She was an heiress to Jerusalem, her claim deriving from her mother, Isabella I of Jerusalem, and through her half sister, Queen Maria, daughter of Isabella and her second husband, Conrad of
Montferrat. She later used these filial rights to contest the crown and the regency of Jerusalem in 1229 and in 1243.
Philip had recently returned from the Third Crusade, during which he and Richard had supported rival candidates, Conrad of
Montferrat and Guy de Lusignan, for the throne of Jerusalem.
Harris seems to subscribe to the idea of conspiracy, with Boniface of
Montferrat as villain, but he does not press his point very far.
(49.) E.g., the Marchioness of
Montferrat, I.5; Bartolomea Gualandi, II.10; and the lady who fools the friar in III.3: "una gentil donna di bellezza ornata e di costumi, d'altezza d'animo e di sottile avvedimenti" (III.3.5).
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras's verse epistle to Bonifazio of
Montferrat (1205?) shows the same lack of distinction between making war, raiding rival lords' lands, kidnapping maids and married women, hunting, carousing, and composing songs: it is all fun.
* The marquess of
Montferrat.
Montferrat is a small territory in Northern Italy, and its ruler, the marquess, is alluded to frequently in earlier Tudor texts including, once again, Shakespeare.
We have had just the two fixtures so far in the new turf season, but Jim Bolger has already saddled five winners and he should add to that tally today with
MONTFERRAT in the six furlong maiden, TEOIRIM in the fillies maiden and he can round off a profitable afternoon by landing the finale with SOPHISTICATED HEIR.