August 16, 2025 • 25 mins
(Host: Christine)
In the 13th century, nobleman Simon de Montfort led an infamous and bloody rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. Simon’s fight against royal power (and controversial life!) caused him to be a focus of one of Footnoting History’s earliest episodes. Now, over a decade later, we are revisiting his story for listeners both new and old –and incorporating more details, newer research, and better audio performance.
For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, became infamous in the 13th century for leading
a rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. In this episode
of Footnoting History, we look at Simon’s tumultuous story and his complicated legacy.
(00:24):
Hey everyone, Christine here, to talk to you about Simon de Montfort, 6th earl of Leicester. If that
sounds familiar to you, it could be because I covered Simon all the way back in 2013. Since
then, we’ve released over 300 episodes on other topics. I was thinking recently about something
new we could do and my wonderful work friends suggested revisiting a very early topic. I loved
(00:49):
this idea because, in 2013, we were so new that, when I look back, I wish my audio and content were
significantly better. So, here we are, with more nuance, incorporating scholarship released in the
decade since that episode, and adding explicit discussion about his legacy. If you like hearing
us revisit an old topic, definitely let us know at FootnotingHistory@gmail.com. This is how we
(01:14):
decide what features to continue. And, as always, if you want captioned versions of this episode,
we have those on our website and the Footnoting History YouTube channel, plus some podcast apps
are starting to integrate them as well.So, who was Simon de Montfort? Yes, Simon
was the 6th Earl of Leicester, who became famous when he rebelled against King Henry III of England
(01:38):
in the mid-13th century. But, his earliest period of life wouldn’t necessarily suggest any of that
was in his future. Simon was born in the early 1200s, sometime around 1208, to a father who was
also named Simon de Montfort and a mother named Alice. His childhood, while not much documented,
was highly likely to have been entirely focused on France and not at all focused on England.
(02:04):
Both of Simon’s parents were extremely religious. Historians use terms like “fervent” or even
“zealot” when they describe them and their relationship with Christianity. In fact,
Simon’s father, the Other Simon, was a major figure in the Albigensian Crusade. While this
Crusade did not involve going to the Holy Land to take on the Muslim population, it had a similar
(02:27):
impetus–it sought to rid what is now the south of France of groups considered to be heretical. When
Other Simon died in 1218, our Simon was a child, but the religious and warring influence of his
father’s life would be reflected in his own.His grandmother had been the sister of the
Earl of Leicester, and when he passed away without children, Simon’s father became the
(02:50):
5th Earl…though he never went to England and acted on it. When the 5th Earl passed away,
the claim to the earldom went to our Simon’s elder brother. However, Simon’s brother’s life situation
did not allow him to have ties to both France and England, so he and Simon reached an agreement:
Simon would take the English inheritance and his elder brother, the French. It was a sweet deal.
(03:14):
As the 1230s began, Simon first went to Leicester to get the lay of the land and
establish his control. It was during this period that he undertook one of his most controversial
actions. Simon expelled the Jewish population from Leicester. Thankfully, the displaced Jewish
people were able to settle again nearby, on the lands held by his relative, Margaret de Quincy,
(03:36):
but that doesn’t make the action any nicer. John Maddicott, who has written extensively
on Simon’s life, said in 2015 that, “This act of zealotry, presented as one for the salvation of
Montfort’s soul and for the relief of Leicester townspeople from the burden of Jewish usury,
was very much in line with contemporary values” and argued that it is important to note that the
(04:00):
local archdeacon approved of the action and that Simon’s declaration moved, but did not harm them.
Meanwhile, in Sophie Therese Ambler’s biography of Simon, she asserts that this action was “inspired
by a growing sense amongst those in authority that Jewish people ought to be segregated
from Christian–or, at the least marked out.” She further explains that there is some evidence that
(04:24):
Simon’s mother had once imprisoned Jewish people in Toulouse in order to force them to convert to
Christianity. Regardless of whether Simon was moved to this by religious beliefs that were
spreading at the time, we know from Margaret’s response that there was still plenty of room
for rejecting that ideology. Simon’s actions here would come to the forefront in the 2020s,
(04:44):
in relation to how to deal with his legacy so many centuries later, so keep that in mind for later.
To continue on though, as is often the case with noblemen, Simon soon found himself in the orbit
of the king, who was at this point Henry III, son of King John of Magna Carta fame. King John
had not been popular and the Magna Carta, which sought to curtail his power, was not forgotten,
(05:09):
causing Henry III to be in a position where he had to manage his subjects with care. Simon was
certainly aware of all things court-related and did his best to become close to the King,
with success. As the 1230s came to an end, though, Simon became, um, we’ll say intimately close with
someone else…the King’s sister, Eleanor.Eleanor was Henry III’s younger sister,
(05:33):
and in her early 20s while Simon was in his late 20s. She had been married as a child to William
Marshal, earl of Pembroke, who was the son of the William Marshal known as the Greatest Knight,
who we once covered on this very podcast. Anyway, Eleanor’s marriage to the younger William didn’t
get her very far, because he died, leaving her a widow in her mid-teens. Not long after this,
(05:56):
Eleanor took a vow of chastity, removing herself from being used as a marriage pawn
again. This vow did not last, as Eleanor decided to forgo it in order to marry Simon. The match
appears to have been as much based on love (or at least attraction) as it was political gain. Not
only was Eleanor as close to the king as someone could get, but she also had a substantial amount
(06:19):
of wealth from her first marriage, with more to still be negotiated. They married in early 1238,
with Henry III’s blessing, and remained devoted to each other and had seven children together. Of
those seven, five will be mentioned later in this episode: Henry, Simon, Amaury, Guy, and Eleanor.
