Philippa of Clarence (16 August 1355 – 5 January 1382) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

English princess and the '' suo jure''

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

ess of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

Biography

She was born at

Eltham Palace Eltham Palace is a large house at Eltham ( ) in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The house consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an Art Deco extension was added in the 1930 ...

in Kent on 16 August 1355, the only child of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, and

Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, ''suo jure'' 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught (; ; 6 July 1332 – 10 December 1363) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence. Family Eliza ...

. Her father was the third son, but second son to survive infancy, of King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

and

Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346,Stricklan ...

. She was the eldest grandchild of King Edward and Queen Philippa, her namesake. Philippa married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, at the age of fourteen, in the Queen's Chapel at Reading Abbey, an alliance that would have far-reaching consequences in English history. Her cousin, 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 ...

, remained childless, making Philippa and her descendants next in line to the throne until his deposition. In the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

, the Yorkist claim to the crown was based on descent from Edward III through Philippa, her son Roger Mortimer, and granddaughter Anne Mortimer, who married Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, a son 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 Lang ...

. Philippa died in 1382 and was buried at

Wigmore Abbey Wigmore Abbey was an abbey of Canons Regular with a Wigmore Abbey Grange, grange, from 1179 to 1530, situated about a mile (2 km) north of the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England: grid reference SO 410713. Onl ...

, Herefordshire.

Marriage and issue

Her children with Edmund Mortimer were as follows:

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster, Philippa, 5th Countess of 1355 births 1382 deaths People from Eltham People from Herefordshire 14th-century English women 14th-century English people Daughters of English dukes Earls of Ulster (1264 creation)

Heirs to the English throne

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or " horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of '' Philippa of Guelder ...

House of Burgh