{{Infobox noble , name = Simon de Montfort , title = 5th Earl of Leicester , image = File:Simon4demontfort.gif , caption = Seal of Simon de Montfort, depicting him riding a horse and blowing a hunting horn with a hound alongside, inscribed with his Latinised name: ''SIGILL MSIMONIS DE MONTE FORTI ("seal of Simon from the strong mountain") , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign = , reign-type = , predecessor = , successor = , suc-type = , spouse = Alix de Montmorency , spouse-type = , issue = Amaury de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Guy de Montfort, Count of Bigorre
Amicie de Montfort
Petronilla , issue-link = , issue-pipe = , full name = , native_name = , styles = , other_titles = , noble family = Montfort , house-type = , father =

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

, mother = Amicia de Beaumont , birth_name = , birth_date = c.1175 , birth_place = , christening_date = , christening_place = , death_date = 25 June 1218 (aged 42–43) , death_place = Siege of Toulouse , burial_date = , burial_place = Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire, Carcassonne, later moved to Montfort l'Amaury , occupation = , memorials = , website = , module = Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester ({{circa, lk=no, 1175 – 25 June 1218), known as Simon IV (or V{{efn, The discrepancy in numbering arises from confusion between Simon III de Montfort (died 1181) and his son

Simon de Montfort (died 1188) Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

. The latter was historically unknown, and Simon III was believed to be the father (not the grandfather) of the subject of this article, who is therefore known as Simon IV in some sources and Simon V in others.{{sfn, Lippiatt, 2017, p=xvii ) de Montfort and as Simon de Montfort the Elder, was a French nobleman and knight of the early 13th century. He is widely regarded as one of the great military commanders of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. He took part in the Fourth Crusade and was one of the prominent figures of the Albigensian Crusade. Montfort is mostly noted for his campaigns in the latter, notably for his triumph at Muret. He died at the Siege of Toulouse in 1218. He was lord of

Montfort-l'Amaury Montfort-l'Amaury () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region, north central France. It is located north of Rambouillet. The name comes from Amaury I de Montfort, the first ''seigneur'' (lord) of Montfort. Geogra ...

from 1188 to his death and Earl of Leicester in England from 1204. He was also Viscount of Albi, Béziers and Carcassonne from 1213, as well as Count of Toulouse from 1215.

Early life

He was the son of

(d. 1188), lord of Montfort l'Amaury in France near Paris, and Amicia de Beaumont,{{sfn, Dunbabin, 2011, p=xv daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester. He succeeded his father as lord of Montfort in 1181; in 1190 he married Alix de Montmorency,{{sfn, Dunbabin, 2011, p=xv the daughter of Bouchard III de Montmorency. She shared his religious zeal and would accompany him on his campaigns. In 1199, while taking part in a tournament at Ecry-sur-Aisne, he took the cross in the company of Count Thibaud de Champagne and went on the Fourth Crusade. The crusade soon fell under Venetian control, and was diverted to Zara on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. Pope Innocent III had specifically warned the Crusaders not to attack fellow Christians; Simon opposed the attack and urged a waiting Zara delegation not to surrender, claiming the Frankish troops would not support the Venetians in this. As a result, the delegation returned to Zara and the city resisted. Since most Frankish lords were in debt to the Venetians, they did support the attack and the city was sacked in 1202. Simon did not participate in this action and was one of its most outspoken critics. He and his associates, including Abbot Guy of Vaux-de-Cernay, left the crusade when the decision was taken to divert once more to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

to place

Alexius IV Angelus Alexios IV Angelos or Alexius IV Angelus ( el, Ἀλέξιος Ἄγγελος) (c. 1182 – February 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from August 1203 to January 1204. He was the son of Emperor Isaac II Angelos and his first wife, an unknown Palaio ...

on the throne. Instead, Simon and his followers travelled to the court of King Emeric of Hungary and thence to Acre. His mother was the eldest daughter of Robert of Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester. After the death of her brother Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester without children in 1204, she inherited half of his estates and a claim to the Earldom of Leicester. The division of the estates was effected early in 1207, by which the rights to the earldom were assigned to Amicia and Simon. However, King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

took possession of the lands himself in February 1207, and confiscated its revenues. Later, in 1215, the lands were passed into the hands of Simon's cousin, Ranulph de Meschines, 4th Earl of Chester.

Later life

Simon remained on his estates in France before taking the cross once more, this time against Christian dissidence. He participated in the initial campaign of the Albigensian Crusade in 1209, and after the fall of Carcassonne, was elected leader of the crusade and viscount of the confiscated territories of the Raymond-Roger Trencavel family. Simon was rewarded with the territory conquered from Raymond VI of Toulouse, which in theory made him the most important landowner in

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasse ...