So, if Simon’s star was in the ascendent and everything looked so sunny and rosy, how did we
(06:44):
get to the point where he was leading a rebellion against his royal brother-in-law? Well, as it
turned out, the honeymoon phase between Simon and Henry ended. I know, you’re surprised. Similarly,
any honeymoon phase that existed between Henry and his subjects didn’t last either. As much as Henry
was for his sister marrying Simon, the barons of the realm were not. Simon and Eleanor had
(07:08):
married in secret and that meant no one who was supposed to have influence over important court
matters got to have a say. As many saw it, Henry allowed Simon to marry the one person he probably
shouldn’t have, because a King’s sister is a highly sought-after marriage prize and, if she was
going to remarry, it should’ve been for political gain for the Crown. But this isn’t what caused the
(07:31):
love affair to end between Simon and Henry III.Not long after Simon and Eleanor married, Henry
formally recognized Simon as Earl of Leicester. All should have been right with the world, but it
wasn’t…because money began to be a big source of conflict. Simon and Henry, each in their own ways,
regularly had money issues. Simon always seemed to be fighting to get more of what he believed was
(07:54):
owed to him while also owing others and Henry had issues with paying his debts and later would be
seen as leaning too heavily on his subjects for money. Initially, it appears that Simon
got himself into some trouble with creditors and named Henry as a guarantor…but he neglected to ask
him first. This presumed a level of comfort with the Crown that certainly was not okay. Henry’s
(08:16):
anger was Very Real and Simon and Eleanor were thoroughly chastised until they took their leave.
Simon soon made sure that the physical distance between him and Henry was almost as big as
possible–he went east as a Crusader. This had already been in motion for some time and isn’t
much of a surprise given his family history, but unlike his father’s time in the south of France,
(08:38):
Simon went to the Holy Land. Many of the details of Simon’s crusade experience are lost. But, we do
know that on some level he made a good impression. At this time, the Kingdom of Jerusalem–that’s the
name given to the Crusader state of the era–was in need of someone to govern while its future
leader was still a child. Simon’s name was put forward for the role of regent/temporary
(09:03):
governor. It didn’t come to pass, but we can tell ourselves that whatever Simon did out there made
him a viable selection for a powerful position.The England that Simon returned to after his
brief stint as a crusader, was not one where Henry forgot their issues. Henry sent Simon to Gascony,
in modern-day France, to take control of things there. It did not help. Tensions
(09:27):
escalated between the earl and the King when Henry believed that Simon was too free with his money
and the people of Gascony claimed that Simon was too harsh on them. Simon had gripes with Henry,
too. He and Eleanor were upset by the fact that Henry failed to pay Eleanor the money he’d agreed
to as part of her settlement from her first husband’s death. Money, folks, it makes things
(09:49):
ugly. Money, that is, and favoritism…Although Simon had once been high in the
king’s favor, there were new chosen ones–Henry’s half-siblings. Following the death of Henry’s
father, Henry’s mother Isabelle had remarried. With her new husband, Hugh de Lusignan, she had
other children. Henry saw fit to elevate his Lusignan siblings who, like Simon,
(10:12):
were rooted in France and not in England. This rubbed Henry’s barons wrong, including Simon,
and caused a serious increase in discontent.As the 1250s progressed, Henry III was in an
increasingly precarious position, owing people money while engaging in a lot of spending
(side note (10:30):
you have him to thank for the version of Westminster Abbey that probably comes to mind
when you hear the name). He was listening to his relatives over established advisors and
high-positioned nobility, and there was a grossly unpopular misstep when he attempted (and failed)
to put one of his sons on the throne of Sicily. As grievances piled up against the king, a coalition
(10:53):
of seven barons–with Simon included–decided to take matters into their own hands. So, in 1258,
they confronted Henry III in spectacular and intimidating fashion. They arrived in
Westminster Hall, in full war regalia with their personal emblems visible. They purposely removed
their swords, leaving them near the Hall’s doorway, and approached the king in a united
(11:18):
(but intentionally unarmed) show of force. Their purpose, which they quickly made plain,
was to redress all the issues of Henry’s rule.The outcome of this confrontation was that Henry
was soon forced into an agreement with the coalition that became known as the Provisions
of Oxford, and Henry, the participating barons, and other involved persons all had to take oaths
(11:43):
vowing to uphold them. Simon, as doggedly devoted to this cause as he was to any other he espoused,
took the vow arguably more seriously than anyone else. Essentially, the king’s powers became
limited and instead the majority of control would be in the hands of a council of 15 men who would
(12:04):
be chosen by 24 men–12 representing the king and 12 representing the demanding reformers.
