Why read The Song of Simon de Montfort?

Book cover of The Song of Simon de Montfort: The Life and Death of a Medieval Revolutionary

Book description

A biography of one of the Middle Ages' most controversial, reckless, and heroic figures

Born in France in the early thirteenth century to a crusading father of the same name, Simon de Montfort traveled to England in his adulthood, where he claimed the earldom of Leicester and ingratiated himself into…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Song of Simon de Montfort as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Marc Morris

Author

I was trained as a historian of the thirteenth century, and three of my books have been on thirteenth-century topics. One of the most influential figures in this period was Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, who first befriended and then rebelled against King Henry III, reducing the king to a cipher and effectively ruling in his place. Montfort was also highly controversial, driven by a mix of high-minded altruism and personal ambition that divided people at the time and still has historians arguing to this day. Sophie Ambler tells his tale in an exciting fashion, emphasizing the violence and…

From Marc's list on The best books on medieval Britain.