Simon de Montfort's Political Reforms

Timeline

1. 1240–1242Holy Land · LevantIn 1240 Simon de Montfort led an English crusade to the Holy Land and returned to England around 1242; the expedition raised his military prestige, and after returning he more firmly opposed Henry III's reliance on Poitevins and the Lusignan in-laws, advocating restoration of the noble rights guaranteed by the Magna Carta.
2. 1244–1249Westminster · LondonAfter the Poitevin crisis of 1244, Simon joined forces with barons such as Richard of Cornwall, demanding in the curia and parliament limits on the king's arbitrary taxation and appointment powers; he advocated a baron-elected council to supervise governance and criticized Henry III's extravagant court spending. In 1248 Simon briefly followed Louis IX on an eastern campaign, returning in 1249; by the late 1240s the reformist alliance had begun to take shape.