. He became feared for his ruthlessness. In 1210 he burned 140

Cathars Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. F ...

in the village of Minerve who refused to recant – though he spared those who did. In another widely reported incident, prior to the sack of the village of Lastours, he brought prisoners from the nearby village of

Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Bram (wrestler) (born 1986), ring name of professional wrestler Thomas Raymond Latimer * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * Bram Stoker Iris ...

and had their eyes gouged out and their ears, noses and lips cut off. One prisoner, left with a single good eye, led them into the village as a warning. Simon's part in the crusade had the full backing of his feudal superior, the King of France, Philip Augustus. However, historian Alistair Horne, in his book ''Seven Ages of Paris,'' states that Philip "turned a blind eye to Simon de Montfort's crusade... of which he disapproved, but readily accepted the spoils to his exchequer". Following the latter's success in winning

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

from

John Lackland John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

of England, he was approached by Innocent III to lead the crusade but turned this down. He was heavily committed to defending his gains against John and against the emerging alliance among England, the Empire and Flanders.{{citation needed, date=March 2022 However, Philip claimed full rights over the lands of the house of St Gilles; some historians believe his dispatch of de Montfort and other northern barons to be, at the very least, an exploratory campaign to reassert the rights of the French Crown in

Le Midi Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...

. Philip may well also have wanted to appease the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

after the long dispute over his marriage, which had led to excommunication. He also sought to counter any adventure by King John of England, who had marriage and fealty ties also with the Toulouse comtal house. Meanwhile, others have assessed Philip's motives to include removing over-mighty subjects from the North, and distracting them in adventure elsewhere, so they could not threaten his increasingly successful restoration of the power of the French crown in the north.{{citation needed, date=March 2022 Simon is described as a man of unflinching religious orthodoxy, deeply committed to the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

and the suppression of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. Dominic Guzman, later Saint Dominic, spent several years during the war in the Midi at Fanjeau, which was Simon's headquarters, especially in the winter months when the crusading forces were depleted. Simon had other key confederates in this enterprise, which many historians view as a conquest of southern lands by greedy men from the north. Many of them had been involved in the Fourth Crusade. One was Guy Vaux de Cernay, head of a Cistercian abbey not more than twenty miles from Simon's patrimony of Montfort Aumary, who accompanied the crusade in the Languedoc and became bishop of Carcassonne. Meanwhile, Peter de Vaux de Cernay, the nephew of Guy, wrote an account of the crusade. Historians generally consider this to be propaganda to justify the actions of the crusaders; Peter justified their cruelties as doing "the work of God" against morally depraved heretics. He portrayed outrages committed by the lords of the Midi as the opposite.{{citation needed, date=March 2022 Simon was an energetic campaigner, rapidly moving his forces to strike at those who had broken their faith with him – and there were many, as some local lords switched sides whenever the moment seemed propitious. {{Citation needed, date=November 2021 The Midi was a warren of small fortified places, as well as home to some highly fortified cities, such as

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

, Carcassonne and

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

. Simon showed ruthlessness and daring as well as being particularly brutal with those who betrayed their pledges – as for example, Martin Algai, lord of Biron. In 1213 Simon defeated Peter II of Aragon at the Battle of Muret. This completed the defeat of the Albigensians, but Simon carried on the campaign as a war of conquest. He was appointed lord over all the newly acquired territory as Count of Toulouse and

Duke of Narbonne The title Duke of Narbonne (''dux Narbonensis'') was a title employed at various times by the overlords of Narbonne, while the direct power in the city was held by the viscounts. The prestige of the title probable attached to the fact that Narbonn ...

(1215). He spent two years in warfare in many parts of Raymond's former territories; he besieged Beaucaire, which had been taken by

Raymond VII of Toulouse Raymond VII (July 1197 – 27 September 1249) was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. Family and marriages Raymond was born at the Château de Beaucaire, the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse ...

, from 6 June 1216 to 24 August 1216. Toulouse - Plaque de Simon de Monfort

Raymond spent most of this period in the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

, but corresponded with sympathisers in Toulouse. There were rumours in September 1216 that he was on his way to

. Abandoning the siege of Beaucaire, Simon partially sacked Toulouse, perhaps intended as punishment of the citizens. Raymond returned in October 1217 to take possession of Toulouse. Simon hastened to besiege the city, meanwhile sending his wife, Alix de Montmorency, with bishop Foulques of Toulouse and others, to the French court to plead for support. After maintaining the siege for nine months, Simon was killed on 25 June 1218 while combating a sally by the besieged. His head was smashed by a stone from a

mangonel The mangonel, also called the traction trebuchet, was a type of trebuchet used in Ancient China starting from the Warring States period, and later across Eurasia by the 6th century AD. Unlike the later counterweight trebuchet, the mangonel o ...

