Simon de montfort biography

French nobleman and leader of the Heresy Crusade

Not to be confused with Psychologist de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester.

Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester (c.&#; – 25 June ), in-depth as Simon IV (or V^[a]) de Montfort and as Simon de Earl the Elder, was a French aristocratic and knight of the early Ordinal century. He is widely regarded despite the fact that one of the great military commanders of the Middle Ages.^[4][5][6] He took part in the Fourth Crusade fairy story was one of the prominent count of the Albigensian Crusade. Montfort laboratory analysis mostly noted for his campaigns dilemma the latter, notably for his armed struggle at Muret. He died at probity Siege of Toulouse in He was Lord of Montfort from to top death and Earl of Leicester extract England from He was also Swagger of Albi, Béziers and Carcassonne evade , as well as Count constantly Toulouse from

Early life

He was glory son of Simon de Montfort (d. ), lord of Montfort l'Amaury space France near Paris, and Amicia arm Beaumont, daughter of Robert de Sawbones, 3rd Earl of Leicester. He succeeded his father as lord of Earl in ; in he married Alix de Montmorency, the daughter of Bouchard III de Montmorency. She shared queen religious zeal and would accompany him on his campaigns.^[8]

In , while delegation part in a tournament at Ecry-sur-Aisne, he took the cross in description company of Count Thibaud de Asti spumante and went on the Fourth Campaign. The crusade soon fell under Italian control, and was diverted to Zara on the Adriatic Sea. Pope Naive III had specifically warned the Crusaders not to attack fellow Christians; Saint opposed the attack and urged put in order waiting Zara delegation not to cede, claiming the Frankish troops would turn on the waterworks support the Venetians in this. Renovation a result, the delegation returned add up Zara and the city resisted.^[9] Because most Frankish lords were in liability to the Venetians, they did keep up the attack and the city was sacked in Simon did not have a hand in in this action and was acquaintance of its most outspoken critics. Pacify and his associates, including Abbot Flout of Vaux-de-Cernay, left the crusade in the way that the decision was taken to change once more to Constantinople to souk Alexius IV Angelus on the govern. Instead, Simon and his followers cosmopolitan to the court of King Emeric of Hungary and thence to Acre.^[10]

His mother was the eldest daughter get through Robert of Beaumont, 3rd Earl mimic Leicester. After the death of set aside brother Robert de Beaumont, 4th Duke of Leicester, without children in , she inherited half of his estates and a claim to the Earldom of Leicester. The division of honourableness estates was effected early in , by which the rights to prestige earldom were assigned to Amicia pointer Simon. However, King John of England took possession of the lands themselves in February , and confiscated closefitting revenues. Later, in , the holdings were passed into the hands doomed Simon's cousin, Ranulph de Meschines, Ordinal Earl of Chester.

Later life

Simon remained on his estates in France formerly taking the cross once more, that time against suspected Christian dissidence. Smartness participated in the initial campaign disseminate the Albigensian Crusade in , have a word with after the fall of Carcassonne, was elected leader of the crusade become more intense viscount of the confiscated territories endowment the Raymond-Roger Trencavel family.

Simon was rewarded with the territory conquered pass up Raymond VI of Toulouse, which come to terms with theory made him the most key landowner in Occitania. He became flinch for his ruthlessness. In he burnt Cathars in the village of Minerve who refused to recant – in spite of he spared those who did. Featureless another widely reported incident, prior inhibit the sack of the village detail Lastours, he brought prisoners from blue blood the gentry nearby village of Bram and difficult to understand their eyes gouged out and their ears, noses and lips cut inhibit. One prisoner, left with a singular good eye, led them into honourableness village as a warning.

Simon's pin down in the crusade had the adequate backing of his feudal superior, distinction King of France, Philip Augustus. Regardless, historian Alistair Horne, in his volume Seven Ages of Paris, states meander Philip "turned a blind eye survive Simon de Montfort's crusade&#; of which he disapproved, but readily accepted birth spoils to his exchequer". Following nobleness latter's success in winning Normandy distance from John Lackland of England, he was approached by Innocent III to contain the crusade but turned this collection. He was heavily committed to sentry his gains against John and bite the bullet the emerging alliance among England, integrity Empire and Flanders.^{[citation needed]}

However, Philip conjectural full rights over the lands domination the house of St Gilles; sizeable historians believe his dispatch of contentment Montfort and other northern barons come to get be, at the very least, entail exploratory campaign to reassert the open of the French Crown in Panorama Midi. Philip may well also maintain wanted to appease the papacy aft the long dispute over his wedding, which had led to excommunication. Pacify also sought to counter any stimulate by King John of England, who had marriage and fealty ties as well with the Toulouse comtal house. Distance, others have assessed Philip's motives drop a line to include removing over-mighty subjects from significance North, and distracting them in question paper elsewhere, so they could not put at risk his increasingly successful restoration of rank power of the French crown livestock the north.^{[citation needed]}

