The Holland family 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

-era

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

family. Many Hollands were Earls, Dukes, Knights and Barons in medieval

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 b ...

, and they played significant roles in the struggles for the crown in fourteenth and fifteenth century.

Origin and ennoblement

The first recorded Holland was Ulfe de Holland, grandfather of Matthew de Holland of

Upholland Up Holland (or Upholland) is a village close to Skelmersdale and civil parish in the West Lancashire district, in the county of Lancashire, England, 4 miles west of Wigan. The population at the 2011 census was 7,376. Geography The village is ...

, son of Siward de Longworth 'the Warrior'. Matthew's great-grandson was a knight named Sir Robert de Holland of

. Robert had a son, another

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, born around 1283, who became a favourite knight of

Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Derby, ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Lincoln and ''jure uxoris'' 5th Earl of Salisbury (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman. A member of the House of Pl ...

. After fighting for Thomas in the

Banastre Rebellion The Banastre Rebellion was an uprising in Lancashire, England in 1315 against the Earl of Lancaster and his supporters. It took place in 1315 when a group of disaffected knights decided to revenge themselves on the Earl of Lancaster by attacking h ...

, a civil war started by rival barons, he acquired large plots of land and was created

Baron Holand Baron Holand is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created twice, in 1314 and 1353. The first creation was extinguished by attainder and the second is in abeyance. Barons Holand, First Creation (1314) *Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand ...

in 1314. He fought with Lancaster against king

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

at the

Battle of Boroughbridge The Battle of Boroughbridge was fought on 16 March 1322 in England between a group of rebellious barons and the forces of King Edward II, near Boroughbridge, north-west of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the King a ...

in 1322 and after briefly being imprisoned twice and escaping, he continued in rebellion until Queen Isabella's Invasion of England. In 1328

Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster ( – 22 September 1345) was a grandson of King Henry III of England (1216–1272) and was one of the principals behind the deposition of King Edward II of England, Edward II (1307–1327), his first c ...

's followers declared Robert a traitor over the events of the Banastre Rebellion more than a decade earlier, and he was taken prisoner and beheaded. Robert's eldest son, Robert, would succeed him as 2nd Baron Holand, and whose 1373 death, after that of his son Robert, his heir was his granddaughter Maud, wife of John Lovel, 5th Baron Lovel. It was the younger sons of the 1st Baron, Thomas Holland and Sir Otho Holland, who gained prominence.

Founding of the Order of the Garter

Arms of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent

Sir Thomas Holland and his brother, Sir Otho Holland, fought side by side in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, against the French. They were both daring commanders of the English army, and both saw intense action at the battles of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Crécy. The brothers later left duty in France and returned home to

, where they became two of the founding knights of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

, which remains England's highest order of

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

. Thomas married

Joan of Kent Joan, Countess of Kent (29 September 1326/1327 – 7 August 1385), known as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the mother of King Richard II of England, her son by her third husband, Edward the Black Prince, son and heir apparent of King Edward III. ...

, daughter of

Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (5 August 130119 March 1330), whose seat was Arundel Castle in Sussex, was the sixth son of King Edward I of England, and the second by his second wife Margaret of France, and was a younger half-brother ...

, and granddaughter of king

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

. Thomas was summoned to Parliament in 1354, thus becoming Baron Holland, of a second creation distinct from that held by his father. Otho died childless in 1359, and Thomas died the next year, but not before being made Earl of Kent in right of his wife, who was Countess of Kent in her own right. Thomas and Joan had two sons who were prominent members of the nobility. Their eldest son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, inherited the earldom, while

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

first became

Earl of Huntingdon Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The medieval title (1065 creation) was associated with the ruling house of Scotland (David I of Scotland, David of Scotland). The seventh and most rec ...

and then

Duke of Exeter The title Duke of Exeter was created several times in England in the later Middle Ages. Exeter is the main town of Devon. It was first created for John Holland, the half-brother of King Richard II in 1397. That title was rescinded upon Henry I ...

Elevation and fall

Thomas inherited his father's title of Earl of Kent, becoming the 2nd Earl of Kent, and like his predecessors, Thomas was a keen warrior. When he grew up, he fought in many battles, most notably the

Battle of Nájera The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Casti ...

, in which he served under his stepfather,

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...

. He became influential in the court of his half-brother,

Richard II of England 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 die ...

, and like his father became a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1375, dying in 1397. His eldest son Thomas Holland, 3rd Earl of Kent would be created

Duke of Surrey Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

months after succeeding his father as reward for his support of Richard II, but with that king's downfall in 1399 he was forced to forfeit the Dukedom. He would join his uncle John and other supporters of Richard in 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 usur ...

, and was captured and executed in January 1400. He was succeeded by his brother

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 ...

, who became Knight of the Garter in 1403 and was killed fighting for Henry IV at

Île-de-Bréhat Bréhat (french: Île-de-Bréhat, ) is an island and ''commune'' located near Paimpol, a mile off the northern coast of Brittany. Administratively, it is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France. Bréhat is actually an ...

in 1408, without legitimate issue, his heirs being several sisters married into the highest ranks of the English nobility, including both the Lancastrian and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

houses that would contest the

War 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 ...

Arms of John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter

Arms of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter

John Holland, second son of the 1st Earl of Kent also became a Knight of the Garter, in 1383. He was deprived of his lands in 1385 over his murder of the son of the

Earl of Stafford Baron Stafford, referring to the town of Stafford, is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the first creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the 17th century ...

