Father of Democracy

Dear Folk,

On this date August 4, 1265 one of the true fathers of democracy or at least representational government, a man whose marble portrait hangs in the US Congress, died a horrible and pitiless death. His name was Simon
de Montfort and the battle was Evesham.

When King John of England died, he left his son Henry III (born 1216) as his heir. Henry was still a child and was under the regency (protection) of William Marshal. As Henry III grew up, he showed that he had inherited most of his father's bad traits and very few of his good ones. As king, starting in 1227, Hank III tried and failed to regain his grandmother's land of Aquitaine from France. He continued to launch unsuccessful campaigns across the ditch in France. Now, most folks will put up with wars if their side is winning. What is the definition of insanity, again? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Right!

Since his father, John, had turned England over to the Vatican as a papal state, Hank III filled English church appointments with Italians. His court advisors were French. What do you think his now thoroughly English barons thought of this? Okay, they might have been a bit more charitable than that, but you have the idea. There was a baronial revolt (1233-1234) to express their mild displeasure at Hank. Although Hank tried to be more British in his outlook, he kept slipping and eating brie with his wife's (Eleanor of Provence -- married her in 1236) relatives.

Simon de Montfort secretly married Henry's sister, Eleanor, which somehow seemed that de Montfort was climbing even higher than his Earldom. Now an Earl is not a paltry thing and Simon was a model of true chivalry. Still Henry caught lots of flak from the barons about that. Henry III to show his trust in Simon, sent him to Gascony in 1248 to reestablish some semblance of British order to the place. The robbers and thugs were actually the landed "gentry" who complained on trumped up charges that Simon was being mean and ugly and disloyal to the king. Henry screwed up. He recalled Simon in 1252 which put de Montfort in a bad light. Honor with Simon was not a trifling thing. Wait for that to come back in a moment.

Henry got a pretty nice offer from the Pope to make Henry's younger son, Edmund, King of Sicily. There was a small catch: Hank had to put up money to finance a small war to kick out the Hohenstaufens (remember Barbarosa?) from the place. Hank said, "Sure, I'll write you this check." The barons found this another reason to be angry. They were not too happy with hanging out with the Pope. After all, King John had already given England to the papacy once. They were also not happy about spending more money for some foreign wars. And you know what? They really hated that they were not asked about any of this. The barons told Hank, "You want the money, you raise it yourself."

Now the Pope was hacked at Hank for trying to renege on the deal (popes need money, too, dear hearts) and threatened to excommunicate him, so Hank had to come to terms with the barons. Guess who was now leading the barons? Yep, Simon de Montfort. To get the cash the king had to accept the Provisions of Oxford (1258) and the Provisions of Westminster (1259) which essentially said that the king had to consult with his barons before going in debt for foreign wars. Two years later, the king repudiated these provisions saying he was forced at sword point to sign them. Kings cannot limit themselves like that.

The next year, 1263, saw an armed insurrection, The Baron's War, against the faithless king. Although there was an attempt for a peaceable settlement with arbitration of Louis IX of France, the power of absolute monarchy was reasserted. How surprising! Ask a king if a king should be forced to listen to barons; what would that king say? So the war resumed. In 1264 Simon and his forced won the battle of Lewes where he captured Henry III.

In 1265 Simon summoned a representative Parliament. It was the first of its kind. Here we had not just barons, but knights and even wealthy shopkeepers meeting together to discuss the way things should be run.

This rabble rule could not stand long. Prince Edward, later Edward I, led the royal troops toward the river Severn near Worcestershire. Most of the rebel troops were hungry and tired. The march had been a long one and Simon had forbidden looting. Edward surprised Simon as his troops were finally chowing down in Evesham. The battle which followed was called a "decisive victory." It was a slaughter. Edward lost only one knight and two squires. On the other side Simon, his son Henry, Sirs Hugh Despenser, Peter de Montfort, William de Mandeville, Radulph
Basset, Roger St. John, Walter de Despigny, Willima of York, and Robert Tregos - all powerful knights and barons - were killed. The captured list went on and on. Simon's head, hands and feet were cut off by order of Edward and displayed throughout England.

In the summer of 1266, the remnants of the baronial forces, under the leadership of Henry de Hastings, used Simon's castle as a refuge. The ensuing siege of Kenilworth Castle is the longest in English history, and demonstrated the strength of the fortifications against siege machines like the ballista brought in from London. Barges were even brought from Chester in an attempt to enter the castle across the meer. In July 1266, the Archbishop of Canterbury stood before the castle walls and excommunicated the beleaguered followers of de Montfort. Unimpressed by this early example of psyops, the defenders dressed one of their number in clerics' garb and promptly excommunicated the King and Archbishop! Seems only fair.

After about a 6 month siege, the barons were overcome by disease and famine and finally surrendered. From that time on Prince Edward ruled England with his father as only a figurehead. Henry died in 1273.

There is much more to tell you about Simon de Montfort but this story is already long. Perhaps another time. Funny thing, though, when Edward I became king, he started listening more to his barons and even to townspeople. Hmmm. Maybe he learned from his dad's mistakes.

What have we learned from this? Don't let your mouth write checks your butt can't cash? Eleven is perhaps too young to be king? Edward was an awful and gory person? Kings do not take well to being limited? How about: the road to freedom is a long and bloody one?

As always, forward these to friends and others you wish to bug but leave my name and sig attached.

Admiring Simon de Montfort quite a bit,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

SCA - Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS - Polyphemus Theognis
TRV - Sebastian Yeats