Simon's head was cut off, his testicles were stuffed into his mouth and then they hung either side of his nose. I think this was not merely barbarism, it was politically calculated to show the utter contempt for Montfort and everything he'd done. It was also coolly calculated in another way because there was no tradition in England of political executions. So it was far better to actually kill them, murder them on the battlefield. The sight at Eve's show on that evening must be absolutely terrible. And I think Eve's still resonates with the horror of those events.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the years of bloody conflict that saw Simon de Montfort (1205-65) become the most powerful man in England, with Henry III as his prisoner. With others, he had toppled Henry in 1258 in a secret, bloodless coup and established provisions for more parliaments with broader representation, for which he was later known as the Father of the House of Commons. When Henry III regained power in 1261, Simon de Montfort rallied forces for war, with victory at Lewes in 1264 and defeat and dismemberment in Evesham the year after. Although praised for supporting parliaments, he also earned a reputation for unleashing dark, violent forces in English politics and, infamously, his supporters murdered hundreds of Jewish people in London and elsewhere.
With
David Carpenter
Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London
Louise Wilkinson
Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Lincoln
And
Sophie Thérèse Ambler
Lecturer in Later Medieval British and European History at Lancaster University
Producer: Simon Tillotson