Naturally, Simon ended up on the council. The reforms that the council wanted to make were
sweeping and included limiting the Lusignans’ influence, improving avenues for fair treatment
at pretty much all levels of society, and changing one aspect of government routine: they called for
(12:28):
three regularly-scheduled parliaments annually as opposed to a parliament only occurring when the
king called for one. Usually, the king would call for a parliament when he wanted money,
or some other important thing was happening. But now? Now they would be a matter of course. It
was a shift for sure. However, the need for change up and down the board was so widely
(12:51):
agreed upon that barons and peasants and R eligious and everyone in between seemed to
have a vested interest in making things better.But, alas, time goes on and excitement fades away.
Although things started out well, the revved up excitement for Reforming All The Things
didn’t last. Simon was called away from England on personal matters. He returned in time to watch
(13:14):
the coalition crumble as enthusiasm waned in favor of the (arguably much easier) status
quo. As the reformers began to peel away, Simon was locked in. He took control of the movement,
rallying the remaining reform-wanters, and refused to bend. When, in 1262, Henry took the matter of
(13:34):
that pesky oath to uphold the Provisions of Oxford to the Pope, who released him from
the vow, Simon saw the writing on the wall.But he was stubborn–and a little obsessed
with the cause. He threw himself into it with extreme dedication and was totally okay with
this meaning starting a war against the king. If Simon could get the king to return to accepting
(13:55):
the reform movement, and continue to settle his own grievances with him, that would have been
ideal. In 1264, Simon and his followers achieved their grand victory at the Battle of Lewes,
a conflict that saw Simon take possession of not only King Henry III but also his son and heir,
Prince Edward (who would one day become King Edward I). Many viewed the victory as an act
(14:21):
of divine intervention, though it was surely also due to Simon’s leadership. The result
was Simon controlling the government himself.Simon stayed in charge long enough to oversee
two parliaments, the more famous of which took place in early 1265. The modern UK Parliament
website marks it as “the first parliament at which representatives of the cities and boroughs
(14:46):
were present alongside knights representing their counties to discuss matters of national concern
as opposed to granting taxation.” The importance of the incorporation of wider groups of people
should not be lost (14:58):
Simon had no right to be ruling. He wasn’t the king (and King Henry III
was still very much around) so he needed all the support he could get. Including people who likely
otherwise felt like their concerns weren’t taken seriously or they weren’t valued was a method of
(15:18):
gaining their trust and he hoped they would spread support for him when they returned to their homes.
Plus, having it not just be about taxing, but also about general realm government? That was exciting.
Simon’s other successes included that he successfully avoided allowing Henry’s Queen
to launch an invasion from France and he reminded people of the importance of
(15:42):
the Provisions of Oxford. However, just like how the reform movement died, so too did some of the
support for Simon’s control of the government. Simon fell prey to that greedy way of behaving
that so many in power did. He used his position to make sure his family benefitted handsomely and
his children appeared to be way better set up for the future than they had been prior. I don’t know,
(16:05):
maybe he hoped that as long as he kept reforming, that would be considered not a big deal. But
it was a big deal. Eventually, he began to lose support, and when the earl of Gloucester–arguably
his highest-ranking supporter-turned away from him, it wasn’t a good sign.
The biggest blow to Simon’s security, though, was when Prince Edward escaped from where he was
(16:26):
being held in Hereford. The Prince gave Simon’s opponents a rallying point and when he linked
up with forces from the Welsh Marches who were already rebelling against Simon, it empowered
Edward and made a battlefield clash inevitable.On August 4, 1265, Edward surprised Simon,
forcing him into battle in a supremely difficult spot at Evesham by traveling through the night and
(16:48):
catching him unawares. Evesham is a beautiful place, or at least it was when I visited it,
but it is in a bad location if you’re going to be surprised by opposing forces. The River
Avon moves in a U-shaped curve through it, meaning that it was entirely possible for soldiers to be
stuck between advancing enemies and the river. Understanding the gravity of the situation,
(17:10):
it is often attributed to Simon that he said to his supporters that they should accept that their
souls are God’s but their bodies would belong to the enemy. He wasn’t wrong. To call Evesham
a bloodbath is a remarkable understatement.Simon de Montfort’s death at Evesham has
been recorded in great detail many times, with the amount of variation that one would expect
(17:32):
from medieval sources. Still, no matter what version you read, it is shockingly brutal. It
is believed that he was fighting on horseback until his horse was killed from beneath him,
then he continued to fight on foot until someone stabbed him through the neck.
Reinforcements that Simon had hoped for from his son, also Simon, did not arrive anywhere
(17:53):
near in time. While Simon’s other son, Henry, who was already with him, was killed. So, too, were
so many others that it became a source of dismay and even disgust for chroniclers. One called what
occurred, “The murder of Evesham for battle it was none.” Modern historians continue to look at
the sources and consider reasons for why Evesham was so much worse than previous battles. David
(18:17):
Carpenter, in his recent biography of Henry III observed, “What made the battle so bloody was not
new theory but new practice, the key difference being that surrenders were not accepted. While it
is possible, likely even, that Montfort and his closest friends refused to capitulate,
that cannot have been true for all the others.” He notes that there was no general command to
(18:41):
kill the Montfortians and, “much of the killing seems to have been indiscriminate and haphazard”,
pointing out that while Simon’s son Henry was killed, his other son Guy was only wounded.
