Thomas Despenser, 2nd Baron Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (22 September 1373 – 13 January 1400) was the son of Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despencer, whom he succeeded in 1375.

Royal intrigues

A supporter 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, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

against

Thomas of Woodstock Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester (7 January 13558 or 9 September 1397) was the fifth surviving son and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Early life Thomas was born on 7 January 1355 at Woodstock Pal ...

and the

Lords Appellant The Lords Appellant were a group of nobles in the reign of Richard II of England, King Richard II, who, in 1388, sought to impeach five of the King's favourites in order to restrain what was seen as tyrannical and capricious rule. The word ''appel ...

, Despenser was rewarded with an earldom as

Earl of Gloucester The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.'' Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121) *Robert, 1st Earl ...

in 1397, by virtue of being descended from Gilbert de Clare, 7th earl of an earlier creation. He spent the years 1397–99 in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, attempting with little success to persuade the Gaelic chieftains to accept Richard II as their overlord. However, Despenser supported

Henry Bolingbroke Henry IV ( – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a son of King Edward III), and Blanche of Lancaster. Henry was involved in the 138 ...

on his return to England to become King Henry IV, only to be

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 ...

(deprived of his earldom because of a capital crime) for his role in the death of

. Despenser then took part in the

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 usu ...

, a rebellion led by a number of barons aimed at restoring Richard to the throne by assassinating King Henry IV; this quickly failed when the conspirators were betrayed by

Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415), known as the Earl of Rutland between 1390 and 1397 and again between 1399 and 1402 and as the Duke of Aumale between 1397 and 1399, was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was ...

to Henry. After fleeing to the western counties, a number of the Epiphany Rising conspirators were captured and killed by mobs of townspeople loyal to the king; Despenser was captured by a mob and beheaded at

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

on 13 January 1400.

Marriage

Thomas Despenser married

Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...

, daughter of

Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (5 June 1341 – 1 August 1402) was the fifth son (fourth surviving) of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Like many medieval English princes, Edmund gained his nickname from his birthplace: ...

and

Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

. They had issue: *Elizabeth Despenser (died young c. 1398) *

Richard Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh Richard le Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh, K.B (30 November 1396–7 October 1414) was the son and heir of Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1373–1400), by Constance of York. Constance was a daughter of Edmund of Langley, Duke of ...

(1396–1414) *Edward Despenser (born before 1400), died young *Hugh Despenser (c. 1400 – 1401) * Isabel Despenser (26 July 1400 – 27 December 1439); she married, firstly,

Richard Beauchamp, 1st Earl of Worcester Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Worcester, KB ( – March 1421/1422) was an English peer. The only son of William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny and Joan de Beauchamp, Baroness Bergavenny. William Beauchamp was the fourth son of the Ear ...

, and later married, secondly, his cousin

Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick (25 or 28 January 138230 April 1439) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander. Early life Beauchamp was born at Salwarpe Court Richard Gough, ''Description of the Beauchamp chapel, adjoi ...

Ancestry and succession

References

thePeerage.com
* Otway-Ruthven, A.J. ''History of Medieval Ireland'' Barnes and Noble reprint New York 1993 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester, Thomas Despenser, 1st Earl of 1373 births 1400 deaths 14th-century English nobility People executed under the Lancastrians Knights of the Garter Executed English nobility People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation

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 ...

Thomas Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester Lords of Glamorgan Barons le Despencer