Guy de Montfort, Lord of Sidon
Encyclopedia
Guy de Montfort was the younger son of Simon III de Montfort and Amicia, sister of Robert FitzPernel
, Earl of Leicester
.
, and probably remained in the Holy Land until 1192, when Richard the Lionheart
returned home. By 1200 or 1201 Guy was acting with his elder brother Simon
. By 1202 he held the lordships of Ferté-Alais, Castres-en-Albigeois, and Brétencourt. In that year he and his brother Simon left on the Fourth Crusade
, but they disagreed with the Siege of Zara
(an attack on a Christian city), and refused to take part in the plan to restore Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelus in return for Byzantine money and troops.
They deserted to Emeric
, King of Hungary
, and eventually the two continued on to Palestine
. After arriving at Jaffa, they took part in King Amalric II of Jerusalem
's expedition into Galilee. Amalric rewarded Guy's service by arranging his marriage to la dame de Saete (the lady of Sagette), Helvis of Ibelin
, the widow of Reginald
, Lord of Sidon (which the French called Saete/Sagette). He exercised the regency
of Sidon on behalf of his minor stepson Balian
until 1210, probably when Balian came of age. Guy then assisted at the coronation of John of Brienne
as King of Jerusalem that year.
led by his brother, Simon IV de Montfort
. In 1212 they led an unsuccessful siege against Montségur
, and in 1213 they participated in the Battle of Muret
. They also besieged Beaucaire in 1216. Simon was aiding Guy, who had been injured by a crossbow
bolt, at the Siege of Toulouse on 25 June 1218 when he was struck in the head by a stone from a mangonel
and killed. The death of Simon and the incompetence of his son Amaury VI of Montfort
invigorated the Albigensian lords.
In 1224 Amaury ceded all his territory to Louis VIII of France
, who soon arrived to stake his claim. Guy assisted him at the Siege of Avignon, after which Louis died on the way home. Later in the Crusade Guy himself was killed in battle at Vareilles
near Pamiers
in 1228. He was taken to the abbey of Haute-Bruyère for burial and the necrology there records a conte Gui de Sagette (count Guy of Sidon).
he had;
Sometime before 1224 Guy remarried to Briende de Beynes, the widow of Lambert de Thury, lord of Lombers
.
With Briende he had;
Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester was an English nobleman, the last of the Beaumont earls of Leicester. He is sometimes known as Robert FitzPernel....
, Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
.
Crusade
In 1189 he took part in the Third CrusadeThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
, and probably remained in the Holy Land until 1192, when Richard the Lionheart
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
returned home. By 1200 or 1201 Guy was acting with his elder brother Simon
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
. By 1202 he held the lordships of Ferté-Alais, Castres-en-Albigeois, and Brétencourt. In that year he and his brother Simon left on the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, but they disagreed with the Siege of Zara
Siege of Zara
The Siege of Zara or Siege of Zadar was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders...
(an attack on a Christian city), and refused to take part in the plan to restore Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelus in return for Byzantine money and troops.
They deserted to Emeric
Emeric of Hungary
Emeric I , , King of Hungary and Croatia . He was crowned during his father's lifetime, but after his father's death he had to fight against his brother, Andrew, who forced Emeric to assign the government of Croatia and Dalmatia to him...
, King of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
, and eventually the two continued on to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. After arriving at Jaffa, they took part in King Amalric II of Jerusalem
Amalric II of Jerusalem
Amalric II of Jerusalem or Amalric I of Cyprus, born Amalric of Lusignan , King of Jerusalem 1197–1205, was an older brother of Guy of Lusignan....
's expedition into Galilee. Amalric rewarded Guy's service by arranging his marriage to la dame de Saete (the lady of Sagette), Helvis of Ibelin
Helvis of Ibelin
Helvis of Ibelin was a daughter of Balian of Ibelin and his wife, Maria Komnene, who was the dowager Queen of Jerusalem. Helvis was a member of the House of Ibelin. She was Lady of Sidon by her first and second marriage....