There was, though, nothing indiscriminate and haphazard about the treatment of Simon
de Montfort’s body. Again, there are multiple accounts of what was done to Simon’s body,
(19:02):
but I chose one to share. This one is from the contemporary chronicle attributed to Arnald
FitzThedmar. It said, and I apologize but this is gruesome, “The head of the Earl of Leicester,
it is said, was severed from his body, and his testicles cut off and hung on either side of his
nose. In this state, the head was sent to the wife of Roger de Mortimer, at Wigmore Castle.
(19:26):
Simon de Montfort’s hands and feet were also cut off, and sent to many of his enemies as a
great mark of dishonour to the deceased. The trunk of his body, however, and that alone,
was given for burial in the church of Evesham.” If you’ve seen the image I chose for this episode,
it is of a plaque placed for the 700th anniversary of his death, commemorating that burial.
(19:48):
In the immediate aftermath of Simon’s death, those who still supported his cause or who were moved by
the way in which he died, viewed him as a hero and martyr. They even moved to have him sainted,
though that would never come to pass. It’s not hard to see then that Simon’s
death was a stroke of luck for Henry III. He’d been a more than capable adversary,
(20:09):
but so bloody was Evesham that the death of Simon and many of his followers allowed Henry
III to restore power. Simon’s widow, Eleanor, who you’ll remember was also Henry III’s sister,
was inconsolable and went into exile in France. She lived in a convent there until her death.
Their children did not have easy lives. Of course, we know Henry died with his father at Evesham.
(20:31):
Simon and Guy became infamous in their own right when they murdered their cousin in 1271 as
retribution for turning his back on their father and benefitting from a close relationship with the
English crown. The backlash against that was as intense as you’d imagine. Simon died soon after
and Guy’s life was never happy nor restful. In fact, Guy ended up as one of the people suffering
(20:55):
in the circles of hell in Dante’s Inferno. Once, I did an episode unsurprisingly called “Guy de
Montfort and Dante’s Inferno” on that very topic. It’s worth checking out if you want to learn more.
Amaury, who had entered religious life, suffered a period of imprisonment when he
helped his sister Eleanor solidify a marriage match that the English crown didn’t agree with.
(21:16):
Eleanor’s marriage was to Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Regular listeners will be interested
to know that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s father was the same Gruffudd whose ugly death was
featured in our Tales from the Tower of London series. Sadly, Eleanor died in childbirth.
Legacy, though, is so much more than just the actions of literal blood relatives carrying
(21:38):
on your name. As an American, one aspect of his legacy surprised me significantly–that
we honor him in our Capitol. That’s right, Simon’s memory is enshrined in the House Chamber at the US
Capitol in Washington, DC. During a renovation of the Chamber at the tail end of the 1940s,
it was decided that marble reliefs of historical figures collectively called “The Lawgivers” would
(22:02):
be incorporated, ostensibly showing the evolution of democracy through past law movers and shakers.
Representatives from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Historical
Society of Washington, DC, and the Library of Congress decided on 23 historical figures,
and their selections were approved by the Architect of the Capitol and a special
(22:22):
committee of House members. The Architect of the Capitol’s official webpage showing Simon’s
relief describes his contribution as “Advocated representative government; established an early
form of representative government in England.” He is included alongside people like Napoleon,
Hammurabi, Pope Innocent III, Justinian, and King Edward I of England. Yes, King Edward I of
(22:47):
England is the same Edward as the Prince Edward who took part in facilitating Simon’s demise.
I’m not sure how Simon and Edward would have felt about each other being included, but it probably
wouldn’t have been great. Regardless, there they are, each for their own accomplishments.
In 2015, the UK’s Parliament celebrated both the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and the 750th
(23:12):
anniversary of Simon’s Parliament. They recognized these two events as significant contributors
to the formation of the House of Commons and democracy. Also, if you’re a re-enactment fan,
each August there is a Battle of Evesham Medieval Festival and Re-enactment, dedicated
to 13th-century history and the battle itself.On the other hand, as I mentioned early on,
(23:33):
Simon’s actions against the Jewish population have remained understandably controversial. In 2020,
students at Leicester’s De Montfort University campaigned to change the school’s name,
citing that his treatment of Jewish people was against “core values and beliefs.” The
University responded in a statement saying, “DMU absolutely stands against racism in all its forms,
(23:57):
including anti-Semitism. As an educational and research institution, we welcome honest
and critical debate and accept that this will involve difficult discussions around
historical figures such as Simon de Montfort.” As of the recording of this episode in 2025,
the University still bears the De Montfort name, with the University website declaring that it has
(24:18):
no plans to change the name in the near future but remains dedicated to equality, diversity,
and inclusion, and plans to “explore ways in which we can continue to acknowledge, discuss
and learn from the legacy of Simon de Montfort.”We know that Simon was controversial in his own
day so it should not be surprising that he is still being discussed, assessed, considered,
(24:39):
honored, and criticized. Certainly, my own understanding of who he was has changed over
time and grown more nuanced and grounded–that is one of the reasons I wanted to revisit him
for Footnoting History. There is always more to learn and more to understand and
more context to give. I hope this new look at Simon has interested you as much as it does me,
(24:59):
and I thank you for joining me for our first ever Revisited episode. Please make sure to
check FootnotingHistory.com for my seriously extended further reading selection. Finally,
of course, I hope you’ll remember that the best stories are always in the footnotes.
Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, became infamous in the 13th century for leading
a rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. In this episode
of Footnoting History, we look at Simon’s tumultuous story and his complicated legacy.
(00:24):
Hey everyone, Christine here, to talk to you about Simon de Montfort, 6th earl of Leicester. If that
sounds familiar to you, it could be because I covered Simon all the way back in 2013. Since
then, we’ve released over 300 episodes on other topics. I was thinking recently about something
new we could do and my wonderful work friends suggested revisiting a very early topic. I loved
(00:49):
this idea because, in 2013, we were so new that, when I look back, I wish my audio and content were
significantly better. So, here we are, with more nuance, incorporating scholarship released in the
decade since that episode, and adding explicit discussion about his legacy. If you like hearing
us revisit an old topic, definitely let us know at FootnotingHistory@gmail.com. This is how we
(01:14):
decide what features to continue. And, as always, if you want captioned versions of this episode,
we have those on our website and the Footnoting History YouTube channel, plus some podcast apps
are starting to integrate them as well.So, who was Simon de Montfort? Yes, Simon
was the 6th Earl of Leicester, who became famous when he rebelled against King Henry III of England
(01:38):
in the mid-13th century. But, his earliest period of life wouldn’t necessarily suggest any of that
was in his future. Simon was born in the early 1200s, sometime around 1208, to a father who was
also named Simon de Montfort and a mother named Alice. His childhood, while not much documented,
was highly likely to have been entirely focused on France and not at all focused on England.
(02:04):
Both of Simon’s parents were extremely religious. Historians use terms like “fervent” or even
“zealot” when they describe them and their relationship with Christianity. In fact,
Simon’s father, the Other Simon, was a major figure in the Albigensian Crusade. While this
Crusade did not involve going to the Holy Land to take on the Muslim population, it had a similar
(02:27):
impetus–it sought to rid what is now the south of France of groups considered to be heretical. When
Other Simon died in 1218, our Simon was a child, but the religious and warring influence of his
father’s life would be reflected in his own.His grandmother had been the sister of the
Earl of Leicester, and when he passed away without children, Simon’s father became the
(02:50):
5th Earl…though he never went to England and acted on it. When the 5th Earl passed away,
the claim to the earldom went to our Simon’s elder brother. However, Simon’s brother’s life situation
did not allow him to have ties to both France and England, so he and Simon reached an agreement:
Simon would take the English inheritance and his elder brother, the French. It was a sweet deal.
(03:14):
As the 1230s began, Simon first went to Leicester to get the lay of the land and
establish his control. It was during this period that he undertook one of his most controversial
actions. Simon expelled the Jewish population from Leicester. Thankfully, the displaced Jewish
people were able to settle again nearby, on the lands held by his relative, Margaret de Quincy,
(03:36):
but that doesn’t make the action any nicer. John Maddicott, who has written extensively
on Simon’s life, said in 2015 that, “This act of zealotry, presented as one for the salvation of
Montfort’s soul and for the relief of Leicester townspeople from the burden of Jewish usury,
was very much in line with contemporary values” and argued that it is important to note that the
(04:00):
local archdeacon approved of the action and that Simon’s declaration moved, but did not harm them.
Meanwhile, in Sophie Therese Ambler’s biography of Simon, she asserts that this action was “inspired
by a growing sense amongst those in authority that Jewish people ought to be segregated
from Christian–or, at the least marked out.” She further explains that there is some evidence that
(04:24):
Simon’s mother had once imprisoned Jewish people in Toulouse in order to force them to convert to
Christianity. Regardless of whether Simon was moved to this by religious beliefs that were
spreading at the time, we know from Margaret’s response that there was still plenty of room
for rejecting that ideology. Simon’s actions here would come to the forefront in the 2020s,
(04:44):
in relation to how to deal with his legacy so many centuries later, so keep that in mind for later.
To continue on though, as is often the case with noblemen, Simon soon found himself in the orbit
of the king, who was at this point Henry III, son of King John of Magna Carta fame. King John
had not been popular and the Magna Carta, which sought to curtail his power, was not forgotten,
(05:09):
causing Henry III to be in a position where he had to manage his subjects with care. Simon was
certainly aware of all things court-related and did his best to become close to the King,
with success. As the 1230s came to an end, though, Simon became, um, we’ll say intimately close with
someone else…the King’s sister, Eleanor.Eleanor was Henry III’s younger sister,
(05:33):
and in her early 20s while Simon was in his late 20s. She had been married as a child to William
Marshal, earl of Pembroke, who was the son of the William Marshal known as the Greatest Knight,
who we once covered on this very podcast. Anyway, Eleanor’s marriage to the younger William didn’t
get her very far, because he died, leaving her a widow in her mid-teens. Not long after this,
(05:56):
Eleanor took a vow of chastity, removing herself from being used as a marriage pawn
again. This vow did not last, as Eleanor decided to forgo it in order to marry Simon. The match
appears to have been as much based on love (or at least attraction) as it was political gain. Not
only was Eleanor as close to the king as someone could get, but she also had a substantial amount
(06:19):
of wealth from her first marriage, with more to still be negotiated. They married in early 1238,
with Henry III’s blessing, and remained devoted to each other and had seven children together. Of
those seven, five will be mentioned later in this episode: Henry, Simon, Amaury, Guy, and Eleanor.
