Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess Of Exeter
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Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, 2nd Earl of Devon (c. 1498 – 9 December 1538), feudal baron of Okehampton, feudal baron of Plympton, of Tiverton Castle, Okehampton Castle and
Colcombe Castle Colcombe Castle was a castle or fortified house situated about a north of the town of Colyton, Devon, Colyton in East Devon, England. It was a seat of the House of Courtenay, Courtenay family, Earl of Devon, Earls of Devon, whose prin ...
all in Devon, was a grandson of King Edward IV, nephew of the queen consort, Elizabeth of York and a first cousin of King Henry VIII. Henry Courtenay was a close friend of Henry VIII, having "been brought up of a child with his grace in his chamber". After initially supporting the dissolution of the monasteries and helping suppress protests, he became convinced against the cruelty of the measures and the new religion; he was executed under Henry for corresponding with Cardinal Pole.


Origins

He was born in about 1498, the first and only surviving son and heir of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1475–1511) by his wife Princess Catherine of York (died 1527), the sixth daughter of King
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 ...
by his wife Elizabeth Woodville.Burke, Bernard. ''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'', London; Harrison and Sons, 1914, p. 618
/ref> His maternal first cousins therefore included King Henry VIII.


Early life

At the time of his birth in 1498, his paternal grandfather Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (died 1509) was still living and Henry's father William Courtenay was his eldest son and
heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
. In 1504, during the reign of the Tudor King Henry VII, William Courtenay was accused of maintaining correspondence with Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, the leading Yorkist claimant to the throne, and the king ordered him incarcerated in the Tower of London and he was attainted in February 1504, which disabled him from inheriting his father's earldom. King Henry VII died on 22 April 1509 closely followed by Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, on 28 May 1509. The king was succeeded by his son King Henry VIII, the nephew of William Courtenay's wife, who released William from the Tower. On 24 June 1509, William took part in the coronation of Henry VIII and carried the Third Sword during the ceremony. William enjoyed some favour with Henry VIII who reversed his attainder on 9 May 1511 and created him Earl of Devon on 10 May 1511, with the usual remainder to heirs male of his body. William died a month later on 9 June 1511, before completing his official investiture as an earl, but was by royal warrant buried with the honours due to an earl. He left Henry Courtenay as his heir.


Earl of Devon

On the death of his father on 9 June 1511, Henry succeeded to his father's earldom of 1511, in accordance with the
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. But in 1512 he also succeeded to his grandfather's earldom of 1485, having obtained from Parliament in December 1512 a (more formal) reversal of his father's 1504 attainder. His first cousin King Henry VIII was at the time involved in the
War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...
against King Louis XII of France. The new earl of Devon experienced his first battles in 1513 as second captain of a man-of-war. He seems to have gained the further favour of his royal cousin during the 1510s. He became a gentleman of the privy chamber and member of the Privy Council in 1520. In June 1520 he accompanied Henry VIII to Calais for his meeting with King
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
at the Field of the Cloth of Gold and became one of the debauched and athletic friends of the king's, frequently going on hunting trips with the king and his favourite, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. In 1521 Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG, was executed on charges of treason, and a place having become vacant in the Order, the king appointed Courtenay a Knight of the Garter on 9 June 1521 and granted him part of Stafford's forfeited lands and properties. He was granted the administrations of the vacant dukedoms of
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
,
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, and
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
over the following two years. In April 1522 he was made keeper of Burling Park in Kent, during which period he reached his greatest height of power in the king's inner council. It was possibly at that time he met the Boleyn family. He continued in the traditional hereditary offices of the Courtenays, as warden of the Stannaries and as the high steward of the Duchy of Cornwall from May 1523. He was appointed constable of the royal residence of
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
in 1525.


Marquess of Exeter

On 18 June 1525 Henry VIII created Henry Courtenay, as "Earl of Devon, ''Dominus'' of Okehampton and Plympton" (i.e. feudal baron of Okehampton and feudal baron of Plympton), Marquess of Exeter. At that time Francis I of France had lost the Battle of Pavia and was held captive by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII sent the new Marquess of Exeter to secure an agreement with French
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
Louise of Savoy and to pledge the assistance of the English king in negotiations for the return of Francis. The Marquess of Exeter further served the interests of the King in the proceedings for the annulment of his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
and signed the letter to
Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...
in that regard. He was placed second to the King at the Privy Council at which Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was charged with treason and signed the documents for his prosecution. He served as a commissioner for the formal deposition of Catherine in 1533. During the preparation of his Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII granted to Courtenay the stewardship of several monasteries in 1535, which placed him in a key position for the forthcoming process. In 1536 Courtenay was a commissioner at the trial of
Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
, the king's second wife who had been accused of adultery, incest, and high treason. Courtenay and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk were sent into
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 ...
to put down the Pilgrimage of Grace, a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
uprising that broke out on 15 October 1536. Courtenay failed in this task and retreated to
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
shire. On 15 May 1537, he served as High Steward at the trial for treason of Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy, charged with being a leader of the rebellion.


