Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simon de Montfort
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| 5th Earl of Leicester | |
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[UM] SIMONIS DE MONTE FORTI ("seal of Simon from the strong mountain")
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| Born | c. 1175 |
| Died | 25 June 1218 (aged 42–43) Siege of Toulouse |
| Buried | Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire, Carcassonne, later moved to Montfort l'Amaury |
| Noble family | Montfort |
| Spouse(s) | Alix de Montmorency |
| Issue | Amaury de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester Guy de Montfort, Count of Bigorre Amicie de Montfort Petronilla |
| Father | Simon de Montfort |
| Mother | Amicia de Beaumont |
Simon de Montfort (born around 1175 – died June 25, 1218) was a powerful French nobleman and a skilled knight. He is also known as Simon IV de Montfort or Simon de Montfort the Elder. He became the Lord of Montfort in France in 1188. In England, he was the Earl of Leicester starting in 1204.
Simon de Montfort was a key figure in two major religious wars, called Crusades. He took part in the Fourth Crusade and later led the Albigensian Crusade. He was especially known for his military victories in the Albigensian Crusade, like the Battle of Muret. Simon de Montfort died during the Siege of Toulouse in 1218.
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Who was Simon de Montfort?
Simon de Montfort was the son of Simon de Montfort (who died in 1188). His father was the lord of Montfort l'Amaury, a place near Paris, France. His mother was Amicia de Beaumont. She was the daughter of Robert de Beaumont, who was the 3rd Earl of Leicester.
Simon became the lord of Montfort after his father passed away in 1181. In 1190, he married Alix de Montmorency. Alix was also very religious and often joined him on his military trips.
Simon and the Fourth Crusade
In 1199, Simon de Montfort decided to join the Fourth Crusade. This crusade was meant to go to the Holy Land. However, the crusade changed its path and attacked the Christian city of Zara on the Adriatic Sea.
Pope Innocent III had told the Crusaders not to attack other Christians. Simon de Montfort disagreed with the attack on Zara. He even told the people of Zara not to give up, saying the French knights would not help the Venetians attack them.
Most of the French lords owed money to the Venetians, so they did help attack Zara. The city was captured in 1202. Simon did not take part in this attack and spoke out against it. He and his friends left the crusade when it decided to go to Constantinople instead of the Holy Land. Simon and his followers then traveled to Acre in the Middle East.
Becoming Earl of Leicester
Simon's mother, Amicia, was the oldest daughter of Robert of Beaumont, the 3rd Earl of Leicester. When her brother, Robert de Beaumont, the 4th Earl of Leicester, died without children in 1204, Amicia inherited half of his lands. This also gave her a claim to the title of Earl of Leicester.
In 1207, the lands were divided, and the rights to the earldom went to Amicia and Simon. However, King John of England took control of these lands himself in February 1207. He also kept the money from them. Later, in 1215, the lands were given to Simon's cousin, Ranulph de Meschines, 4th Earl of Chester.
Leading the Albigensian Crusade
After returning to France, Simon de Montfort joined another crusade. This time, it was against a group of Christians in southern France called the Cathars, who were seen as heretics by the Catholic Church. This war was known as the Albigensian Crusade.
Simon took part in the first part of the crusade in 1209. After the city of Carcassonne was captured, he was chosen to lead the crusade. He also became the ruler of the lands taken from the Raymond-Roger Trencavel family.
Simon's Military Actions
Simon de Montfort became known for his harsh methods. In 1210, he ordered 140 Cathars to be burned in the village of Minerve because they refused to change their beliefs. He did spare those who agreed to change.
In another event, before attacking the village of Lastours, he brought prisoners from a nearby village. He had their eyes removed and their ears, noses, and lips cut off. One prisoner, who still had one good eye, was made to lead them into the village as a warning.
Simon's actions in the crusade had the support of the King of France, Philip Augustus. However, some historians believe King Philip did not fully approve of the crusade but was happy to gain new lands from it.
Simon was a very active military leader. He quickly moved his forces to attack those who broke their promises to him. Many local lords often changed sides depending on what seemed best for them. Southern France had many small forts and highly protected cities like Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Narbonne.
Simon was very tough on those who betrayed their word. In 1213, he defeated Peter II of Aragon at the Battle of Muret. This victory largely ended the main fighting against the Cathars. However, Simon continued the campaign as a war to conquer more land.
He was made the ruler of all the newly captured lands in 1215. This made him the Count of Toulouse and Duke of Narbonne. He spent two years fighting in many parts of these new territories. He also besieged Beaucaire from June to August 1216.
Raymond, the former Count of Toulouse, returned in October 1217 and took back Toulouse. Simon quickly began to besiege the city. He sent his wife, Alix de Montmorency, to the French court to ask for more support.
After besieging Toulouse for nine months, Simon was killed on June 25, 1218. He was hit in the head by a stone from a mangonel (a type of catapult). Some sources say the stone was thrown by the "ladies and girls and women" of Toulouse. He was first buried in the Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire at Carcassonne. Later, one of his sons moved his body to Montfort l'Amaury.
Simon de Montfort's Family
Simon and his wife Alix had several children:
- Amaury de Montfort: He married Beatrix of Viennois and died in 1241 while returning from a crusade.
- Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester: He married Eleanor of England. He was killed in the Battle of Evesham in 1265.
- Guy de Montfort, Count of Bigorre: He married Petronille, Countess of Bigorre, in 1216. He died in 1220 during the siege of Castelnaudary.
- Amicie de Montfort: She married Gaucher de Joigny. She founded a convent and died there in 1252.
- Petronilla: She became the abbess (head nun) of a Cistercian nunnery.
What happened to his lands?
Simon's French lands went to his oldest son, Amaury. His second son, also named Simon, eventually became the Earl of Leicester in England. This younger Simon de Montfort played a very important role in the reign of King Henry III of England. He led a rebellion of barons against King Henry and for a time became the actual ruler of England.
Images for kids
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Seal of Simon de Montfort
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Plaque commemorating the death of Simon de Montfort
See also
In Spanish: Simón IV de Montfort para niños
