Montfort himself had crossed the Severn with…
1265 CE
Montfort himself had crossed the Severn with his army, intending to rendezvous with his son Simon.
When he sees an army approaching at Evesham, Montfort initially thinks it is his son's forces.
It is, however, Edward's army flying the Montfort banners they had captured at Kenilworth.
At this point, Simon realizes he has been outmaneuvered by Edward, who taking a page from Montfort’s book, forces the reformers to approach their foes over a narrow bridge in a slow column.
An ominous black cloud hangs over the field of Evesham on August 4, 1265, as Montfort leads his army in a desperate assault.
Charging uphill against superior forces, his army is eventually destroyed; the battle is described as the "murder of Evesham, for battle it was none".
De Clare commands the second division and contributes largely to the victory.
On hearing that his son Henry had been killed, he replies "Then it is time to die."
He is then hemmed in and slain along with other leaders of his movement, including Peter de Montfort and Hugh Despenser.
His last words are said to have been "Thank God".
Simon's body is mutilated by the royalists in an unparalleled frenzy .
His head is sent to Wigmore Castle by Roger Mortimer,First Baron Mortimer as a gift to his wife, Maud.
Such remains as could be found are buried under the altar of Evesham Abbey by the canons.
It will be visited as holy ground by many commoners until King Henry catches wind of it and, declaring that Simon deserved no spot on holy ground, has his remains reburied under an insignificant tree.
The remains of some of his soldiers are found in the nearby village of Cleeve Prior after fleeing from the battle of Evesham.
Matthew Paris reports that the Bishop of Lincoln, Robert Grosseteste, once said to Simon's eldest son Henry: "My beloved child, both you and your father will meet your deaths on one day, and by one kind of death, but it will be in the name of justice and truth."
The aftermath of this battle is sometimes considered the death of chivalry in England.
The reformers’ decisive defeat, together with Montfort’s death in the battle, effectively ends the so-called Barons’ War and restores the king's absolute authority, although some of Montfort's baronial supporters will resist for two more years.
Edward rules for his father from this point.
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