Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel, 9th Earl of Surrey, KG (1346 – 21 September 1397) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.

Lineage

Born in 1346, he was the son of Richard Fitzalan, 3rd Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster.G. E. C. ''The Complete Peerage'' p. 244-245 He succeeded his father to the title of Earl of Arundel on 24 January 1376. His brother was Thomas Arundel, the Bishop of Ely from 1374 to 1388,

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...

from 1388 to 1397, and

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

in 1397 and from 1399 until his death in 1414.Powell, et al. ''The House of Lords'' p. 398 At the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

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 ...

, Richard Fitzalan carried the crown.

Admiral

In 1377, Richard Fitzalan held the title of Admiral of the North and West. In this capacity, he attacked Harfleur at Whitsun 1378, but was forced to return to his ships by the defenders. Later, he and

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 ...

attempted to seize

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

but were unsuccessful.Seward ''The Hundred Years War'' p. 124-125

Power struggle

Fitzalan was closely aligned with Thomas, Duke of Gloucester, who was uncle of King Richard II. Thomas was opposed to Richard II's desire for peace with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 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 Plantagen ...

and a power struggle ensued between him and Gloucester. In late 1386, Gloucester forced King Richard II to name himself and Richard Fitzalan to the King's Council.Seward ''The Hundred Years War'' p. 136-139 This Council was to all intents and purposes a Regency Council for Richard II. However, Richard limited the duration of the Council's powers to one year.Powell et al. ''The House of Lords'' p. 400-401

Knight of the Garter

In 1386, Richard II named Richard Fitzalan

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

of England and made him a Knight of the Garter. As Admiral of England, he defeated a Franco-Spanish-Flemish fleet off

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

in March 1387, along with Thomas de Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham.

New favourites

In August 1387, the King dismissed Gloucester and Fitzalan from the Council and replaced them with his favourites—including the

Alexander Neville Alexander Neville ( 1340–1392) was a late medieval prelate who served as Archbishop of York from 1374 to 1388. Life Born in about 1340, Alexander Neville was a younger son of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby and Alice de Audley. He ...

; the Duke of Ireland, Robert de Vere; Michael de la Pole; the Earl of Suffolk, Sir

Robert Tresilian Sir Robert Tresilian (died 19 February 1388) was a Cornish lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1381 and 1387. He was born in Cornwall, and held land in Tresillian, near Truro. Tresilian was deeply involved in the struggles b ...

, who was the Chief Justice; and the former Mayor of London

Nicholas Brembre Sir Nicholas Brembre (died 20 February 1388) was a wealthy magnate and a chief ally of King Richard II in 14th-century England. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1377, and again from 1384–5,6. Named a "worthie and puissant man of the city" by Ri ...

.Powell et al. ''The House of Lords'' p. 404

Radcot Bridge

The King summoned Gloucester and Fitzalan to a meeting. However, instead of coming, they raised troops and defeated the new Council at Radcot Bridge on 22 December 1387. During that battle, they took the favourites prisoner. The next year, the Merciless Parliament condemned the favourites. Fitzalan was one of the Lords Appellant who accused and condemned Richard II's favorites. He made himself particularly odious to the King by refusing, along with Gloucester, to spare the life of Sir

Simon de Burley Sir Simon de Burley, KG (ca. 1336 – 5 May 1388) was holder of the offices of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover Castle between 1384–88, and was a Knight of the Garter. Life Sir Simon Burley was one of the most influenti ...

who had been condemned by the Merciless Parliament. This was even after the queen,

Anne of Bohemia Anne of Bohemia (11 May 1366 – 7 June 1394), also known as Anne of Luxembourg, was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and ...

, went down on her knees before them to beg for mercy. King Richard never forgave this humiliation and planned and waited for his moment of revenge. Arundel was named Governor of Brest in 1388.

Opposed to peace

Peace was concluded with France in 1389. However, Richard Fitzalan followed Gloucester's lead and stated that he would never agree with the peace that had been concluded.

Marriage and children

Arundel married twice. His first wife was

Elizabeth de Bohun Elizabeth Fitzalan, Countess of Arundel, Countess of Surrey ( de Bohun; c. 1350 – 3 April 1385), was a member of the Anglo-Norman Bohun family, which wielded much power in the Welsh Marches and the English government. She was the first wife o ...

