Earl of Bedford is a title that has been created three times in the
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in th ...
and is currently a subsidiary title of the
Dukes of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third s ...
. The first creation came in 1138 in favour of
Hugh de Beaumont. He appears to have been degraded from the title three or four years after its creation. The existence of his title altogether has been doubted. It is discussed by
R. H. C. Davis on the basis of the chronicle evidence. However, it now appears to be accepted by historians that Hugh did receive the earldom of Bedford in 1138.
The second creation came in 1366 in favour of the French nobleman
Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy. After
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 ...
came to the throne in 1377, Bedford resigned the title to the Crown. The third creation came in 1550 in favour of
John Russell, 1st Baron Russell. For more information on this creation, see
Duke of Bedford (1694 creation).
Earls of Bedford, first creation (1138)
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Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford (born 1106)
Earls of Bedford, second creation (1366)
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Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford (1340–1397) (resigned in 1377)
Earls of Bedford, third creation (1551)
*see
Duke of Bedford (1694 creation)
See also
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Duke of Bedford
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford
Earldoms in the Peerage of England
Noble titles created in 1138
Noble titles created in 1366
Noble titles created in 1551