Peter de Montfort (General)

General

Jane Neville

Robert de Montfort

John de Montfort

Phillip de Montfort

**Peter de Montfort** (C. 1182 - March 2, 1230) was an English General during the second barons war, under the service of his older brother Simon de Monfort. Born the son of Henry de Montfort, 4th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England, he was born to inherit his father's lordship of Tarbes, he was brought to a military training camp with his older brothers Simon and Richard de Montfort and the 3 started there military career. He married an Irish noblewoman named Margaret O'Donald, which they had 2 children before Margaret died in 1203. He later remarried Lady Elizabeth Hay. During the second baron's war, his older brother gathered support and Peter de Montfort helped his brother against Henry III of England, that year he divorced his wife for her friend Jane Neville. The de Montfort brothers ruled England for 13 years, before Prince Edward Plantagenet escaped from his prison, and defeated the de Montfort brothers, Peter and his brother and children where arrested and put in prison, Peter, his brothers, and 2 sons where put on trial and found guilty, they where publicaly hanged drawn and quartering in the Tower of London, he was buried the the Plantagenet Chapel in Westminister Abbey in the Montfort area.

## Early Life

Peter de Montort was born in Montfort Castle in 1182, as the 6th child of Henry de Montfort, 4th Earl of Leicester, and his wife Eleanor of England, he was the maternal grandson of John I of England, making him a junior member of the royal family giving him a distant claim to the English throne. He was raised by his governess Lady Mary Veldon in his early years, Peter was close to his older brothers, but he was not as close to his sisters, when he was 11, he was moved from Leicester to Normandy with his governess to persue an education in reading and writing, his brothers joined him a day after. When he was 15, he joined his older brothers in Cambridge to attend a military camp, Peter soon became a better soldier then his older brothers Simon and Richard. When he was 17, he was betrothed by his father to Margaret O'Donald, he married her a month later of March 8, 1199.

## Lord of Tarbes

Peter's father Henry de Montfort died leaving the Earldom of Leicester to Peter's older brother Simon, Peter inherited Tarbes, which was a territory in France. He was proclaimed Lord of Tarbes when he was 18, that year his wife Lady Margaret O'Donald gave birth to a son named Richard de Montfort whom he raised in Tarbes, a year later his wife gave birth to Lady Constance de Montfort, before Margaret O'Donald died in childbirth. He remarried Lady Elizabeth Hay. When Peter was 24, his cousin Henry III of England became King of England, Peter and the de Montfort brothers immediately sensed weakness in the new King who was coming into his senior years, Simon called Peter and Richard for a private meeting in Leicester Castle, according to Peter's journal, they prepared to gain support from the English people and invade England declaring themselves "Lord protectors." But the day there planned to raid the capital, the Pope called the 16th Crusade, and Peter joined with the de Montfort brothers, after the 16th Crusade, it was already 1613, and they where brainwashed about there plans, so it took them 3 years remember there plans, his wife died the day before they where suppose to invade and he remarried Jane Neville who was his long time mistress the same day.

## Second Baron's War

On March 16, 1216, the de Montfort brothers got enough support to launch an invasion of England, Henry III of England's wife and Queen, Eleanor of Provence was horrified, and sent an army to crush Peter de Montfort and his brothers, Peter managed to escape with 3 of his children, but his wife was killed and so was his 2 young children John de Montfort and Phillip de Montfort, some of his nieces were also murdered, the de Montfort brothers ran the fury through violence, the day after the homicide, they started a live rebellion all across England. It was successful and he arrested the entire royal family that was not them. His older brother made Peter a General in the English army.

## de Montfort reign

The de Montfort's where popular and unpopular, they where popular for expanding the army, but very unpopular for raising taxes, Peter and the de Montfort's were all terrified of a possible rebellion to free the royal family, they kept extra guards in the prison, and led a witch-hunt for Constance Plantagenet, a daughter of Henry III of England who managed to escape, and Peter's second cousin, though every attempt to kidnap her failed as she was in the protection of Phillip II of France. Peter was advised to remarry, but he was to busy training his teenage son's how to become generals like himself. His son Richard became a top soldier in the de Montfort army. He married his daughter Constance de Montfort to his private secretary.

## Deposition and Imprisonment

Peter and the de Montfort brothers slowly realized they where falling from power due to mixed feelings about them, one of his prisoners was royal heir apparent Edward of England, Edward managed to escape his prison and flee to France where he briefly stayed with his sister Constance Plantagenet before he rounded up support against the de Montfort brothers, Peter alerted took military action against Edward, which became known as the third barons war, in the battle of Rouen, Edward defeated all three de Montfort brothers and freed the royal family, they where thrown in prison in the tower of London, and 2 months later put on trial.

## Trial

Peter, the de Montfort brothers, his 2 surviving sons, his daughter, and his nieces where imprisoned, 2 months later on April 28, 1230 Peter, his nieces, the de Montfort brothers, and his 2 sons were put on trial, the judge was Richard de Clare, a pawn of Edward of England already planned for what the sentence would be, they were all found guilty and sentenced to death, Peter's son Robert de Montfort broke down in fear and cried as guards came to arrest them, Peter famously just sighed and said "Oh those de Clares" and turned himself in, he first thought he was only lose his head by beheading, but Edward saw the de Montfort brothers as state prisoners, and sentenced them to being hanged, drawn, and quartered, which was the most painful way of death at the time, Peter's older brother Richard de Montfort wen't first, and he was forced to watch his brother being hanged, burned in the arms, ripped apart by horses, and beheaded while wailing.

## Execution

The day after Richard was executed he was next, his older brother Simon was to go after Peter after Peter's execution, Peter was greeted by insults by the people he once ruled over, he was first hanged while his children, nieces and brothers watched while his arms where partly burned, he screamed in pain, and he was then removed from the gallows, and his fingers were chopped off, he was ripped apart by man on horses, and finally beheaded an buried in Westminister Abbey where his body still lays.