The Simon de Montfort Society welcomes you to the Simon de Montfort Internet Portal, your first port of call for information about the controversial "father of parliaments".  Simon de Montfort V, son of the infamous leader  of the Albigensian Crusade, was born in Northern France probably in 1208.  Making his way to England around 1230 to the court of Henry III, Simon initially  intended  only to succeed in his claim to the title of earl of Leicester.  By marrying the King's sister he became one of the leading magnates of the realm and his place in English history was sealed when, after a stormy relationship with his brother-in-law, he became the leader of the baronial reform movement that sought to re-establish rights granted under Magna Carta that had been eroded by Henry III.  In the end the reform movement led, through Earl Simon, sowed the seeds of  representative government.  Simon defeated Henry III at the battle of Lewes but his attempts to rule through Henry as a puppet king alienated many of his supporters and Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, died for his cause at the Battle of Evesham on August 4th 1265, surrounded by his implacable enemies.  Since his death, earl Simon's life, ambitions, motives and actions have been the subject of scholarly investigation and intense, often vitriolic, debate.  Whatever position is taken on Simon de Montfort, "father of parliaments" or "greedy opportunist", his importance as a key figure in one of the most troubled periods of English history is recognised around the world.

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