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Simon de Montfort

Type Figure Region France Time c. 1208–1265 Also known as 6th Earl of Leicester

Simon de Montfort (c. 1208–1265) was a French-born noble and military leader active in England.…

Timeline

  1. c. 1208–1224Languedoc · LanguedocSimon was the son of the 5th Earl of Montfort; from childhood he accompanied his father Simon de Montfort the Elder on the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heresy, fighting at Toulouse and elsewhere; in 1218 his father was killed while besieging Toulouse, and the crusading cause was carried on by his maternal family and the French royal forces.
  2. 1231–1257Leicester · LeicestershireAround 1231 he acquired the earldom of Leicester through the maternal line, becoming an important noble of Henry III's reign. Thereafter he traveled extensively between England and France, taking part in Gascony's wars and court politics, gradually falling into conflict with the king over debts, fiefs, and the governance of Gascony.
  3. 1258–1265Evesham · WorcestershireIn 1258 he pushed through the Provisions of Oxford to limit royal power; in 1264 at the Battle of Leicester he captured Henry III and his son Edward, briefly controlling the English government. In 1265 Prince Edward counterattacked; Simon was defeated and killed at the Battle of Evesham, his body mutilated, and the baronial cause collapsed.

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