So, if Simon’s star was in the ascendent and everything looked so sunny and rosy, how did we
(06:44):
get to the point where he was leading a rebellion against his royal brother-in-law? Well, as it
turned out, the honeymoon phase between Simon and Henry ended. I know, you’re surprised. Similarly,
any honeymoon phase that existed between Henry and his subjects didn’t last either. As much as Henry
was for his sister marrying Simon, the barons of the realm were not. Simon and Eleanor had
(07:08):
married in secret and that meant no one who was supposed to have influence over important court
matters got to have a say. As many saw it, Henry allowed Simon to marry the one person he probably
shouldn’t have, because a King’s sister is a highly sought-after marriage prize and, if she was
going to remarry, it should’ve been for political gain for the Crown. But this isn’t what caused the
(07:31):
love affair to end between Simon and Henry III.Not long after Simon and Eleanor married, Henry
formally recognized Simon as Earl of Leicester. All should have been right with the world, but it
wasn’t…because money began to be a big source of conflict. Simon and Henry, each in their own ways,
regularly had money issues. Simon always seemed to be fighting to get more of what he believed was
(07:54):
owed to him while also owing others and Henry had issues with paying his debts and later would be
seen as leaning too heavily on his subjects for money. Initially, it appears that Simon
got himself into some trouble with creditors and named Henry as a guarantor…but he neglected to ask
him first. This presumed a level of comfort with the Crown that certainly was not okay. Henry’s
(08:16):
anger was Very Real and Simon and Eleanor were thoroughly chastised until they took their leave.
Simon soon made sure that the physical distance between him and Henry was almost as big as
possible–he went east as a Crusader. This had already been in motion for some time and isn’t
much of a surprise given his family history, but unlike his father’s time in the south of France,
(08:38):
Simon went to the Holy Land. Many of the details of Simon’s crusade experience are lost. But, we do
know that on some level he made a good impression. At this time, the Kingdom of Jerusalem–that’s the
name given to the Crusader state of the era–was in need of someone to govern while its future
leader was still a child. Simon’s name was put forward for the role of regent/temporary
(09:03):
governor. It didn’t come to pass, but we can tell ourselves that whatever Simon did out there made
him a viable selection for a powerful position.The England that Simon returned to after his
brief stint as a crusader, was not one where Henry forgot their issues. Henry sent Simon to Gascony,
in modern-day France, to take control of things there. It did not help. Tensions
(09:27):
escalated between the earl and the King when Henry believed that Simon was too free with his money
and the people of Gascony claimed that Simon was too harsh on them. Simon had gripes with Henry,
too. He and Eleanor were upset by the fact that Henry failed to pay Eleanor the money he’d agreed
to as part of her settlement from her first husband’s death. Money, folks, it makes things
(09:49):
ugly. Money, that is, and favoritism…Although Simon had once been high in the
king’s favor, there were new chosen ones–Henry’s half-siblings. Following the death of Henry’s
father, Henry’s mother Isabelle had remarried. With her new husband, Hugh de Lusignan, she had
other children. Henry saw fit to elevate his Lusignan siblings who, like Simon,
(10:12):
were rooted in France and not in England. This rubbed Henry’s barons wrong, including Simon,
and caused a serious increase in discontent.As the 1250s progressed, Henry III was in an
increasingly precarious position, owing people money while engaging in a lot of spending
(side note (10:30):
you have him to thank for the version of Westminster Abbey that probably comes to mind
when you hear the name). He was listening to his relatives over established advisors and
high-positioned nobility, and there was a grossly unpopular misstep when he attempted (and failed)
to put one of his sons on the throne of Sicily. As grievances piled up against the king, a coalition
(10:53):
of seven barons–with Simon included–decided to take matters into their own hands. So, in 1258,
they confronted Henry III in spectacular and intimidating fashion. They arrived in
Westminster Hall, in full war regalia with their personal emblems visible. They purposely removed
their swords, leaving them near the Hall’s doorway, and approached the king in a united
(11:18):
(but intentionally unarmed) show of force. Their purpose, which they quickly made plain,
was to redress all the issues of Henry’s rule.The outcome of this confrontation was that Henry
was soon forced into an agreement with the coalition that became known as the Provisions
of Oxford, and Henry, the participating barons, and other involved persons all had to take oaths
(11:43):
vowing to uphold them. Simon, as doggedly devoted to this cause as he was to any other he espoused,
took the vow arguably more seriously than anyone else. Essentially, the king’s powers became
limited and instead the majority of control would be in the hands of a council of 15 men who would
(12:04):
be chosen by 24 men–12 representing the king and 12 representing the demanding reformers.
Naturally, Simon ended up on the council. The reforms that the council wanted to make were
sweeping and included limiting the Lusignans’ influence, improving avenues for fair treatment
at pretty much all levels of society, and changing one aspect of government routine: they called for
(12:28):
three regularly-scheduled parliaments annually as opposed to a parliament only occurring when the
king called for one. Usually, the king would call for a parliament when he wanted money,
or some other important thing was happening. But now? Now they would be a matter of course. It
was a shift for sure. However, the need for change up and down the board was so widely
(12:51):
agreed upon that barons and peasants and R eligious and everyone in between seemed to
have a vested interest in making things better.But, alas, time goes on and excitement fades away.
