The County of Lecce () was a county located in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, in south-eastern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, which existed from 1055 until 1463. Its capital was at the city of

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

, and it was bounded by the territories of

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

to the north, Oria and

Nardò Nardò ( or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the Province of Lecce. Lies on a lowland area placed at south-west of its Province, its border includes part of the Ionian coast of Salento. For centuries, i ...

to the west, and

Soleto Soleto ( Griko: ; Salentino: ; ) is a small Griko-speaking city located in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. The town has a total population of 5,542 and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina where the Greek dialect Griko is spoke ...

and

Otranto Otranto (, , ; ; ; ; ) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...

to the south.

History

The county was founded by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

after their conquest of Apulia in the 1050s. Several Norman monarchs held their court at

, and

Tancred of Hauteville Tancred of Hauteville (c. 980 – 1041) was an 11th-century Norman lord. Little is known about him, and he is best remembered by the achievements of his twelve sons. Various legends arose about Tancred, but they have no supporting contempora ...

, who was Count of Lecce from 1149 to 1194, was born here. His daughter Elvira Maria Albina married Walter III of Brienne, whose family held the duchy of Lecce in the following centuries. In 1384 Mary of Enghien, a granddaughter of Isabella of Brienne, became Countess of Lecce. When she married

Raimondo Orsini del Balzo Raimondo Orsini del Balzo (also known as ''Raimondello''; 1350–55 – 17 January 1406) was a nobleman from the Kingdom of Naples. He was Count of Soleto (1382), Prince of Taranto (1399–1406), Duke of Bari, Grand Constable of the Kingdom of N ...

, Count of Soleto and (from 1393 to 1406)

Prince of Taranto The Principality of Taranto () was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy o ...

, all of the

Salento Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...

was united into one of the largest fiefdoms in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

and of the Italian peninsula. Raimondo improved the administration of the county and the city. After his death, the county went to his son, Giovanni Antonio Orsini Del Balzo, who had also inherited the

Principality of Taranto The Principality of Taranto () was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy o ...

in 1420. At his death in 1463,

Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinand I (2 June 1424 – 25 January 1494), also known as Ferrante, was king of Naples from 1458 to 1494. The only son, albeit illegitimate, of Alfonso the Magnanimous, he was one of the most influential and feared monarchs in Europe at the ...

named himself as the heir to Giovanni Antonio's rich legacy, annexing the county to the royal estates of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lecce, County of Kingdom of Sicily Kingdom of Naples States and territories disestablished in 1463 States and territories established in 1055 Medieval Apulia Lecce Italian states