Hugues de Lacy

Hugues de Lacy (v. 1176 - after 1242), 1st Count d' Ulster, went down from Walter de Lacy (death in 1085), which would have fought with Hastings for William the Conqueror.

He was the son of Hugues de Lacy, Lord de Meath.

The family came from Lassy in Normandy and, after the conquest, Walter de Lacy had obtained vast strongholds in the Welsh steps. He was the first baron de Lacy by tenure and it was probably a brother, or at least a relative, of Ilbert de Lacy, from which went down Roger de Lacy, dispenser of justice under the reign of the king Jean, and the counts de Lincoln of the family of Lacy.

Although Walter had three wire, of which one founded the abbey of Llanthony, none them left heirs; but Gilbert, wire of his daughter, took again the name of Lacy and became the fourth baron.

Hugh de Lacy, wire of Gilbert, (death in 1186) were one of the barons who accompanied Henri II in Ireland in 1171; it obtained in stronghold Meath and controlled the Ireland like viceroy for the sovereign. By his wife, Rose de Monmouth, Hugh were the father of Walter de Lacy (death in 1241), who succeeded to him like lord of Meath and took a big part, at the sides of Hugh de Lacy, in the conflict which opposed in Ireland its family to Jean de Courci, the 1st count d' Ulster.

Hugh de Lacy was during little time a collaborator of Courci with Leinster and Munster, but after 1200 the competition between the two leads finally to a war and in 1203 of Lacy drove out Courci of the county of Down and the following year did it captive. The king rewarded it by strongholds in Ulster and the Connaught, which were confirmed by the charter of the May 29th 1205, when Hugh was named count. He returned to Ireland with an authority of viceroy and made any possible sound, but without much success, to force O' Neill de Tyrone to subject itself.

In 1207 the war burst between the count of Ulster and Fitz Henry, the last dispenser of justice. This last made come king Jean in person to Ireland, where it expelled of Meath the brother of the count, Walter de Lacy, and forced the count himself to flee of Carrickfergus until in Scotland.

During several years the count of Ulster took share to the wars in France and to Ireland before 1221 did not return, and at this time it was combined itself in O' Neill against the English. In 1226 its grounds in Ulster were given to his/her Walter brother, but they to him were restored the following year; after this date it accurately seems to have served the king, being once convened more in England to give its councils in the Irish businesses. He died in Carrickfergus in 1242 or 1243. As it did not leave any child legitimates surviving, to its death the title of count d' Ulster returned to the Crown.

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