THE BARONIAL PLAN OF REFORM
By R. F. Treharne
It is no longer deemed correct to say that Simon de Montfort, while leading the assault of 1264-5 against a foolish king, summoned the first English Parliament. But his move- ment has attracted touch attention of late from English mediaevalists, inspired by the late Professor Tout, and now Professor R. F. Treharne, of Aberystwyth, has produced an elaborate account of its opening phases, under the title of The Baronial Plan of Reform, 1258-1268 (Manchester University Press, 17s. Bd.). This valuable book is not easy reading, but it compels a revision of the traditional view of the affair. The barons, we arc told, were not defending the Constitution against a king who had violated it. Their main grievance was heavy taxation necessitated by the King's promise to finance a Papal war in Sicily. They called upon the knights and lesser landowners to support their protest because these classes were immediately affected by the new imposts. When the reforming party led by Simon wanted to go further and give a share of political power to the knights, the baronage broke up into opposing camps and the King, supported by St. Louis, resumed his authority. Professor Treharne proposes to deal later with the civil war that ended in Simon's death and the collapse of his party. As the first complete and authoritative history of the critical years from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258 to 12138, the book deserves close attention.
Previous page
