Elizabeth de Burgh (1332–1363)
Elizabeth de Burgh (1332–1363)
Countess of Ulster. Born on July 6, 1332, in Carrickfergus Castle, Northern Ireland; died on April 25, 1363, in Dublin, Ireland; buried in Clare Priory, Suffolk, England; daughter of William de Burgh, 3rd earl of Ulster, and Maud Plantagenet (c. 1310–c. 1377); granddaughter of Elizabeth de Clare who was also known as Elizabeth de Burgh (1295–1360); married Lionel of Antwerp (1338–1368), duke of Clarence, on September 9, 1352; children: Philippa Mortimer (1355–1382), countess of Ulster and March.
Elizabeth de Burgh was the sole heir to the earldom of Ulster, when her father William de Burgh, the "Brown Earl," was murdered by order of his cousins. While still a child, Elizabeth was taken to England by her mother Maud Plantagenet . In 1352, the 20-year-old Elizabeth married Lionel of Antwerp, duke of Clarence, the son of King Edward III. Because of the marriage, Lionel, as the 5th earl of Ulster, could lay claim to the extensive de Burgh estates in Ireland but was unable to enforce those rights during his lifetime. In the era of the Tudors, the English monarchy once again laid claim. Following the death of Elizabeth de Burgh in 1363, Lionel of Antwerp married Violet Visconti (c. 1353–1386).