, daughter of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton and

Elizabeth de Badlesmere Elizabeth de Bohun (née de Badlesmere), Countess of Northampton (1313 – 8 June 1356) was the wife of two English noblemen, Sir Edmund Mortimer and William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton. She was a co-heiress of her brother Giles de Badles ...

. They married around 28 September 1359 and had seven children: *

Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl of Arundel Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl of Arundel, 10th Earl of Surrey KG (13 October 138113 October 1415) was an English nobleman, one of the principals of the deposition of Richard II, and a major figure during the reign of Henry IV. Lineage He was the ...

, married 26 November 1405,

Beatrice, Countess of Arundel Beatrice of Portugal ( pt, Beatriz ; 1382November 1439), LG, was a natural daughter of John I of Portugal and Inês Pires, born before the marriage of her father with Philippa of Lancaster. She was a sister of Afonso, Duke of Braganza and hal ...

, illegitimate daughter of King

John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...

and Inês Pires, members of the Royal House of Aviz. * Lady Eleanor Fitzalan (c. 1365 – 1375), on 28 October 1371, at the age of about six, married Robert de Ufford. Died childless. * Elizabeth Fitzalan (c. 1366 – 8 July 1425), married first William Montacute (before December 1378); no issue. Married second, in 1384, Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk; had issue. Married third, before August 1401, Sir Robert Goushill of Hoveringham; had issue. Married fourth, before 1411, Sir Gerard Usflete, son of Sir Gerard Usflete (d.1406), MP, without issue. *

Joan FitzAlan Joan FitzAlan, Countess of Hereford, Countess of Essex and Countess of Northampton (1347 – 7 April 1419) was the wife of the 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton. She was the mother of Mary de Bohun, the first ...

(1375 – 14 November 1435), who married

William Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny, KG (c. 1343 – 8 May 1411) was an English peer. Beauchamp was the fourth son of Thomas Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, and Katherine Mortimer. He served under Sir John Chandos during the Hundred Ye ...

. They had a son, Richard de Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester and a daughter Joan de Beauchamp, wife of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde. * Alice Fitzalan (1378 – before October 1415), married before March 1392, John Charleton, 4th Baron Cherleton. (not mentioned as an heir of Thomas in the ''Complete Peerage''). Had an affair with

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

Henry Beaufort Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of R ...

, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort. * Margaret Fitzalan, who married Sir Rowland Lenthall; by whom she had two sons. * William (or Richard) Fitzalan After the death of his first wife in 1385, Arundel married Philippa Mortimer, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March. Her mother was

Philippa Plantagenet Philippa of Clarence (16 August 1355 – 5 January 1382) was a medieval English princess and the '' suo jure'' Countess of Ulster. Biography She was born at Eltham Palace in Kent on 16 August 1355, the only child of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st ...

, the only daughter of Lionel of Antwerp and thus a granddaughter of

Edward III 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 r ...

. They had no children.

Death and succession

By 1394, Arundel was again a member of the royal council, and was involved in a quarrel with John of Gaunt, whom he accused in the parliament of that year. Fitzalan further antagonized the King by arriving late for the queen's funeral. Richard II, in a rage, snatched a wand and struck Fitzalan in the face and drew blood. Shortly after that, the King feigned a reconciliation but he was only biding his time for the right moment to strike. Arundel was persuaded by his brother Thomas to surrender himself and to trust to the king's clemency. On 12 July 1397, Richard was arrested for his opposition to Richard II, as well as plotting with Gloucester to imprison the king.Seward ''The Hundred Years War'' p. 142 He stood trial at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and was attainted.Powell et al. ''The House of Lords'' p. 417 He was beheaded on 21 September 1397 and was buried in the church of the Augustin Friars, nr Old Broad Street,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Tradition holds that his final words were said to the executioner, "Torment me not long, strike off my head in one blow".Thomas B. Costain ''The Last Plantagenets'', page 200 In October 1400, the attainder was reversed, and Richard's son Thomas succeeded to his father's estates and honours.

Notes

Secondary sources

* ** * *

External links

FitzAlan Family
accessed on 10 July 2007 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arundel, Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl Of 1346 births 1397 deaths 14th-century English people Burials at Austin Friars, London *11 110 English admirals Executed English people Executions at the Tower of London

Richard 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 'stro ...

Knights of the Garter People convicted under a bill of attainder People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation