Constance of York, Countess of Gloucester ( – 28 November 1416) was the only daughter of
Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (5 June 1341 – 1 August 1402) was the fourth surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Like many medieval English princes, Edmund gained his nickname from his birthplace: Kings Langle ...
, and his wife
Isabella of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...
, daughter of King
Peter of Castile
Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...
and his favourite mistress,
María de Padilla
María Díaz de Padilla ( 1334 –Seville, July 1361) was the mistress of King Peter of Castile.
Family
She was a Castilian noblewoman, daughter of Juan García de Padilla (died between 1348 and 1351) and his wife María de Henestrosa (di ...
.
Family
Constance was born in about 1375, the only daughter of
Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (5 June 1341 – 1 August 1402) was the fourth surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Like many medieval English princes, Edmund gained his nickname from his birthplace: Kings Langle ...
, and his wife,
Isabella of Castile
Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...
, the youngest daughter of King
Peter of Castile
Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...
and his mistress,
María de Padilla
María Díaz de Padilla ( 1334 –Seville, July 1361) was the mistress of King Peter of Castile.
Family
She was a Castilian noblewoman, daughter of Juan García de Padilla (died between 1348 and 1351) and his wife María de Henestrosa (di ...
.
Plots against Henry IV
Constance married
Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Thomas le Despenser, 2nd Baron Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester KG (22 September 137313 January 1400) was the son of Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despencer, whom he succeeded in 1375.
Royal intrigues
A supporter of Richard II against Th ...
, who was created
Earl of Gloucester
The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.''
Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121)
*Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1100 ...
by King
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
on 29 September 1397, but after Richard's deposition and the accession of King
Henry IV some of Thomas's lands were seized and he was degraded from the earldom. In consequence, he and others joined in a plot in December 1399 (known as the
Epiphany Rising
The Epiphany Rising was a failed rebellion against King Henry IV of England in early January 1400.
Background
Richard II rewarded those who had supported him against Gloucester and the Lords Appellant with a plethora of new titles. Upon the us ...
) to assassinate King Henry and restore King Richard to the throne. According to a French chronicle, the plot was betrayed to the King by Constance's brother,
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
; however contemporary English chronicles make no mention of Edward's alleged role. Gloucester escaped immediate capture, but was eventually turned in to the authorities at
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, where he was beheaded on 13 January 1400. After her husband's death, Constance was granted a life interest in the greater part of his lands and custody of her son due her close kinship to the king.
In February 1405, during the
rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
of
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...
, Constance herself instigated a plot to abduct the young
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, 7th Earl of Ulster (6 November 139118 January 1425), was an English nobleman and a potential claimant to the throne of England. A great-great-grandson of King Edward III of England, he was heir presumptive to ...
, and his brother, Roger Mortimer, from
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
, apparently intending to deliver the young Earl, who had the best claim to the throne of any of Henry IV's rivals, to his uncle
Sir Edmund Mortimer, who was married to Glyndwr's daughter. The young Edmund Mortimer and his brother were recaptured before entering Wales. Constance implicated her elder brother,
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
, in the plot, as a result of which he was imprisoned for 17 weeks at
Pevensey Castle
Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman Saxon Shore fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex. The site is a scheduled monument in the care of English Heritage and is open to visitors. Built around 290 AD and known to ...
, but was eventually restored to Henry IV's favour as well as the seized property of Constance who had been sent to Kenilworth Castle.
Constance died in 1416 after the accession of Henry V, outliving both her siblings, but she was buried at the
High Altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...
in
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...
as late as 1420.
Marriage and issue
Shortly before 7 November 1397 Constance married
Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Thomas le Despenser, 2nd Baron Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester KG (22 September 137313 January 1400) was the son of Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despencer, whom he succeeded in 1375.
Royal intrigues
A supporter of Richard II against Th ...
(1373–1400), third but first surviving son of Edward le Despenser and Elizabeth Burghersh, by whom she had a son and two daughters:
*
Richard le Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
(1396–1414). He married
Lady Eleanor Neville
Eleanor Neville (c. 1398–1472) was the second daughter of Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (died 1425), by his second wife, Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford.
Marriage and chi ...
(c. 1397 – 1472), daughter of
Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland Earl Marshal (c. 136421 October 1425), was an English nobleman of the House of Neville.
Origins
Ralph Neville was born about 1364, the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville by his wife Maud Percy (d. ...
(d. 1425) and
Joan Beaufort (d. 1440), daughter of
John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
by
Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, – 10 May 1403), also spelled Katharine or Catherine, was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III.
Daughter o ...
. He died young without issue.
*Elizabeth (died young c. 1398).
*
Isabel
Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...
, born after her father's execution. She married, firstly, Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Worcester (d. 1422). A daughter, Elizabeth, Lady Abergavenny (b. 1415) was the sole product of this union. Following Worcester's death, she married
Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick (25 or 28 January 138230 April 1439) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.
Early life
Beauchamp was born at Salwarpe CourtRichard Gough, ''Description of the Beauchamp chapel, adjoin ...
; they were parents to
Henry Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick
Henry Beauchamp, 14th Earl and Duke of Warwick (22 March 142511 June 1446) was an English nobleman.
Life
Henry was the son of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and Isabel le Despenser. In 1434, he married Cecily Neville, the eldest dau ...
and
Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick
Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick (13 July 1426 – 20 September 1492) was an important late medieval English noblewoman. She was the daughter of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his second wife Isabel le Despenser, a daught ...
.
After her husband's death, Constance was either betrothed to or lived as the mistress of
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG (6 January 1383 15 September 1408) was the Earl of Kent from 1400 to 1408. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403.
Edmund was born in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, the second ...
(1383–1408), by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Eleanor Holland,
[Horrox, Rosemary]
"Despenser, Constance, Lady Despenser"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', 23 September 2004. Accessed 2 February 2019. who married
James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley
James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet (c. 1398 – 23 September 1459) of Heleigh Castle was an English peer.
James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, son of Elizabeth Stafford and her husband John Tuchet, 4th Baron Audley, was a distinguished ...
(died 1459).
Ancestry
Footnotes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 45
*Liss, Peggy K., ''Isabel the Queen'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
*Reston, James, ''Dogs of God'', New York: Doubleday, 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester, Constance of York, Countess of
1370s births
1416 deaths
Constance of York, Countess of Gloucester
Constance of York, Countess of Gloucester ( – 28 November 1416) was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and his wife Isabella of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile and his favourite mistress, María de Padilla.
F ...
English countesses
Burials at Reading Abbey
Daughters of English dukes
English people of French descent
English people of German descent
English people of Portuguese descent
People from Conisbrough
Date of birth unknown
14th-century English people
14th-century English women
15th-century English people
15th-century English women
Wives of knights