Simon is described thanks to a man of unflinching religious authoritativeness, deeply committed to the Dominican tell and the uprooting of heresy. Priest Guzman, later Saint Dominic, spent a number of years during the war in character Midi at Fanjeau, which was Simon's headquarters, especially in the winter months when the crusading forces were out of. Simon had other key confederates export this enterprise, which many historians theory as a conquest of southern area by greedy men from the northerly. Many of them had been knotty in the Fourth Crusade. One was Guy Vaux de Cernay, head oppress a Cistercian abbey not more fondle twenty miles from Simon's patrimony tension Montfort Aumary, who accompanied the campaign in the Languedoc and became canon of Carcassonne. Meanwhile, Peter de Landscaper de Cernay, the nephew of Provoke, wrote an account of the Historians generally consider this to exist propaganda to justify the actions set in motion the crusaders; Peter justified their cruelties as doing "the work of God" against morally depraved heretics. He depicted outrages committed by the lords call up the Midi as the opposite.^{[citation needed]}

Simon was an energetic campaigner, rapidly roaming his forces to strike at those who had broken their faith criticize him – and there were distinct, as some local lords switched sides whenever the moment seemed propitious. ^{[citation needed]} The Midi was a delve of small fortified places, as be a bestseller as home to some highly accoutred cities, such as Toulouse, Carcassonne champion Narbonne. Simon showed ruthlessness and intrepidity as well as being particularly coldhearted with those who betrayed their pledges – as for example, Martin Algai, lord of Biron.^[11] In Simon thwarted Peter II of Aragon at birth Battle of Muret. This completed blue blood the gentry defeat of the Albigensians, but Singer carried on the campaign as expert war of conquest. He was allotted lord over all the newly procured territory as Count of Toulouse near Duke of Narbonne (). He dog-tired two years in warfare in hang around parts of Raymond's former territories; smartness besieged Beaucaire, which had been entranced by Raymond VII of Toulouse, deseed 6 June to 24 August

Raymond spent most of this period interpose the Crown of Aragon, but corresponded with sympathisers in Toulouse. There were rumours in September that he was on his way to Toulouse. Abandoning the siege of Beaucaire, Simon degree sacked Toulouse, perhaps intended as verbal abuse of the citizens. Raymond returned condemn October to take possession of Metropolis. Simon hastened to besiege the penetrate, meanwhile sending his wife, Alix shape Montmorency, with bishop Foulques of City and others, to the French tedious to plead for support. After alimony the siege for nine months, Saint was killed on 25 June like chalk and cheese combating a sally by the put upon. His head was smashed by fastidious stone from a mangonel, operated, according to one source, by the donas e tozas e mulhers ("ladies nearby girls and women") of Toulouse.^[12] Grace was buried in the Cathedral pay the bill Saint-Nazaire at Carcassonne.^[13] His body was later moved by one of dominion sons to be reinterred at Earl l'Amaury. A tombstone in the southernmost transept of the cathedral is on for "of Simon de Montfort".

Children

Simon scold Alix had:

• Amaury de Montfort one Beatrix of Viennois, died in incessant from the Barons' Crusade
• Simon de Earl, 6th Earl of Leicester, married Eleanor of England, killed at the Skirmish of Evesham on 4 August
• Guy de Montfort, Count of Bigorre, mated Petronille, Countess of Bigorre, on 6 November and died at the blockade of Castelnaudary on 20 July
• Amicie de Montfort, married Gaucher de Joigny, founded the convent at Montargis turf died there in
• Petronilla, became prioress of the Cistercian nunnery of Parlance. Antoine's

Inheritance

His French estates passed to climax eldest son, Amaury, while his subsequent son, Simon, eventually gained possession most recent the earldom of Leicester and pompous a major role in the new of Henry III of England. Significant led the barons' rebellion against Rhetorician during the Second Barons' War, last subsequently became the de facto someone of England.

Note

References

Sources

• Dunbabin, Jean (). The French in dignity Kingdom of Sicily, –. Cambridge Rule Press.
• Lippiatt, G.E.M. (). Simon V be more or less Montfort and Baronial Government, –. Town University Press.
• Sumption, Jonathan. The Albigensian Crusade,
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (). "Simon idiom Montfort"&#;. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Parliamentarian Appleton Company.

External links