Abstract

Lacy, Alice de, countess of Lancaster, countess of Leicester, suo jure countess of Lincoln, suo jure countess of Salisbury (1281–1348), magnate, was born on 25 December 1281, probably at Denbigh Castle. She was the daughter and sole surviving heir of Henry de Lacy (1249–1311), fifth earl of Lincoln, and his first wife, Margaret Longespée, countess of Salisbury (c. 1248–1309), the great-granddaughter and heiress of Ela, suo jure countess of Salisbury (b. in or after 1190, d. 1261). Alice was probably named after her capable grandmother, Alice of Saluzzo (d. before 12 July 1311), Henry de Lacy’s widowed mother and a kinswoman of Henry III’s queen, Eleanor of Provence. This chapter offers a biography of Alice's life.