Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex, 6th Baron Bourchier, 3rd Count of Eu and 2nd Viscount Bourchier (died 13 March 1539) was an English soldier, peer and courtier at the courts of Henry VII and

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. ...

. He married Mary Say, by whom he had one child,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

, who became his heir.

Family

Bourchier was the son of

William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a grea ...

and

Anne Woodville Anne Woodville, Viscountess Bourchier (c. 1438 – 30 July 1489) was an English noblewoman. She was a younger sister of Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville to whom she served as a lady-in-waiting. Anne was married twice; first to William Bour ...

. He was born between 1472. Through his mother, he was the nephew of

Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile; c. 1437Karen Lindsey, ''Divorced, Beheaded, Survived'', p. xviii, Perseus Books, 1995. – 8 June 1492), known as Dame Elizabeth Grey during her first marriage, was Queen of Engla ...

, queen consort to

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 ...

. He inherited the titles of 2nd

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, 6th

Baron Bourchier The title Baron Bourchier is an abeyant peerage which was created in the Peerage of England in 1342 for Sir Robert Bourchier, who had been Lord High Chancellor of England from 1340–41. The title passed through the male line until the death o ...

, 3rd Count of Eu and 2nd

Viscount Bourchier Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

from his grandfather

Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a grea ...

on his death in 1483. He married twice, about 1512 to Mary Say(e) (1474-1535), then about 1536 to Mary Blount (1498-1555).

Career

Bourchier was a member of Henry VII's privy council. He was present at the Siege of Boulogne in 1492 and five years later led a detachment against the rebels at Blackheath. When Henry VIII became king, he was made captain of the new bodyguard. In 1513, he commanded the cavalry vanguard at the

Battle of the Spurs The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai of 1508 to 1516, during the Italian Wars. King Henry VIII of England and Emperor Maximilian I were besi ...

, where he ordered the charge which routed the French

gendarmes A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...

. As Lieutenant-general of the Spears, he was subsequently present at the sieges of Terouanne and

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

and was appointed Chief Captain of the King's forces the following year. in 1520 he was part of King Henry's entourage when he met in France with the French king at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English Pale of Calais, it was a ...

, where he carried the Sword of State. He was one of the judges at the trial in 1521 of

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 ...

, when the latter was tried on a charge of treason. Bourchier received the manor of Bedminster as his share of the Duke's forfeited estates. In March 1539, he broke his neck after falling from his horse and died from his injury and was buried at Little Easton church in Essex. Without male issue, his earldom and his countship became extinct. His barony was inherited by his daughter Anne, who had married William Parr, Baron Parr of Kendal, brother of Queen

Katherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...

, who was created Earl of Essex in 1543 and Marquess of Northampton in 1547. Anne had already separated from her husband in 1541 due to her own adultery.

Ancestry

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Essex, Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of 15th-century births 1540 deaths 02 06 Knights of the Garter Members of the Privy Council of England

Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex, 6th Baron Bourchier, 3rd Count of Eu and 2nd Viscount Bourchier (died 13 March 1539) was an English soldier, peer and courtier at the courts of Henry VII of England, Henry VII and Henry VIII. He married Mary S ...

Woodville family 16th-century English soldiers 15th-century English nobility 16th-century English nobility Deaths by horse-riding accident in England 16th-century English knights