Downfall and death

By the late 1530s, Courtenay was an influential figure at court and was administering most of western England, in his own name and in that of King Henry VIII. He was also a political rival of Thomas Cromwell and the two men reportedly had little sympathy for each other. Following the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
, Courtenay's second wife, Gertrude Blount, remained a Roman Catholic. She had supported Elizabeth Barton to her downfall and continued to maintain correspondence with the Catholic former queen Catherine to her death. Her father had served as Queen Catherine's chamberlain, and a stepmother had been one of her Spanish attendants while she was Princess of Wales. Cromwell used these connections to point suspicion at Courtenay's loyalties. Being a powerful landowner in the west country did not make him blind to the sufferings of his tenants. Many lay and clerical alike were turned out of their lands and homes by the Dissolution of the Monasteries and Courtenay came to hate Vicar-General Cromwell and his Protestantism, whose "measures ... became so obnoxious to him that he drifted into a treasonable conspiracy with the Pole family". He joined the Catholic Poles in the Western Rebellion during 1538 and endeavoured to raise the men of Devon and Cornwall. At
St Keverne St Keverne () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village on The Lizard in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. In addition to the parish, an electoral ward exists called ''St Keverne and Meneage''. This stretches to the western Liz ...
on the Lizard peninsula of Cornwall a painted banner was reportedly created which was taken around local villages and called for the population to revolt. However, Madeleine Hope Dodds argues that there never was a conspiracy. "They were less a political party than a group of friends, who loved the old Faith, hated Cromwell, and longed for a change of policy. They met and talked treason and sang political songs… They did not trouble themselves about anything so strenuous and intellectual as a plot." Bernard Burke says Exeter fell victim to the king's jealousy of the Poles. Courtenay was found to be in correspondence with the self-exiled Cardinal Reginald Pole. Geoffrey Pole, younger brother of the Cardinal, came to London with the information that a Roman Catholic conspiracy was in the making. Both Poles were accused of heading this conspiracy and Cromwell convinced the king that Courtenay was a part of it. Perhaps anticipating the end, he wrote a will on 25 September 1538. In early November 1538, Courtenay with his wife and son Edward Courtenay were arrested and incarcerated in the Tower of London. On 3 December 1538 Courtenay was put on trial by his peers in Westminster Hall, although there was little evidence for his involvement in the so-called Exeter Conspiracy. He was found guilty because of his correspondence with Cardinal Pole in Rome. Courtenay was beheaded with a sword on Tower Hill on 9 December 1538, with Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, who was the elder brother of both the Cardinal and Geoffrey, together with their cousin Edward Neville. He was attainted and the Earldom of Devon became forfeit, and his lands in Cornwall were annexed by the Duchy of Cornwall. His wife Gertrude and his son Edward were both attainted in 1539, when her lands (including estates inherited from Sir William Say) were forfeited to the Crown. She was released in 1540 and maintained a friendship with the king's elder daughter, Mary, for the rest of her life. Following Mary's accession, on her orders his son Edward Courtenay was released on 3 August 1553, and thereafter became a suitor for her marriage.


Marriages and children

Henry Courtenay married twice: *First, shortly after June 1515, to Elizabeth Grey, ''suo jure'' Viscountess Lisle (1505–1519), the only child and sole heiress of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle by his wife Muriel Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Elizabeth had been the ward of Charles Brandon, later 1st Duke of Suffolk, and was betrothed to him when she was only eight years old. The betrothal was broken when Brandon married Mary Tudor, sister to Henry VIII. At this time, she became ward of Catherine of York, who betrothed Elizabeth to her son, Henry Courtenay. She died soon after the marriage without children. *Secondly, on 25 October 1519, he married Gertrude Blount (c.1499/1502 – 25 September 1558), a daughter of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy. In October 1537, Lady Exeter was a courtier, serving as godmother to Princess Elizabeth and representing Princess Mary at the pre-funeral ceremonies for Queen Jane Seymour at Hampton Court Palace. She was arrested on 5 November 1538 with her husband and was attainted as his widow in July 1539, and imprisoned for several years until her attainder was reversed by Queen Mary, to whom she became a lady in waiting. She died on 25 September 1558 and was buried in Wimborne Minster in Dorset. By Gertrude Blount he had two sons: **Henry Courtenay, who died young; ** Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 – 18 September 1556), eldest surviving son, who having spent 15 years incarcerated in the Tower of London was released on 3 August 1553, a few days after the accession of Queen Mary to the throne. She created him Earl of Devon on 3 September 1553.


References


Bibliography

* Alison Weir, ''Henry VIII'' (London, 1998) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Exeter, Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess Of 1490s births 1538 deaths Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter Knights of the Garter Marquesses in the Peerage of England Members of the Privy Council of England Executed English nobility People executed under Henry VIII People executed by Tudor England by decapitation People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Executions at the Tower of London English politicians convicted of crimes Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber Earls of Devon 16th-century English knights