Simon de Montfort (British Lives S.)

Rating:
Summary: Most important man nobody has ever heard of
Review: A very fair account of a truly remarkable individual. It presents him as a man dedicated to his ideals and as a man utterly obsessed with his well-being, even at the cost of his losing credibility for his government and the provisions he fought so hard for, making him believable as a real man. It is a shame so few people know about him. Highly recomended!

Rating:
Summary: Most important man nobody has ever heard of
Review: Great but tragic story of a strong character who wanted too much and lost everything. Facinating story of an educated man in a uneducated time. Inside into the economic circumstances and its motivation in the 12th century. Highly recommendable but also higly difficult to read.

Rating:
Summary: Facinating inside view into the 12th century
Review: Great but tragic story of a strong character who wanted too much and lost everything. Facinating story of an educated man in a uneducated time. Inside into the economic circumstances and its motivation in the 12th century. Highly recommendable but also higly difficult to read.

Rating:
Summary: Best biography on ol'Earl
Review: This book proves to be a well-written if not very complex biography of Simon de Montfort, a revolutionary mediveal baron who dares to challenged the King of England about the limitation of the royal powers. While initially successful, he allowed that success to go to his head and he was finally defeated and killed.

The book revealed a highly complex character, its superbly researched, readable to a those who knoweledge of the period is pretty good, bit hard on those who may be entering this subject for the first time. The author managed to intergrate all elements of de Montfort's life, as a great soldier, as a politican, a man of God with a look of idealism and above all, a family man. Along with his strengths, lies his weaknesses, his ruthless ambition, self-centered on family promotion and wealth at expense of others and his overwhelming sense of pride that borderline on sheer arrogance. The book clearly show how his strength gained him his victories while his weaknesses sent him into defeat.

With great insight, perception and scholarship, I would say this biography of Mountfort is probably the best on the subject and one of the best on any mediveal personalities of the time period. (Although Michael Prestwich's biography on Edward I is also quite excellent.)