Peter de Montfort

Peter de Montfort , also called Piers de Montfort , (* around 1205; † August 4, 1265 near Evesham ) was an English magnate . He was a friend and close follower of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester , whose rise he promoted through his important position. Peter de Montfort nevertheless made an independent career in the service of the crown and gained recognition as a soldier, diplomat and advisor. As a prolocutor of parliament from 1258 , he is considered the first speaker of an English parliament . During the Second Barons' War he was one of Earl Simon's closest followers to the end.

Origin and youth

Peter de Montfort was a son of Thurstin de Montfort († 1216) and his wife, a daughter of William I de Cantilupe . Despite having the same family name, he was not related to Simon de Montfort . His great-grandfather Thurstin de Montfort was the second largest vassal of William de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Warwick , in 1166 with ten Knight's fees . Montfort was not a baron in the strict sense of the word, since he only held small fiefs as a crown vassal . His main seat was Beaudesert Castle at Henley-in-Arden in Warwickshire , he also owned Preston in Rutland . Because of its extensive holdings, Montfort was still considered an important magnate.

After the death of his father in 1216, the minor Peter became a ward of his grandfather William de Cantilupe, whose headquarters in Aston Cantlow was only about six kilometers from Beaudesert. Montfort had a lifelong friendship with his uncle Walter de Cantilupe , who became Bishop of Worcester in 1238 and later an important supporter of the rebels.

Follower of Simon de Montfort

When Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester became lord of Kenilworth Castle , which is only a few kilometers from Beaudesert and Aston Cantlow, in 1244 , both Peter de Montfort and Walter de Cantilupe came into contact with the Earl of Leicester. 1248 Peter de Montfort was part of the entourage of Earl Simon, when he as a steward in the Gascogne moved. From now on there was a close bond between Earl Simon and Peter de Montfort. Peter confirmed numerous deeds for Earl Simon, who appointed him one of his executors in 1259 and rewarded him with the estate of Ilmington in Warwickshire. Peter de Montfort had numerous contacts with the Knights of the Midlands , from whom Earl Simon recruited a large retinue. Although Simon and Peter remained close friends, their careers developed differently from 1254 onwards. Peter de Montfort was by Heinrich III. charged with diplomatic missions, he received an important command in the Welsh Marches and belonged to the Privy Council before 1257. In 1254 he accompanied the heir to the throne, Lord Edward, to Spain, where he married his bride Eleanor of Castile .

Co-founder of the aristocratic opposition

Despite his close relationship with the heir to the throne Eduard, Peter de Montfort was one of the seven founders of the nobility opposition to the king in April 1258, together with Earl Simon. The reason for this was possibly the great influence of the so-called Lusignans , the French half-brothers of the king, from whom Peter de Montfort was threatened in his position. The aristocratic opposition forced the king to agree to the establishment of a committee to work out a reform program for the king's rule. Like Earl Simon, Peter de Montfort was elected by the barons as one of their twelve representatives who worked out the Provisions of Oxford . This reform program was decided in June 1258 by the so-called Mad Parliament in Oxford, chaired by Peter de Montfort as prolocutor . This makes him the first traditional speaker in an English parliament. Like Earl Simon, Peter de Montfort was elected as a member of the 15-member Council of State, which was to rule England on behalf of the King.

Role in the war of the barons

When the work of the Council of State failed and the king regained power in 1261, Peter de Montfort accepted this development. For the minor George de Cantilupe he was appointed administrator of the Welsh Abergavenny Castle , which he successfully defended against an attack by the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in February 1263 . When Earl Simon returned to England from his French exile in April 1263, Peter de Montfort rejoined him. Earl Simon demanded the re-recognition of the Provisions of Oxford by the king, which ultimately led to the barons' open war against the king in the spring of 1264 . In March 1264, Peter de Montfort commanded the rebels in Northampton , which was captured by the royal troops on April 5th. Montfort was captured, but was released after Earl Simon's great victory at the Battle of Lewes on May 14th. He was a member of the new nine-member State Council and thus played an important role in the new government of the barons. In September 1264 he was a member of the delegation that tried in vain to reach an agreement with the French king and the papal legate, both of whom continued to Henry III. supported and refused the commission. As a reward for his work, the Garthorpe estate in Leicestershire was given to him. In the summer of 1265 Peter de Montfort took part in the last campaign of Earl Simon and fell with him in the Battle of Evesham , which was the decisive victory of the king's supporters.

Family and offspring

Peter de Montfort had married Alice, a daughter of Henry Audley . He had several children with her, including:

• Peter de Montfort († before 1287)
• William de Montfort
• Robert de Montfort

His eldest son Peter was wounded in the Battle of Evesham but survived and was eventually able to buy back most of his father's possessions after the war of the Barons. His son John was made the first Baron Montfort in 1295. The direct line of his male descendants ended in 1367.

Web links

• DA Carpenter: Montfort, Peter de (c.1205-1265). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
• Piers de Montfort on thepeerage.com , accessed April 13, 2016.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Philip Laundy: The office of Speaker. Cassell, London, p. 137
2. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 97