John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, 3rd Earl of Somerset,
KG (25 March 1404 – 30 May 1444) was an English
nobleman and military commander during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...
. He was the maternal grandfather of
Henry VII.
Origins
Born on 25 March 1404, he was the second son of
John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (1371–1410), the eldest of the four legitimised children of
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, by his mistress
Katherine Swynford. John of Gaunt was the third surviving son of King
Edward III. His mother was
Margaret Holland (1385–1439), a daughter of
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, the son of
Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent", a granddaughter of King
Edward I and wife of
Edward the Black Prince (eldest brother of John of Gaunt) and mother of King
Richard II.
Career
In 1418 he became 3rd Earl of Somerset, having succeeded his elder brother
Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset (1401–1418), who died unmarried, aged 17, whilst fighting for the Lancastrian cause at the
Siege of Rouen in France, under the command of their uncle
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (1377–1426).
French campaign & imprisonment
He fought in the 1419 French campaigns of his cousin King
Henry V. In 1421 he accompanied his step-father
Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (the king's younger brother) on a campaign in
Anjou, France. Thomas was killed at the
Battle of Baugé (22 March 1421), while Somerset and his younger brother were captured and imprisoned for 17 years. On 25 March 1425 Somerset came into his majority, but his paternal estates had to be managed by his mother for the next thirteen years of his imprisonment. He remained imprisoned until 1438 and having been ransomed, became one of the leading English commanders in France.
Created Duke of Somerset
In 1443 John was created
Duke of Somerset and
Earl of Kendal, was made a
Knight of the Garter and appointed Captain-General of
Guyenne. He presided over a period during which England lost much territory in France and proved a poor commander.
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, regent for the young King
Henry VI, was unable to control the administration of justice and finance, which led to widespread lawlessness. At the beginning of the second lieutenantcy of
Richard, Duke of York, Gloucester declined the office of Lieutenant-Governor, which was then accepted by Somerset, who drew from it a salary of 600 pounds.
He was appointed Admiral of the Sea to the army commander
John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, who from August 1440 besieged
Harfleur, which had been in French hands for five months. King
Charles VII of France sent a large army under Richemont. The English dug a double ditch rampart with only 1,000 men, while Somerset's squadron prevented a French landing by sea, using archers to pick off the enemy at short range. Having been thus frustrated the French withdrew to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
and lifted the siege. The town surrendered to the English and was re-occupied. York was incensed that John's uncle
Cardinal Henry Beaufort advised the king to sue for peace. Somerset advised King Henry that peace was humanitarian and that the king of France was determined to seize
Pontoise. When York arrived in Normandy in 1441 to the campaign, Somerset had resigned. But the fall of Pontoise to
Charles, Duke of Orléans
Charles of Orléans (24 November 1394 – 5 January 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He was also Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont-sur-Oise and of Blois, Lord of Coucy, a ...
in September 1441 weakened English garrisons and in
Gascony the situation was even worse. The
Beauforts sent Sir Edward Hull, who arrived at
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
on 22 October 1442, to inform York that a huge army would arrive commanded by Somerset. York was ordered to fortify
Rouen; just as the king and
Dauphin of France were threatening
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
and
Aquitaine and seized the town of
Dax Somerset dithered; York was held back as
Guyenne was being lost.
Meanwhile, the
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs. ...
, fighting alongside the tactician
Lord Talbot
Baron Talbot is a title that has been created twice. The title was created first in the Peerage of England. On 5 June 1331, Sir Gilbert Talbot was summoned to Parliament, by which he was held to have become Baron Talbot.
The title Lord Talbot, ...
, had been appointed Lieutenant for all France. With the Duke of Gloucester's wife
Eleanor charged with treason, Somerset took the opportunity in April 1443 to declare himself
Lieutenant of Aquitaine and Captain-General of Guyenne. By then, the negotiations Somerset had started as
Captain-General of Calais had failed. These two factors turned York against the Beauforts. But the last straw was the payment of £25,000 to Somerset while York remained heavily in debt. Furthermore,
Guyenne was consuming precious resources otherwise destined for
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Death & burial
In August 1443 Somerset led 7,000 men to
Cherbourg
Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 ...
and marched south to
Gascony; the duke was ill. He blundered into
Guerche
The Guercha is a short mountain river that flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. It is long. Its source is in the Maritime Alps, close to the Italian border. It flows into the Tinée
The Tinée (; oc, Tiniá) is a ...
, a
Breton town with which
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
had signed a peace treaty. But Somerset set all prisoners free, accepting money from the
Duke of Brittany
This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...
. Marching aimlessly through
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
, he returned that winter to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. His death in 1444, possibly by suicide, and that of his uncle the Cardinal, marked the end of Beaufort influence and left the door open for
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, to dominate the government. The lasting effect of these events was burning resentment between the
House of York
The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...
and the remaining members of the
Beaufort family
The House of Beaufort is an English noble and quasi-royal family, which originated in the fourteenth century as the legitimated issue of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (the third surviving son of King Edward III), whose eldest legitimate ...
.
Marriage & issue
In 1439 he married
Margaret Beauchamp, a daughter of Sir John Beauchamp, ''de jure'' 3rd Baron Beauchamp (d.1412/14) of
Bletsoe
Bletsoe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is on the A6, and about eight miles north of Bedford. The village has a small park, the former site of Bletsoe Castle and a church. Nearby places are Sharnbrook, Milton Ernest, ...
in
Bedfordshire, by his second wife Edith Stourton, a daughter of Sir John Stourton of
Stourton, Wiltshire. By his wife he had an only daughter and sole heiress:
*
Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443–1509), who married
Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond (1430–1456) by whom she was the mother of King
Henry VII, the first of the Tudor dynasty.
Succession
As he died without male issue his dukedom went extinct but his earldom passed to his younger brother
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset (1406–1455). As Edmund was later granted the title Duke of Somerset, he is often called 2nd Duke of Somerset though he did not inherit the title from his brother.
Illegitimate issue
His illegitimate issue included:
* Tacine of Somerset, who, being foreign-born, was made a denizen of England 20 June 1443. She married (before 29 September 1447) Reynold (or Reginald) Grey, 7th Lord Grey of Wilton by whom she had one son:
** John Grey, 8th Lord Grey of Wilton;
* John of Somerset (c.1444–1453)
Titles and styles
* 1st
Duke of Somerset (28 August 1443 – 27 May 1444)
* 1st
Earl of Kendal (28 August 1443 – 27 May 1444)
* 3rd
Earl of Somerset (25 November 1418 – 27 May 1444)
Ancestry and family tree
References
Notes
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaufort, John, 1st Duke of Somerset
1404 births
1444 deaths
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
Burials at Wimborne Minster (church)
101 101 may refer to:
* 101 (number), the number
* AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD
* 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
It may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode
* "101" (song), a ...
Earls of Kendal
Earls of Somerset
Knights of the Garter
People of the Hundred Years' War