THE name of SIMON DE MONTFORT is connected in English history with the rise of Parliament to political power. What exact amount of credit he deserves in this matter will be seen from a survey of the facts of the case. But Simon de Montfort, apart from this, is a most notable character in English history. In times of difficulty, where there was a dearth of leaders, he showed himself a man of rare ability, of keen political foresight, of lofty purpose, and of resolute mind. Though a foreigner by birth, he saw more clearly than any native Englishman the hidden genius of the old English institutions. Though hated at first as an alien and an adventurer, he so won his way to English hearts that the people loved him as few men have ever been loved in England, and after his death adored him as a saint and martyr. The man of whom this is true deserves a fuller recognition among England’s heroes than he has yet received.
Moreover, the times in which Earl Simon lived are amongst the most remarkable in the history of Europe. A great spiritual movement, second only in importance to what we call the Reformation, was passing over Christendom. The followers of St. Francis and St. Dominic carried Christian morality among the lower classes, and awoke a new intelligence wherever they went. A greater sense of spiritual freedom and of the dignity of man began to prevail amongst the people.