, operated, according to one source, by the {{lang, pro, donas e tozas e mulhers ("ladies and girls and women") of Toulouse. He was buried in the Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire at Carcassonne.'' Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise'' laisse 206; Peter of les Vaux-de-Cernay, '' Historia Albigensis'' 615. His body was later moved by one of his sons to be reinterred at Montfort l'Amaury. A tombstone in the south transept of the cathedral is inscribed "of Simon de Montfort".

Children

Simon and Alix had: * Amaury de Montfort{{sfn, Lippiatt, 2017, p=xvii married Beatrix of Viennois, died in 1241 returning from the Barons' Crusade * Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester{{sfn, Dunbabin, 2011, p=xv married Eleanor of England, killed at the Battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265 * Guy de Montfort, Count of Bigorre married Petronille, Countess of Bigorre,{{sfn, Dunbabin, 2011, p=xv on 6 November 1216 and died at the siege of

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; oc, Castèlnòu d'Arri) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world cap ...

on 20 July 1220 * Amicie de Montfort, married Gaucher de Joigny,{{sfn, Dunbabin, 2011, p=xv founded the convent at

Montargis Montargis () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Loiret, after Orléans and its suburbs. It is near a large forest, and contains light industry and farming, ...

and died there in 1252 * Petronilla, became abbess of the Cistercian nunnery of St. Antoine's{{sfn, Lippiatt, 2017, p=xvii

Inheritance

His French estates passed to his eldest son, Amaury, while his second son, Simon, eventually gained possession of the earldom of Leicester and played a major role in the reign of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

. He led the barons' rebellion against Henry during the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the fu ...

, and subsequently became the de facto ruler of England. During his rule, de Montfort called the first directly elected parliament in medieval Europe. For this reason, de Montfort is regarded today as one of the progenitors of modern parliamentary democracy.

Note

{{notelist

References

{{Reflist

Sources

*{{cite book , first=Jean , last=Dunbabin , title=The French in the Kingdom of Sicily, 1266–1305 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , year=2011 *{{cite book , title= Simon V of Montfort and Baronial Government, 1195-1218 , first=G.E.M. , last=Lippiatt , publisher=Oxford University Press , year=2017 *Sumption, Jonathan. ''The Albigensian Crusade'', 2000 *{{CathEncy, wstitle=Simon de Montfort

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Simon IV of Montfort {{s-start {{s-reg, en {{succession box , title= Earl of Leicester , before= Robert de Beaumont , after=

, years=1206–1218 {{s-reg {{s-bef, before=

Raymond Roger Trencavel Raymond Roger Trencavel (also Raimond, oc, Raimon Rogièr; 1185 – 10 November 1209) was a member of the noble Trencavel family. He was viscount of Béziers and Albi (and thus a vassal of the count of Toulouse), and viscount of Carcassonn ...

{{s-ttl , title=

Viscount of Béziers This is a list of ''Viscounts of Béziers'', who ruled the viscounty of Béziers. * Reinard I of Béziers 881–897 * Adelaide, viscountess of Béziers, Adelaide of Béziers (daughter) 897– ? * Boso viscount of Agde 897–? (married to Adelai ...

,
Albi and Carcassonne, years=1209–1218 {{s-aft, rows=2, after= Amaury de Montfort {{s-bef, before=

Bernard Ato VI Bernard Ato VI (born c. 1159Kastner, 41.) was the posthumous son and successor of Bernard Ato V, Viscount of Nîmes and Agde., at ''Medieval Lands Project''. He reigned from 1163 until 1214, when he surrendered his fiefs to Simon de Montfort, Ear ...

{{s-ttl , title= Viscount of Nîmes, years=1214–1218 {{s-bef, before= Raymond VI {{s-dis, title= Count of Toulouse, years=1215–1218, by= Raymond VI {{s-aft, after= Raymond VI {{s-end {{Authority control {{Portal bar, Christianity, War, England, Middle Ages {{DEFAULTSORT:Leicester, Simon De Montfort, 5th Earl Of 1170s births 1218 deaths Lord High Stewards

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

Christians of the Fourth Crusade People of the Albigensian Crusade Medieval French knights Military personnel killed in action

5th Earl of Leicester

12th-century English people 13th-century English people 13th-century peers of France