Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl

We have to distinguish Simon's title, because there was more than one prominent Englishman with that name. Simon the 6th Earl of Leicester (also 1st Earl of Chester), was born c.1208. His father was the 5th Earl, and also called Simon de Montfort. Another way to distinguish them is that the father was Simon IV, and the one we're talking about today is Simon V. His mother was Alix de Montmorency, a French noblewoman, who died when Simon was a teenager.Simon IV accompanied his father on campaigns against the Cathars and was present at the Siege of Toulouse. He took part in the Barons Crusade to the Holy Land. His brother, Amaury, also participated in these endeavors.Although Simon's father was the 5th Earl of Leicester, that man had claimed a lot of territory on the continent during the Albigensian Crusade and was becoming more powerful than King John of England liked.Simon IV was killed in 1218 by a stone from a mangonel during the Siege of Toulouse, but King John did not allow Simon…