Eleanor of Montfort (1215–1275)

English princess, countess of Leicester, and rebel. Name variations: Eleanor of England; Eleanor de Montfort; Eleanor Plantagenet. Born in 1215 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England; died on April 13, 1275, at Montargis convent in France; buried in Montargis, France; daughter of John also known as John Lackland, king of England (r. 1199–1216), and Isabella of Angoulême (1186–1246); married William Marshal, 2nd earl of Pembroke, in 1224 (died 1231); married Simon V of Montfort (c. 1208–1265), earl of Leicester, on January 7, 1239 (died 1265); children: Harry or Henry Montfort (1239–1265); Bran; Guy; Amauric; Richard; Eleanor of Montfort (1252–1282).

Eleanor of Montfort was the last child born to King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême . She was made countess of Leicester and, as a young woman, married one of her father's baronial supporters, William Marshal of Pembroke. He died when she was only 16. Apparently she had not enjoyed her brief time as a wife, for the young Eleanor, who was not notably pious, took a vow of perpetual chastity on his death. Yet when she met Simon of Montfort, the English noble who had emerged as the leader of the pro-baronial alliance against her brother, now King Henry III, she fell in love with him. They married in 1239.

The marriage was annulled because of her vow of chastity, however, and they were forced to travel to Rome to get a dispensation from the pope to legitimize their union. They seem to have been a close, intimate couple; in their years together, Eleanor gave birth to five sons and one daughter. Eleanor and Simon remained together for 27 years, during which Eleanor was an important aid in Simon's political and military schemes, probably due to her close ties to the house of Simon's enemy, Henry III.

Simon died in battle in 1265. Grief-stricken, Eleanor was forced to flee for her life, smuggling her children and a personal fortune in gold and jewels to safety in France. Probably tired of the adventures and trials of being an outlaw, the countess retired to a convent at Montargis where she died at age 60.

Laura York , Riverside, California