the Roses, and the search for a historical King Arthur.Medieval France
General history, people, places, maps and more about France in the Middle Ages.
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