Although things started out well, the revved up excitement for Reforming All The Things
didn’t last. Simon was called away from England on personal matters. He returned in time to watch
(13:14):
the coalition crumble as enthusiasm waned in favor of the (arguably much easier) status
quo. As the reformers began to peel away, Simon was locked in. He took control of the movement,
rallying the remaining reform-wanters, and refused to bend. When, in 1262, Henry took the matter of
(13:34):
that pesky oath to uphold the Provisions of Oxford to the Pope, who released him from
the vow, Simon saw the writing on the wall.But he was stubborn–and a little obsessed
with the cause. He threw himself into it with extreme dedication and was totally okay with
this meaning starting a war against the king. If Simon could get the king to return to accepting
(13:55):
the reform movement, and continue to settle his own grievances with him, that would have been
ideal. In 1264, Simon and his followers achieved their grand victory at the Battle of Lewes,
a conflict that saw Simon take possession of not only King Henry III but also his son and heir,
Prince Edward (who would one day become King Edward I). Many viewed the victory as an act
(14:21):
of divine intervention, though it was surely also due to Simon’s leadership. The result
was Simon controlling the government himself.Simon stayed in charge long enough to oversee
two parliaments, the more famous of which took place in early 1265. The modern UK Parliament
website marks it as “the first parliament at which representatives of the cities and boroughs
(14:46):
were present alongside knights representing their counties to discuss matters of national concern
as opposed to granting taxation.” The importance of the incorporation of wider groups of people
should not be lost (14:58):
Simon had no right to be ruling. He wasn’t the king (and King Henry III
was still very much around) so he needed all the support he could get. Including people who likely
otherwise felt like their concerns weren’t taken seriously or they weren’t valued was a method of
(15:18):
gaining their trust and he hoped they would spread support for him when they returned to their homes.
Plus, having it not just be about taxing, but also about general realm government? That was exciting.
Simon’s other successes included that he successfully avoided allowing Henry’s Queen
to launch an invasion from France and he reminded people of the importance of
(15:42):
the Provisions of Oxford. However, just like how the reform movement died, so too did some of the
support for Simon’s control of the government. Simon fell prey to that greedy way of behaving
that so many in power did. He used his position to make sure his family benefitted handsomely and
his children appeared to be way better set up for the future than they had been prior. I don’t know,
(16:05):
maybe he hoped that as long as he kept reforming, that would be considered not a big deal. But
it was a big deal. Eventually, he began to lose support, and when the earl of Gloucester–arguably
his highest-ranking supporter-turned away from him, it wasn’t a good sign.
The biggest blow to Simon’s security, though, was when Prince Edward escaped from where he was
(16:26):
being held in Hereford. The Prince gave Simon’s opponents a rallying point and when he linked
up with forces from the Welsh Marches who were already rebelling against Simon, it empowered
Edward and made a battlefield clash inevitable.On August 4, 1265, Edward surprised Simon,
forcing him into battle in a supremely difficult spot at Evesham by traveling through the night and
(16:48):
catching him unawares. Evesham is a beautiful place, or at least it was when I visited it,
but it is in a bad location if you’re going to be surprised by opposing forces. The River
Avon moves in a U-shaped curve through it, meaning that it was entirely possible for soldiers to be
stuck between advancing enemies and the river. Understanding the gravity of the situation,
(17:10):
it is often attributed to Simon that he said to his supporters that they should accept that their
souls are God’s but their bodies would belong to the enemy. He wasn’t wrong. To call Evesham
a bloodbath is a remarkable understatement.Simon de Montfort’s death at Evesham has
been recorded in great detail many times, with the amount of variation that one would expect
(17:32):
from medieval sources. Still, no matter what version you read, it is shockingly brutal. It
is believed that he was fighting on horseback until his horse was killed from beneath him,
then he continued to fight on foot until someone stabbed him through the neck.
Reinforcements that Simon had hoped for from his son, also Simon, did not arrive anywhere
(17:53):
near in time. While Simon’s other son, Henry, who was already with him, was killed. So, too, were
so many others that it became a source of dismay and even disgust for chroniclers. One called what
occurred, “The murder of Evesham for battle it was none.” Modern historians continue to look at
the sources and consider reasons for why Evesham was so much worse than previous battles. David
(18:17):
Carpenter, in his recent biography of Henry III observed, “What made the battle so bloody was not
new theory but new practice, the key difference being that surrenders were not accepted. While it
is possible, likely even, that Montfort and his closest friends refused to capitulate,
that cannot have been true for all the others.” He notes that there was no general command to
(18:41):
kill the Montfortians and, “much of the killing seems to have been indiscriminate and haphazard”,
pointing out that while Simon’s son Henry was killed, his other son Guy was only wounded.
