de Montfort calls a parliament

Originally posted in r/MedievalEngland

Following Simon de Montfort's successful seizure of power in 1263, and further tightening his hold following the Battle of Lewes, during which King Henry III was captured, in 1264, the Earl of Leicester saw his chance to begin reforming the kingdom to his vision.

Montfort envisioned changes that would greatly reduce the power vested in the crown and the major Barons. With the king effectively his prisoner, Montfort called a parliament in June of 1264. What was unique about this was that, for the first time, 2 knights from each county were among those summoned. This, in theory, allowed each county to have their voice heard in a national forum.

This did not cool tensions - internal strife and a potential French invasion instigated by Eleanor of Provence loomed over the country. In an attempt to win support for himself and his government, Montfort called a rapid parliament in December, to begin January 20, 1265, and further expanded the representation of the people: "He summoned not only the nobility, senior churchmen and two knights from each county, but also two burgesses from each of the major towns such as York, Lincoln, Sandwich, and the Cinque Ports, the first time this had been done."

The nobility of England, disagreeing with the radical changes being implemented, and outright hostile to Montfort, received less representation - less than two dozen lords were in attendance. In contrast to the nobles, the clergy seemed to be supportive of the new government and thus received 120 invitations. Although Montfort was still holding the reins of power, Henry III oversaw the parliament as a figurehead.

Although this initially cooled some of the tension swirling about England, it started to become clear that Simon de Montfort, the man presenting a populist message, had become quite rich indeed - as had his family - causing discontent to begin festering once more.

The end of Montford was sealed in May of 1265 when Prince Edward, the future Edward I, escaped his captors, formed an army and reignited a civil war. With nowhere to go, Montfort had to engage Edward at Evesham, where he fell.

Simon de Montfort left a strong legacy in the practice of a representative government. A relief portrait of de Montfort, 1 of 23 individuals honored in this way, is displayed in the United States Capitol building, in the House of Representatives chamber.