, the widow of Reginald
Reginald of Sidon
Reginald Grenier was Lord of Sidon and an important noble in the late-12th century Kingdom of Jerusalem.-Rise to fame:...
, Lord of Sidon (which the French called Saete/Sagette). He exercised the regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Sidon on behalf of his minor stepson Balian
Balian Grenier
Balian I Grenier was the Count of Sidon and one of the most important lords of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1202 to 1241. He succeeded his father Renaud. His mother was Helvis, a daughter of Balian of Ibelin...
until 1210, probably when Balian came of age. Guy then assisted at the coronation of John of Brienne
John of Brienne
John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and ruled the Latin Empire of Constantinople as regent.-Life:...
as King of Jerusalem that year.
Albigensian Crusade
Guy later returned home and took part in the Albigensian CrusadeAlbigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
led by his brother, Simon IV de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
. In 1212 they led an unsuccessful siege against Montségur
Montségur
The Château de Montségur is a former fortress near Montségur, a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Its ruins are the site of a razed stronghold of the Cathars. The present fortress on the site, though described as one of the "Cathar castles," is actually of a later period...
, and in 1213 they participated in the Battle of Muret
Battle of Muret
At the Battle of Muret on 12 September 1213 the Crusading army of Simon IV de Montfort defeated the Aragonese and Catalan forces of Peter II of Aragon, at Muret near Toulouse.-Background:...
. They also besieged Beaucaire in 1216. Simon was aiding Guy, who had been injured by a crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
bolt, at the Siege of Toulouse on 25 June 1218 when he was struck in the head by a stone from a mangonel
Mangonel
A mangonel was a type of catapult or siege engine used in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castle's walls. The exact meaning of the term is debatable, and several possibilities have been suggested. Mangonel may also be indirectly referring to the 'mangon' a French hard stone found in...
and killed. The death of Simon and the incompetence of his son Amaury VI of Montfort
Amaury VI of Montfort
Amaury VI de Montfort was the son of the elder Simon de Montfort and Alice of Montmorency, and the brother of the younger Simon de Montfort.He participated in the Albigensian Crusade under his father's command...
invigorated the Albigensian lords.
In 1224 Amaury ceded all his territory to Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
, who soon arrived to stake his claim. Guy assisted him at the Siege of Avignon, after which Louis died on the way home. Later in the Crusade Guy himself was killed in battle at Vareilles
Vareilles
Vareilles is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Vareilles in the Creuse département* Vareilles in the Saône-et-Loire département* Vareilles in the Yonne département...
near Pamiers
Pamiers
Pamiers is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Although Pamiers is the largest city in Ariège, the capital is the smaller town of Foix...
in 1228. He was taken to the abbey of Haute-Bruyère for burial and the necrology there records a conte Gui de Sagette (count Guy of Sidon).
Marriage
By his first wife, Helvis of IbelinHelvis of Ibelin
Helvis of Ibelin was a daughter of Balian of Ibelin and his wife, Maria Komnene, who was the dowager Queen of Jerusalem. Helvis was a member of the House of Ibelin. She was Lady of Sidon by her first and second marriage....
he had;
- PhilipPhilip of Montfort, Lord of TyrePhilip of Montfort, was Lord of La Ferté-Alais and Castres-en-Albigeois 1228–1270, Lord of Tyre 1246–1270, and Lord of Toron aft. 1240–1270...
, who stayed in the Holy Land and became Lord of Tyre. - Pernelle, who became a nun at the abbey of Saint-Antoine des Champs in Paris.
Sometime before 1224 Guy remarried to Briende de Beynes, the widow of Lambert de Thury, lord of Lombers
Lombers
Lombers is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-History:Lombers was a significant centre of Catharism in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It was the location of a Catholic-Cathar debate, perhaps in the 1180s, between Guillaume Peyre de Brens, Catholic bishop of Albi, and...
.
With Briende he had;
- Alicia, became a nun at Port-Royal
- Agnes, became a nun at Port-Royal
- Guy II of Montfort, died on crusade in 1254.