King Henry III, Eleanor of Provence, Simon and Eleanor de Montfort – Their struggle over monarchy and parliament in 13th century England

Courtly intrigue

1231 The Leicester holdings, it turned out, generated little income to cover the debts Simon had incurred to recover them. […]

Always the Jews

1231 The expedition was a total failure. Young Henry looked splendid in his armor until dysentery took hold of him […]

Arriving in England

1230 When the middle brother died during another siege, the oldest brother Amaury had only Simon to contend with for […]

The crimes of the father

1218 Simon’s namesake father had gained fame throughout Europe for his ruthless suppression of the Cathars during the Albigensian Crusade. […]

The third son

1208 Simon de Montfort was described as “tall in body and handsome in face.” He was also said to have […]

The simple king

1207 Stout and florid in later life, no doubt from a love of good wine, the one physical feature of […]

Simon and Henry

Next door to the cathedral is the Palace of Westminster with its iconic clock tower. It’s home to the houses […]

The true visionary

The Westminster Abbey we know today was the vision of King Henry III. A fickle man of unsteady purpose, Henry […]