Grave of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester
Posted by: 
Stretchy123
N 52° 05.455 W 001° 56.785
30U E 572181 N 5771673
In the 13th century there was a power struggle in England between the King and the Barons. Simon de Montfort was leader of the Barons until his death at the battle of Evesham in 1265. After his death, he was entombed in Evesham Abbey.
Waymark Code: WMC4B8
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/24/2011
Views: 2
In the 13th century there was a power struggle in England between the King and the Barons. Simon de Montfort was leader of the Barons until his death at the battle of Evesham in 1265. After his death, he was entombed in Evesham Abbey.
Evesham Abbey was cleared as part of the dissolution of the monasteries. However Simon de Montfort's tomb remains in what had once been the Abbey Church.
In 1965, 700 years after his death, a stone was transported from Simon de Montfort's birthplace in France to this site to commemorate the anniversary, and unveiled by the speaker of the House of Commons, the parliament he had started all those years ago.
Description:
The Magna Carta (1215) had been the first step towards controlling the power and obligations of the king. In practice it was very difficult to enforce. Simon de Montfort and others realised that the King’s actions needed continuous supervision. With this in view new rules were made at a Parliament which met in 1258 in Oxford but when Henry III resisted a civil war broke out in 1264. When Henry was captured, Earl Simon then governed England in the king’s name for over a year until the battle of Evesham.
The future King Edward (the victor at Evesham) eventually accepted the need for consent which parliaments could give, and for wider representation.
Thus Simon de Montfort started the beginnings of the democracy that the UK has had for over 700 years.
Date of birth: 05/23/1208
Date of death: 08/04/1265
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Tomb (above ground)
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: available 24/7 in Abbey Park
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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