Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham ( – 13 February 1530), was the eldest daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, by his wife, Lady Maud Herbert, daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Eleanor Percy married

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham, Katherine Woodville and nephew of E ...

, who was beheaded in 1521 on charges of plotting to overthrow the king,

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. As a result, the Dukedom of Buckingham and estates were forfeited, and her children lost their inheritance.

Biography

Eleanor Percy was born about 1474 in Leconfield,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. On 14 December 1490, at about sixteen years of age, Eleanor married

, who was five years old when his father, the rebellious 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was

attainted In English criminal law, attainder 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 titles, but ...

and executed for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

. Edward Stafford's mother, Catherine Woodville, went on to marry Jasper Tudor, the first Duke of Bedford and thirdly, Richard Wingfield. Two years after his father's execution, when Henry VII ascended the throne, the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder 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 titles, but ...

was reversed, and the title and estates of Edward's father were restored to him. At seven, Edward became the third Duke of Buckingham and also the ward of King Henry VII's mother,

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first House of Tudor, Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin o ...

. After Edward's death, Eleanor remarried to John Audley. Her second marriage was childless.

Children

Eleanor Percy bore her first husband, Edward Stafford, four children: # Lady Elizabeth Stafford (1497 – 30 November 1558); married

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was an English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beh ...

and had issue. #Lady Catherine Stafford (born abt. 1499 – 14 May 1555); married Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland and had issue. #Lady Mary Stafford; married George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny and had issue. #

Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford (18 September 1501 – 30 April 1563) was an English nobleman. After the execution for treason in 1521 and posthumous attainder of his father Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, with the forfeiture of al ...

(18 September 1501 – 30 April 1563); married Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford, daughter of

Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (a brother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III) and his wife Isabel Neville. As a result of Ma ...

, and had issue.

Sources

* B.J.Harris, ''Edward Stafford, third duke of Buckingham'' (1986) * C.Rawcliffe, ''The Staffords, earls of Stafford and dukes of Buckingham, 1394-1521'', Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, 3rd ser., 11 (1978) {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Eleanor Percy, Duchess of 1470s births 1530 deaths Year of birth uncertain English duchesses by marriage Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham Daughters of British earls 15th-century English nobility 16th-century English nobility 15th-century English women 16th-century English women