Simon de Montfort and the Rise of the English Nation

by Darren Baker

Like his crusading father before him, Simon de Montfort’s combination of charisma and fearlessness made him one of the greatest men of his age. This biography follows his life from his birth in France and arrival in England to his defeat and death at Evesham in 1265. Along the way he succeeded in establishing a constitutional monarchy and, in the act he is most famous for, broadening the scope of representation in Parliament.

King Henry III’s long reign (1216–1272) saw many changes taking place in England and on the Continent, including a re-awakening in national identity not seen since before the Norman Conquest two centuries earlier. Simon de Montfort’s recognition and cultivation of this growing awareness was instrumental in his rebellion and takeover of the government. Not for another four hundred years, until the advent of Oliver Cromwell, would England see a revolution led by a figure of comparable stature.

Genres: History, British Literature, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2015

About the author

Darren Baker is a translator and historian who took his degree at the University of Connecticut. He currently lives in the Czech Republic.

Reviews

[Tony Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and readable biography of Simon de Montfort

[Leendert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mostly a sequence of events and that's not the most interesting type of history. I didn't get a sense for the source material and their positioning apart from a very few (3?). I still don't feel I understand the constitutional importance apart from the fact Simon de Montfort proposed a limiting of royal powers and I also don't feel I got a sense of the time and place these events were embedded in. I'm not saying a biography has to be all those things but I do think it has to be some of those things. All in all I did enjoy it. He was certainly an interesting figure.

[Michael Bully · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic and readable biography of Simon de Montfort : A good starting point for anyone with a vague interest in de Montfort's life who wants to learn more, and a crucial read for any 13th century English enthusiast . The author describes de Montfort as a "charismatic Anglo-Frenchman who embodied the highest ideals and lowest opportunism of the age " .
The rise of de Montfort from a virtually landless French family who were renowned for fighting the Cathar heretics, to an English earldom is intriguing enough. The fact that de Montfort managed to marry Eleanor , sister to Henry III at a clandestine wedding with the king being present,and even became godfather to Henry's first born son Edward, whose army would later crush de Montfort and brutally kill him at Evesham, is without parallel in English history. Added to all this is de Montfort final struggle to make the king accountable to his subjects via the Provisions of Oxford of 1258. The writer views de Montfort as a revolutionary. Personally I agree far more with David Carpenter's description of de Monfort as England first politician. Yet either way, Darren Baker makes the case that the events of 1258 -1265 , leading to de Montfort's victory at Lewes 1264, followed by his virtual rule of England for fifteen months until his downfall at Evesham in 1265 as England breaking with the Past. Killing de Montfort would not restore the realm to what it had been.
Darren Baker does not denigrate Henry III, neither does he depict de Montfort as a heroic figure, which makes the book stronger. Useful appendices -including a translation of de Montfort's will and the Provision of Oxford.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to report that I did not like this biography any better than I liked Baker's life of Henry III. It isn't particularly well-written nor well-organized, and Baker throughout seems much more interested in Henry than he is in Simon. I often had the feeling that he was repurposing his Henry material into a second book. Once again, I felt lost in a sea of Edwards and Eleanors, and the author did not do much to help me find my way. After getting a very good grounding in Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their children, I don't feel that I've learned a huge amount about this period. Which is a shame, because the rise of Parliament and the captive monarchy seem both interesting and important.

For now, I am moving on to Edward I, but I'm prepared to backtrack once David Carpenter's two volumes on Henry III are complete.

[Eric Moroney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a good description of the events of Monfort's life and the Second Baron's War, but it is let down by an absurdly positive portrayal of King Henry III, sometimes in defiance of the plain facts. I gained information, but at the end of the book I still felt like I didn't quite understand what drove Monfort's movement.