Loretta de Braose
Encyclopedia
Loretta de Braose, Countess of Leicester, (c. 1185-c. 1266) was a daughter of William de Braose
, lord of Bramber
in Sussex
and Radnor
, Abergavenny
and Brecon
in Wales (d. 1211) and his wife, Maud de St. Valery
. Loretta was one of at least five daughters and four sons who survived to adulthood.
known as "fitz Parnel" (d. 1204), son and heir of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester
and Petronilla de Grandmesnil
, in or soon after 1196. For many of the later years of their short marriage, Earl Robert was on the continent fighting for King John of England. The couple were either childless or no child survived the earl, whose heirs were thus his two sisters.
When widowed, Loretta was to receive a dower of 100 pounds' worth of land and the dowry estates she had brought to her marriage. The political circumstances, fierce fighting on the Welsh Marches
, and her mother-in-law's claims to certain estates assigned as dower for Loretta all contributed to her financial woes, and she was forced to request a loan from the crown of 100 marcs in 1207.
, Loretta’s nephew by marriage and a famed crusader against the Cathar
heretics in southern France. John reacted by confiscating land, imprisoning suspects & their family members in the years 1209-11. Loretta went into exile along with other members of her family, including her brother Giles de Braose
, bishop of Hereford. Her mother and eldest brother were starved to death in captivity at Corfe Castle
; her sister Annora was held until 1214; her maternal uncle and four young nephews were also held for years. Loretta's lands were confiscated.
, just north of Canterbury
in Kent
. Archbishop Stephen Langton
approved all the arrangements for her seclusion. She lived there for at least forty-five years and died on 4 March 1266 or 1267.
Loretta also championed the new Franciscan order in England through her network of contacts with influential individuals, despite her status as a recluse.
In April 1265 her great-nephew Simon de Montfort
, now earl of Leicester by right of his mother, Loretta's sister Annora, held King Henry III
as a result of the successful baronial rebellion he had led. He wrote to "the recluse of Hackington" in the king's name for information regarding the rights and liberties of the earldom of Leicester three months before his death at the Battle of Evesham
.
William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber
William de Braose, , 4th Lord of Bramber , court favourite of King John of England, at the peak of his power, was also Lord of Gower, Abergavenny, Brecknock, Builth, Radnor, Kington, Limerick, Glamorgan, Skenfrith, Briouze in Normandy, Grosmont, and White Castle.-Lineage:William was the most...
, lord of Bramber
Bramber
Bramber is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the northern edge of the South Downs and on the west side of the River Adur. Nearby are the communities of Steyning to the west and Upper Beeding to the east, and the other side of the river....
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and Radnor
New Radnor
New Radnor is a village in Powys, mid Wales. It was the original county town of Radnorshire. The population today is around 400, a higher than normal proportion of which are pensioners...
, Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
and Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
in Wales (d. 1211) and his wife, Maud de St. Valery
Maud de Braose
Maud de Braose, Lady of Bramber was the wife of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a powerful Marcher baron and court favourite of King John of England...
. Loretta was one of at least five daughters and four sons who survived to adulthood.
Marriage
She married Robert, 4th Earl of LeicesterRobert 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....
known as "fitz Parnel" (d. 1204), son and heir of Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester
Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester was an English nobleman, one of the principal followers of Henry the Young King in the Revolt of 1173–1174 against his father Henry II...
and Petronilla de Grandmesnil
Petronilla de Grandmesnil, countess of Leicester
Petronilla de Grandmesnil, Countess of Leicester was the daughter of one of three Grandmesnil brothers, William, Ivo, or Hugh, and wife of Robert de Beaumont III, earl of Leicester, known as “Blanchmains”...
, in or soon after 1196. For many of the later years of their short marriage, Earl Robert was on the continent fighting for King John of England. The couple were either childless or no child survived the earl, whose heirs were thus his two sisters.
When widowed, Loretta was to receive a dower of 100 pounds' worth of land and the dowry estates she had brought to her marriage. The political circumstances, fierce fighting on the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
, and her mother-in-law's claims to certain estates assigned as dower for Loretta all contributed to her financial woes, and she was forced to request a loan from the crown of 100 marcs in 1207.
Family disfavour
William de Braose had been one of King John's closest associates, but soon after Countess Loretta was widowed, her father began to rapidly lose favour with the king. Disfavour grew into a vendetta against the de Braose family and associates. King John campaigned against William, his wife Maud, and their son-in-law Walter de Lacy in Ireland. Maud and her eldest son, William, were captured and imprisoned in Windsor Castle. When negotiations failed, the king declared William de Braose an outlaw. John learned of a rumored plot to depose him and offer the throne to Simon de MontfortSimon 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...
, Loretta’s nephew by marriage and a famed crusader against the Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
heretics in southern France. John reacted by confiscating land, imprisoning suspects & their family members in the years 1209-11. Loretta went into exile along with other members of her family, including her brother Giles de Braose
Giles de Braose
Giles de Braose was Bishop of Hereford from 1200 to 1215.-Early life:Giles was the second son of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber. His father was a landholder on the Welsh Marches, who gained the favour of King John of England in the early years of John's reign. Giles' mother was Maud of St...
, bishop of Hereford. Her mother and eldest brother were starved to death in captivity at Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
; her sister Annora was held until 1214; her maternal uncle and four young nephews were also held for years. Loretta's lands were confiscated.
Later life
Loretta returned to England sometime between her father's death in 1211 and her official declaration that she had remained single, issued in Dec. 1214. Her lands were restored to her, and she held them at least four years. In 1221, she had become a recluse or anchoress at HackingtonHackington
Hackington is a civil parish near Canterbury in Kent, South East England, including the village of Tyler Hill....
, just north of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Archbishop Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228 and was a central figure in the dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III, which ultimately led to the issuing of Magna Carta in 1215...
approved all the arrangements for her seclusion. She lived there for at least forty-five years and died on 4 March 1266 or 1267.
Loretta also championed the new Franciscan order in England through her network of contacts with influential individuals, despite her status as a recluse.
In April 1265 her great-nephew Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, now earl of Leicester by right of his mother, Loretta's sister Annora, held King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
as a result of the successful baronial rebellion he had led. He wrote to "the recluse of Hackington" in the king's name for information regarding the rights and liberties of the earldom of Leicester three months before his death at the Battle of Evesham
Battle of Evesham
The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by Prince Edward – later King Edward I – who led the forces of his father, King Henry III...
.