A young baron of the Yveline forest country west of Paris, holding Montfort, Epernon and Houdan, with a distant claim to half the earldom of Leicester through his mother.
He took the cross with Theobald III at the tournament of Ecry on 28 November 1199 and is preparing for the crusade.
Who he is
- Name
- Simon IV of Montfort (Simon de Montfort, later leader of the Albigensian Crusade)
- Title
- Lord of Montfort (Montfort-l'Amaury) and Epernon
- Since
- 1188, on the death of his father Simon III
- Born
- about 1175; aged about 25
- Family
- Son of Simon III of Montfort and Amicia de Beaumont, sister and co-heir of Robert, earl of Leicester (she later married the champion knight William des Barres). Married Alix of Montmorency, sister of Matthew II of Montmorency, in 1190; their eldest son Amaury is a small boy. Brother Guy.
- Confidence
- high
en.wikipedia; took the cross at Ecry in 1199.
Overlord
Philip II (Epernon on the edge of the Chartrain)
What it holds
- Montfort-l'Amaury and its castellany
- Epernon
- Houdan with its keep
- A claim through his mother to the Leicester inheritance in England (opens only in 1204)
How it was acquired
Inherited 1188.
Allies and rivals
Allies: his Montmorency in-laws, the Champagne crusaders. Neighbours: the county of Dreux, the royal Yveline, the Chartrain of Louis of Blois.
How things stand that morning
In possession; a crusader since November 1199, not yet departed.
Wealth
Forest, tolls on the Paris to Dreux road.
Military
Castles of Montfort, Epernon and Houdan; a fighting knight with crusade companions.
Threats
- Debts and absence on crusade.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200-1202Prepares and departs with the crusade (it leaves Venice in October 1202, where he refuses to attack Zara).Depends on: The crusade going ahead after Theobald III's death in May 1201. Stopped by: The crusade collapsing.
Places of note
- Castle of Montfort: Seat.
- Houdan keep: Montfort castle.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Holder firm; the extent of the castellanies is approximate.
On the map: Approximate castellanies.
Primary sources for Held of the king
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. Read online
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
- Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
- The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
- Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
- Deeds of Philip Augustus, Rigord (about 1186 to 1206, in stages). The French court's own chronicle for the year, from the monk of Saint-Denis who called himself the king's chronographer. Read online
- Deeds of Philip Augustus; The Philippide, William the Breton (Guillaume le Breton) (Gesta about 1214 to 1220; Philippide 1214 to 1224). William abridged Rigord for the years before 1207 and then continued him, so for 1200 the Gesta is a shortened Rigord with a few added touches: the Le Goulet settlement, Blanche's marriage, and the interdict. Read online
- History of the Counts of Guines, Lambert of Ardres (about 1196 to 1203, unfinished). A house history of the counts of Guines and lords of Ardres, written while Count Baldwin II and his son Arnold were alive and finishing in 1203. Read online
4 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.