Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, KG,

Earl Marshal Earl marshal (alternatively marschal or marischal) is a hereditary royal officeholder and chivalric title under the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign of the United Kingdom used in England (then, following the Act of Union 1800, in the U ...

(8 September 1372 – 7 January 1400) was an English nobleman and courtier.

Early life and family

Arms of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent

Born on 8 September 1372, Thomas Holland was the eldest son and heir of

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 ...

(1350–1397), and Alice FitzAlan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 3rd Earl of Arundel. His father was a maternal half-brother of

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 d ...

, and the younger Thomas had two brothers and six sisters. Shortly after 20 October 1392, Thomas Holland married Joan Stafford, daughter of Hugh, Earl of Stafford. They had no children. In 1394 he and his father accompanied the king to Ireland. Coats of arms of Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey

Coats of arms of Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey

On his father's death in 1397 he succeeded him as 3rd Earl of Kent and 4th Baron Holland. At that time Kent's uncle King Richard II was removing the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

and his associates from power, and sent Kent to arrest his own uncle, the

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The ...

. In reward he received a share of the forfeited estates, and on 29 September 1397 was created Duke of Surrey. Another uncle, the

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 of Scotland). The seventh and most recent creation dates t ...

, was created Duke of Exeter on that day as well. In 1398 he founded

Mount Grace Priory Mount Grace Priory is a monastery in the parish of East Harlsey, North Yorkshire, England. Set in woodlands within the North York Moors National Park, it is represented today by the best preserved and most accessible ruins among the nine hou ...

in Yorkshire.

Last years and execution

Surrey, along with many of King Richard II's advisors, was arrested after the King's deposition by King Henry IV in 1399. In the end he had to forfeit the honours and estates he had gained after the arrests of Gloucester and Arundel, in particular the Dukedom of Surrey, although he retained the Earldom of Kent. Early in 1400, Kent, along with his uncle, the Earl of Huntingdon (no longer Duke of Exeter), plotted to kill King Henry IV and free King Richard II from prison and return him to the throne. This "

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 us ...

" failed and Kent was captured and executed. He was succeeded as Earl of Kent by his brother

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

Ancestry

References

External links

Dukes of Exeter and Surrey
− Harley MS 1319 fol. 25
Online fragment
of

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surrey, Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of 1372 births 1400 deaths Earls Marshal Knights of the Garter People executed under the Lancastrians Executed people from Northamptonshire Dukes in the Peerage of England People from Fotheringhay People executed under the Plantagenets for treason against England Male Shakespearean characters

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 A ...

Earls of Kent (1360 creation) 7 Lords Lieutenant of Ireland