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Simon V of Montfort and Baronial Government, 1195-1218
Oxford Historical Monographs
By (author)
G. E. M. Lippiatt
Genres:
European history, Medieval history, Genealogy, heraldry, names & honours, Biography: historical, political & military, British & Irish history, Crusades
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Synopsis
Dissenter from the Fourth Crusade, disseised earl of Leicester, leader of the Albigensian Crusade, prince of southern France: Simon of Montfort led a remarkable career of ascent from mid-level French baron to semi-independent count before his violent death before the walls of Toulouse in 1218. Through the vehicle of the crusade, Simon cultivated autonomous power in the liminal space between competing royal lordships in southern France in order to build his own
principality. This first English biographical study of his life examines the ways in which Simon succeeded and failed in developing this independence in France, England, the Midi, and on campaign to Jerusalem. Simon's familial, social, and intellectual connexions shaped his conceptions of political order,
which he then implemented in his conquests. By analysing contemporary narrative, scholastic, and documentary evidence-including a wealth of archival material-this volume argues that Simon's career demonstrates the vitality of baronial independence in the High Middle Ages, despite the emergence of centralised royal bureaucracies. More importantly, Simon's experience shows that barons themselves adopted methods of government that reflected a concern for accountability, public order, and
contemporary reform ideals. This study therefore marks an important entry in the debate about baronial responsibility in medieval political development, as well as providing the most complete modern account of the life of this important but oft-overlooked crusader. New & Used
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What Reviewers Are Saying
This is, in short, a very useful monograph, packing a lot of information into a small number of pages. It will serve not only as the standard introduction, in English, to Simon the Elder, but it can also function as a timely reminder about the value of historical biography. * Guy Perry, Middlebury College and Keble College, Speculum * Lippiatt's arguments, drawn from extensive archival research and marshalled with care, are persuasive and important, promising to set the study of the Albigensian Crusade, and of governance in the thirteenth century, on a new footing. * S.T. Ambler, The English Historical Review * Lippiatt's arguments, drawn from extensive archival research and marshalled with care, are persuasive and important, promising to set the study of the Albigensian Crusade, and of governance in the thirteenth century, on a new footing. * St Ambler, The English Historical Review * The book offers an invaluable survey of Montfort's governance and is a most impressive, important and meticulously researched debut. * Sean McGlynn, History * A strong book ... a very valuable addition to our understanding of lordship and nobility in high medieval France. * The Medieval Review * This book will be of interest to a range of scholars with interests in late twelfth- and early thirteenth-century French history. It offers a new vantage point on some crucial dynamics which shaped that period. * Simon A. John, Francia Recensio * Lippiatt ... treats Simon of Montfort analytically, focusing on this magnate and crusader's construction and maintenance of baronial governance and administration in his hereditary lands, and his attempts to carve out a territory in Languedoc during the Albigensian Crusade. The author thoroughly goes through the various territories Simon of Montfort inherited, claimed, or acquired, and how the French baron attempted to govern them. Lippiatt has incorporated good
archival work and imagination to argue that Simon's regime in southern France was neither haphazard nor completely ad hoc ... Highly recommended. * L.W. Marvin, CHOICE *
archival work and imagination to argue that Simon's regime in southern France was neither haphazard nor completely ad hoc ... Highly recommended.