Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester

"Simon de Montfort" redirects here. For other uses, see Simon de Montfort (disambiguation).

Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, in a drawing of a stained glass window found at Chartres Cathedral, c. 1250
Earl of Leicester
Tenure1239 – 4 August 1265
PredecessorSimon de Montfort, 5th Earl
SuccessorNone, title forfeit
Bornc. 1208
Montfort-l'Amaury[1]
Died4 August 1265 (aged about 57)
Evesham, Worcestershire
BuriedEvesham Abbey
Noble familyHouse of Montfort
Spouse(s)Eleanor of England
Issue
Detail
FatherSimon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
MotherAlix de Montmorency
OccupationSoldier and statesman

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (c. 1208 – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V[nb 1] de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was an English nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the baronial opposition to the rule of King Henry III of England, culminating in the Second Barons' War. Following his initial victories over royal forces, he became de facto ruler of the country,[5] and played a major role in the constitutional development of England.

During his rule, Montfort called two famous parliaments: the Oxford Parliament stripped Henry of his unlimited authority, while the second included ordinary citizens from the towns.[5] For this reason, Montfort is regarded today as one of the progenitors of modern parliamentary democracy.[6] As Earl of Leicester he expelled Jews from that city; as he became ruler of England he also cancelled debts owed to Jews through violent seizures of records. Montfort's party massacred the Jews of London, Worcester and Derby, killing scores of Jews from Winchester to Lincoln.[7][8][9] After a rule of just over a year, Montfort was killed by forces loyal to the king in the Battle of Evesham.[5]

  1. ^ Treharne, R. (20 July 1998). "Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  2. ^ Cokayne 1929, p. 716
  3. ^ Britannica
  4. ^ Lippiatt 2017
  5. ^ a b c Norgate 1894
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jobson2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference massacres was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Delany 2002, pp. 217–218 on London
  9. ^ Mundill 2010, pp. 88–89


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