, but was restored the next year and married to a cousin of the king,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, 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 ...

Duke of Lancaster The Dukedom of Lancaster is an English peerage merged into the crown. It was created three times in the Middle Ages, but finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title h ...

, under whom he would fight in Spain. He was made

in 1388, and as close supporter of his half-brother King Richard, was made Duke of Exeter in 1397. He was stripped of the title in 1399 by his brother-in-law

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

, and after his participation in the Epiphany Rising was

attainted In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary ...

and executed. His eldest surviving son

would be restored to his father's lands and earldom and made Knight of the Garter in 1416 after distinguishing himself at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...

, and he continued to support the Lancastrian kings, being member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

from 1423. The Dukedom of Exeter was returned to the family in 1444 with an elevated precedence falling only behind that of the Duchy of York, and he died in 1447. His son

Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, 3rd Earl of Huntington (27 June 1430 – September 1475) was a Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. He was the only son of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, and his first wife, Anne Staff ...

would succeed, and though he married the daughter of Richard, Duke of York, he remained a staunch Lancastrian in the War of the Roses. He was a commander in the Lancastrian victories at

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

(1460) and

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

(1461), before being defeated at

Towton Towton is a small village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. History In 2010 and 2011 a pair of gold torcs dating ...

and attainted while in exile, and his properties awarded to his wife, the sister of

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

, who had separated from Holland. With the

Readeption of Henry VI The Readeption was the restoration of Henry VI of England to the throne of England in 1470. Edward, Duke of York, had taken the throne as Edward IV in 1461. Henry had fled with some Lancastrian supporters and spent much of the next few years in ...

in 1470, Holland was restored to his lands but was again defeated at

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

, deprived and divorced. He drowned under mysterious circumstances in 1475, his only child having predeceased him.

Titled members of the Holland family

Barons Holland, created 1314, in abeyance 1372/3

Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand ( 1283 – October 1328) was an English nobleman, born in Lancashire. Early life Holland was a son of Sir Robert de Holland of Upholland, Lancashire, and Elizabeth, daughter of William de Samlesbury. Hollan ...

, 1314–1328 * Robert de Holland, 2nd Baron Holand, 1328–1373 * Maud de Holland, 3rd Baroness Holand, 1373

Barons Holand (new creation), created 1354, extinct 1408

* Thomas Holland, 1st Baron Holand, 1354–1360, also 1st Earl of Kent * Thomas Holland, 2nd Baron Holand, 1350–1397, also 2nd Earl of Kent * Thomas Holland, 3rd Baron Holand, 1372 – 1400, also 1st Duke of Surrey & 3rd Earl of Kent * Edmund Holland, 4th Baron Holand, 1400–1408, also 4th Earl of Kent

Earls of Kent, created 1360, extinct 1408

Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 2nd Baron Holand, and ''jure uxoris'' 1st Earl of Kent, KG (c. 131426 December 1360) was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. By the time of the Crécy campaign, he had apparently lost one of ...

, 1360, also 1st Baron Holand (1354 creation) *

Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (135025 April 1397) was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England. Family and early life Thomas Holland was born in Upholland, Lancashire, in 1350. He was the eldest s ...

, 1360–1397, also 2nd Baron Holand (1354 creation) * Thomas Holland, 3rd Earl of Kent, 1372 – 1400, also 1st Duke of Surrey & 3rd Baron Holand (1354 creation) *

, 1400–1408, also 4th Baron Holand (1354 creation)

Duke of Surrey, created 1397, forfeited 1399

Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, KG, Earl Marshal (8 September 1372 – 7 January 1400) was an English nobleman and courtier. Early life and family Born on 8 September 1372, Thomas Holland was the eldest son and heir of ...

, 1397–1399, also 3rd Earl of Kent & 3rd Baron Holand (1354 creation)

Earl of Huntingdon, created 1388, forfeited 1400, restored 1416, forfeited 1461

* John Holland, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, 1388–1400, also 1st Duke of Exeter * John Holland, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, 1416–1447, also 2nd Duke of Exeter * Henry Holland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, 1447–1461, also 3rd Duke of Exeter

Duke of Exeter, created 1397, forfeited 1399, restored 1444, forfeited 1461

John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, 1st Earl of Huntingdon ( 1352 – 16 January 1400), KG, of Dartington Hall in Devon, was a half-brother of King Richard II (1377–1399), to whom he remained strongly loyal. He is primarily remembered for being ...

, 1397–1399, also 1st Earl of Huntingdon *

John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, (29 March 1395 – 5 August 1447) was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His father, the 1st Duke of Exeter, was a maternal half-brother to Ri ...

, 1444–1447, also 2nd Earl of Huntingdon *

, 1447–1461, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book , last= Holland , first= Edgar Swinton , date= 1902 , title= A History of the Family of Holland of Mobberley and Knutsford , url= https://archive.org/details/ahistoryfamilyh00hollgoog , publisher=

Ballantyne Press The Ballantyne Press was founded in 1799 by James Ballantyne and his brother John Ballantyne. James was particularly noted for his friendship with Sir Walter Scott who partially financed the printer after he moved his press to Edinburgh Edinb ...

, via=

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, oclc= 776814460 English families Noble families in the British Isles