Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
| Simon de Montfort | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Leicester | |
Simon de Montfort, in a drawing of a stained glass window found at Chartres Cathedral
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| Earl of Leicester | |
| Title held | 1239 – 4 August 1265 |
| Predecessor | Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl |
| Successor | None, title forfeit |
| Spouse | Eleanor |
Issue
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| Father | Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester |
| Mother | Alix de Montmorency |
| Born |
c. 1208 Montfort-l'Amaury |
| Died |
(aged about 56) Evesham, Worcestershire |
| Buried | Evesham Abbey |
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (c. 1208 – 4 August 1265), also called Simon de Munford and sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other , was a French-English nobleman who inherited the title and estates of the earldom of Leicester in England. He led the rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263–64, and subsequently became de facto ruler of England. During his rule, Montfort called two famous parliaments. The first stripped the King of unlimited authority, while the second included ordinary citizens from the towns. For this reason, Montfort is regarded today as one of the of modern parliamentary democracy. After a rule of just over a year, Montfort was killed by forces loyal to the King in the Battle of Evesham.
Montfort was a younger son of Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, a French nobleman and crusader, and Alix de Montmorency. His paternal grandmother was Amicia de Beaumont, the senior co-heiress to the Earldom of Leicester and a large estate owned by her brother Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester, in England.
With the irrevocable loss of Normandy, King John refused to allow the elder Simon to succeed to the earldom of Leicester and instead placed the estates and title into the hands of Montfort senior's cousin Ranulf, the Earl of Chester. The elder Simon had also acquired vast domains during the Albigensian Crusade, but was killed during the Siege of Toulouse in 1218 and his eldest son Amaury was not able to retain them. When Amaury was rebuffed in his attempt to get the earldom back, he agreed to allow his younger brother Simon to claim it in return for all family possessions in France.
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