There was, though, nothing indiscriminate and haphazard about the treatment of Simon
de Montfort’s body. Again, there are multiple accounts of what was done to Simon’s body,
(19:02):
but I chose one to share. This one is from the contemporary chronicle attributed to Arnald
FitzThedmar. It said, and I apologize but this is gruesome, “The head of the Earl of Leicester,
it is said, was severed from his body, and his testicles cut off and hung on either side of his
nose. In this state, the head was sent to the wife of Roger de Mortimer, at Wigmore Castle.
(19:26):
Simon de Montfort’s hands and feet were also cut off, and sent to many of his enemies as a
great mark of dishonour to the deceased. The trunk of his body, however, and that alone,
was given for burial in the church of Evesham.” If you’ve seen the image I chose for this episode,
it is of a plaque placed for the 700th anniversary of his death, commemorating that burial.
(19:48):
In the immediate aftermath of Simon’s death, those who still supported his cause or who were moved by
the way in which he died, viewed him as a hero and martyr. They even moved to have him sainted,
though that would never come to pass. It’s not hard to see then that Simon’s
death was a stroke of luck for Henry III. He’d been a more than capable adversary,
(20:09):
but so bloody was Evesham that the death of Simon and many of his followers allowed Henry
III to restore power. Simon’s widow, Eleanor, who you’ll remember was also Henry III’s sister,
was inconsolable and went into exile in France. She lived in a convent there until her death.
Their children did not have easy lives. Of course, we know Henry died with his father at Evesham.
(20:31):
Simon and Guy became infamous in their own right when they murdered their cousin in 1271 as
retribution for turning his back on their father and benefitting from a close relationship with the
English crown. The backlash against that was as intense as you’d imagine. Simon died soon after
and Guy’s life was never happy nor restful. In fact, Guy ended up as one of the people suffering
(20:55):
in the circles of hell in Dante’s Inferno. Once, I did an episode unsurprisingly called “Guy de
Montfort and Dante’s Inferno” on that very topic. It’s worth checking out if you want to learn more.
Amaury, who had entered religious life, suffered a period of imprisonment when he
helped his sister Eleanor solidify a marriage match that the English crown didn’t agree with.
(21:16):
Eleanor’s marriage was to Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Regular listeners will be interested
to know that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s father was the same Gruffudd whose ugly death was
featured in our Tales from the Tower of London series. Sadly, Eleanor died in childbirth.
Legacy, though, is so much more than just the actions of literal blood relatives carrying
(21:38):
on your name. As an American, one aspect of his legacy surprised me significantly–that
we honor him in our Capitol. That’s right, Simon’s memory is enshrined in the House Chamber at the US
Capitol in Washington, DC. During a renovation of the Chamber at the tail end of the 1940s,
it was decided that marble reliefs of historical figures collectively called “The Lawgivers” would
(22:02):
be incorporated, ostensibly showing the evolution of democracy through past law movers and shakers.
Representatives from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Historical
Society of Washington, DC, and the Library of Congress decided on 23 historical figures,
and their selections were approved by the Architect of the Capitol and a special
(22:22):
committee of House members. The Architect of the Capitol’s official webpage showing Simon’s
relief describes his contribution as “Advocated representative government; established an early
form of representative government in England.” He is included alongside people like Napoleon,
Hammurabi, Pope Innocent III, Justinian, and King Edward I of England. Yes, King Edward I of
(22:47):
England is the same Edward as the Prince Edward who took part in facilitating Simon’s demise.
I’m not sure how Simon and Edward would have felt about each other being included, but it probably
wouldn’t have been great. Regardless, there they are, each for their own accomplishments.
In 2015, the UK’s Parliament celebrated both the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and the 750th
(23:12):
anniversary of Simon’s Parliament. They recognized these two events as significant contributors
to the formation of the House of Commons and democracy. Also, if you’re a re-enactment fan,
each August there is a Battle of Evesham Medieval Festival and Re-enactment, dedicated
to 13th-century history and the battle itself.On the other hand, as I mentioned early on,
(23:33):
Simon’s actions against the Jewish population have remained understandably controversial. In 2020,
students at Leicester’s De Montfort University campaigned to change the school’s name,
citing that his treatment of Jewish people was against “core values and beliefs.” The
University responded in a statement saying, “DMU absolutely stands against racism in all its forms,
(23:57):
including anti-Semitism. As an educational and research institution, we welcome honest
and critical debate and accept that this will involve difficult discussions around
historical figures such as Simon de Montfort.” As of the recording of this episode in 2025,
the University still bears the De Montfort name, with the University website declaring that it has
(24:18):
no plans to change the name in the near future but remains dedicated to equality, diversity,
and inclusion, and plans to “explore ways in which we can continue to acknowledge, discuss
and learn from the legacy of Simon de Montfort.”We know that Simon was controversial in his own
day so it should not be surprising that he is still being discussed, assessed, considered,
(24:39):
honored, and criticized. Certainly, my own understanding of who he was has changed over
time and grown more nuanced and grounded–that is one of the reasons I wanted to revisit him
for Footnoting History. There is always more to learn and more to understand and
more context to give. I hope this new look at Simon has interested you as much as it does me,
(24:59):
and I thank you for joining me for our first ever Revisited episode. Please make sure to
check FootnotingHistory.com for my seriously extended further reading selection. Finally,
of course, I hope you’ll remember that the best stories are always in the footnotes.
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