Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 5.djvu/47

LEICESTER. 45 in the territory of Montfort L'Amauri (tho' not in that of Evreux) whence he became Count of Montfout in the Mantois. He appears to have beeu at once recognised in England as the successor of Robert, his maternal uncle, being in Ann. 1206 spoken ofi'l and being on 10 March 1207, confirmed (by King John) as E.W'.L OP LEICESTER (with the third penny of that county) and as Sleaard of England. His connexion with England was, however, little more than nominal, and "it is very doubtful whether he ever set foot" there, anyhow. " in the very same year (Hot. Lit. Claus. 27 Deo. 1207), we liud that, the King deprived him of his possessions." He was as " Comte dc Montfort " well known in the Crusades as also in 1209 as " the Scourge of the Albi/citscs " against whom he was the leader. In Dec. 1212 he styles himself " Comte do Leicester et de Montfort, Vicomtc de Beziers et de Carcassonne, Seigneur D'Aloi et de Rodoz." About 1215 he was restore I to his English estates, his uepfaew, Randolph, Karl of Chester, being made Castas of the fief of the Earldom of Leicester. He obtained the Comte of Toulouse by letter from the Pope, 2 April 1215, and made himself master of the Duchy of Narbouue, being, after doing homage for them, invested by the King of France, •! April 1216, as Count of Tolxouse and Duke OF X.viinoxxK. He m. iu or before 1190 Alice, da. of Bouchard V. (or IV.), SlIlE DK MoNT.MoKHNCV, D'EsuouEN, DE Conflans-Sainte IIosomne, Bt D'ATncHV, by Laurence, da. of Baldwin IV., Count OF HaIXaL'LT. He was slain at the siege of Toulouse, 27 dune 1218, and was bur. in the Priory church of llautesbruyeres, near Montfort, his funeral having been magnificently celebrated at Carcassonne. His widow (/. 22 Feb. 1221, and was bur. with him, [Ainauri de Montfort, Count of Montfort, s. and fa., styled himself Eaiil of Leicester, tho' never acknowledged as such. He, however, resigned all claim thereto to Simon, his younger brother, tho' probably not till June 1232 or even later. He became a Constable of France and </. on his return from a crusade in 1241 h aving issue.( 1 )] VI. 1230, 2. Simon (de Montfort;, Karl of Leicester, yst. s. to of Earl Simon abovenamed, was b. probably between 1195 and 1205, 1265. mtA to have been confirmed as EARL OK LEICESTER and Steward of England, 2 (or 6< Feb. (1229/30) 14 Hen UI.(') and was certainly, in 12:12, confirmed in all the land held by his father in England. He acted as Sewer at the Coronation of the Queen Contort, 20 Jan. 1236, and S years later obtained the King's sister iu marriage. A history of his career from that time would be that of the nation. After serving the King faithfully in Gascony and else- where, he incurred the royal displeasure ; took lead iu the great revolution of 1256 ; was in command at the battle of Lewes. 14 May 1261, taking the King and his eldest son Edward; Earl of Chester, captive, and summoning a Pari, in the King's name, 24 Dec. 1207] would lead to a different conclusion. Dugdale and all other English genealogists give the same version as in the text. There can. however, be no doubt (in spite of " Dugdale anil all other English genealogists ") that Pere Anscitne is right. Among other proofs, Simon, Count of Montfort, by deed dat. Jan. 1195 (printed in the Cartulaire Xormand, p, 278) speaks of Robert Earl of Leicester as "his dear nitric. See also page 44, note " a," for another charter, iu which he is also called " uncle " by the said Simon. (?) She had a younger sister, Margaret, wife of Saher (do Quincy), 1st Earl of Winchester. This Margaret. d. iu 12:i5. ('") The marriage of his parents was " not later than 1173 " says Dr. Pauli, but Mr. Prothero (see page 44, note " e ") adds that " it could not well have been later than 1160." (') Aniicia, his mother, is spoken of as " Comitissa, mater Comitis Lekcstrice," in the close rolls of 2S Aug. 1206, while iu those of the previous year the lady is called " Amicia, Comitissa de Montford." ( k ) See Prothero's "Simon dc Montfort " as on page 44, note " e." (') The patent roll (14 Hen. III., pt. 2, m. 6) states that the lands were at that tithe in the hands of Ranulph, Earl of Chester ami Lincoln, who held them "of our lease, by our charter."