Simon de Montfort

Description

This book provides a new account of one of the most famous men of the English Middle Ages: Simon de Montfort. It is partly a study of the politics of Henry III's reign (1216-72), with which Montfort's career is closely interwoven; but it also looks at his lands, finances, following and religious ideals. Drawing on unusual sources, the author is able to make his biography as much a study of temperament and character as of a political career, and to write with a degree of psychological penetration rare in works on the medieval nobility.

'... offers a treatment of its subject which, for balance, narrative fluency and skill in marshalling interpretative detail, is likely to remain unsurpassed for a very long time ... His cast emerges individualised from under their hauberks and wimples, and we catch the authentic noise of their anxieties, their scruples, their oaths and challenges.' Jonathan Keates, The Observer ' ... written in clear, compelling English ... Maddicott has weighed Montfort in an admirably even balance. He has brought him alive in all his contradictions and magnificence. This is a masterpiece of a biography which will never be replaced.' D. A. Carpenter, Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... a biographer of rare perception and deep scholarship.' Michael Prestwich, The Times Literary Supplement '... this magnificent biography will be as nearly definitive as any could be. It is a work of the highest quality: persuasive, eloquent and penetrating.' History Today 'John Maddicott has produced an admirable account of this remarkable career ... highly readable ...'. Paul Johnson, The Times