Montferrat, formerly an independent duchy of It- aly, between Piedmont, Milan, and Genoa, and consist- ing of two separate portions, Casale and Acqui, lying between the Maritime Alps and the Po, and having an area of over 1300 square miles, with its capital at Ca- sale, is now incorporated in the kingdom of Italy. jNIontferrat, after the downfall of the Prankish empire, was ruled by its own margraves till the beginning of the 14th century. This illustrious house for a long time disputed the sovereignty of Piedmont with the house of Savoy, and sent to the Crusades more heroes than any other sovereign house in Europe. ^Members of the family ruled simultaneously in Jlontferrat, Thes- saly, and Jerusalem. On the death of the marquis John I in 1305, his sister, lolande or Irene, who was emjiress of Constantinople, succeeded to Montferrat; and her second son became the founder of the family of iSIont- ferrat-Palaologus, which became extinct in 1533, when Montferrat passed to the Gonzagas of Mantua. In 1631 the dukes of Savoy obtained possession of a portion of the territory, and in 1703, with the consent of the Ger- man emperor, the remaining portion passed under their sway, and was incorporated with their own dominions. The" cession of Savoy to France after the war of 1869 placed Montferrat for a while under French ride, but after the conflict between Germany and France in 1870 Italy gained back this territory, and it no^v forms a part of the united kingdom. The ecclesiastical history is detailed in the article Italy.
Montfiquet, Raoul de, a noted French ^\Titer on asceticism, was born in the village of Montfiquet, near Bayeux, towards the close of the 15th century. He was a doctor of theology, and enjoyed great distinction among his fellows. He died about 1520. His works, which are much sought after by bibliographers on ac- count of their antiquity, are, fractatus de vera, reali
MONTFOllT
542 MOXTFORT MANUSCRIPT
aique mirahili existentia totius Christi (Paris, 1481, foL): — Le Livre ou Truicte du sainct sacrement de Vautel (Paris, 1500, 4to): — Exposition de VOraison Dominicak (Paris, 1485, 410) i—AV/WAiV/o/i de VAve Maria (Paris, 4to) : — Le Guidon et Goucemment des gens mariez, trai- iie sinrpilier du sainct sacrement, estat et fruit du ma- riage (Paris, about 1520, 4to). See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generdlf. s. \.
Montfort, Simon dk, a bold, merciless, and super- stitious, but devoted follower of the papacy, was de- scended from the counts of Montfort, near Paris. He was born about the middle of the Tith century. His career dates from the year 1199, when he appears as a IciuUr ill the Crusade of Cery, where he was associated with Hainald de Montmirail, Garnier, bishop of Troves, A\'alther of Brienne, and the marshal of Champagne, (ieoH'roy of Yillehardouin, and others. The crusade set forth Oct. 8, r202. A bargain had been previously made with the Venetians, by wliicli the latter agreed to furnish "«6liips and other conveniences to pass the sea." When the time for embarkation arrived, the Crusaders were lacking 34,000 marks of the stipulated price. The '•wise old doge" saw his advantage, and proposed that Venice would fulfil her part of the treaty if, in discharge of the ;U,<M(0 marks of silver, the Crusaders would lend their aid in the conquest of Zara. After much hesita- tion, the plan was acceded to by all but De Montfort. "We are Christians; we war not against our brother Christians," said he. " His object in assuming this po- sition," says Villehardouin, " was to break up the mis- guided army." After the capture of Zara, the Crusaders advanced to Constantinople for the purpose of placing young Alexius on the throne. The pope denounced the design. He excommunicated the Venetians; but of this no one took the slightest heed, except De Mont- fort. He, with his brother and a few French knights, separated themselves from the camp of the Crusaders, passed over to the king of Hungary, and, amid many ditliculties, made for the Holy Land to fulfil his vows to the Church. He finally, however, returned homo, and after a short rest took up arms again at the summcns of pope Innocent III, and in the summer of 1209 he was made leader of the crusade against the Albigenscs. Under his guidance and that of the pope's legate, Amaur>', abbot of Citeaux, the crusading army marched into Languedoc and besieged the town of Beziers, which was stormed Jidy 22, 1209. A horrible massacre en- sued. One of the superior officers inquired of the abbot of Citeaux how they were to distinguish the heretics from the faithful : " Slay them all !" returned the sav- age Churchman, "for the Lord knoweth those that are his." Not a living soul was spared. It is said that fifteen thousand people were thus mercilessly slaugh- tered in this one place. Carcassone was scarcely better treated; and at Lavaur the ferocious deeds of Montfort made his name a byword of tyranny and cruelty. In 1210 De ilontfort was invested by Peter of Aragon with the viscounty of Beziers and Carcassone. Peter
and success of the Crusaders were iminterrupted. Tou- louse was taken in 1215. De Montfort was chosen prince of the whole subjugated territorj-; a strict in- quisition after heretics was ordered, and the Church of Rome, pleased with the faithfubiess of her servant Simon, at a Council of the Lateran, November, 1215 (styled the twelfth General Council), confirmed him in all his conquests. On his return to Northern France, he was received with the greatest honor as the cham- pion of the faith, and hailed with acclamations: "Bless- ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!" The remaining years of the life of De Jluntfort were con- sumed in a bloody struggle to maintain his ascen- dency over the territory he had subdued. During the year 121(3 the people, under the leadership of the younger count Kaymond, broke out in general insur- rection. But success still followed De Montfort. He with his army sacked Toulouse, and plundered the in- habitants to the very last piece of cloth or measure of meal. "Oh, noble city of Toulouse!" exclaims the troubadour, " thy very bones are broken !" The en- suing year the war with the young count Kaymond continued to the advantage of De Montfort, till sudden- ly the old count Kaymond appeand before Toulouse. The city received him with the utinost joy. New walls were built and new fortifications raised. It was in the siege of this place that De Montfort lost his life, .June 25, 1218; when heading an attack, a stone from an en- gine struck on the head the champion of Jesus Christ (as he was called by his admirers), and he died on the spot. His fanatical followers reproached (Jod with his death. A monkish historian adds also that he received five wounds from arrows ; and in this respect likens him to the Kedeemer, "in whose cause he died, and with whom we trust be is in bliss and glon,'." A daring and skilful leader; chivalric, affable, and popular; enthusi- astically devout and fanatically attached to Komanism ; ambitious, unscrupulous, and remorseless, he naturally rose to the position of ginding spirit in the turliuleiit times in which he lived and the cruel war in whiih he engaged. See Milman, Hist, of Latin ChriMinnitii ; Chronique de Simon, Comte de Montfort (primed in Guizot's Menioires relalifs a VJIistoire de France); Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generule, xxxvi, 24G-257 ; and the histories of the -1 Ibigenses (q. v.). (G. A. T.)