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John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset

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Not to be confused withJohn Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset.
For other people titled 1st Duke of Somerset, seeDuke of Somerset.

John Beaufort
1stDuke of Somerset
refer to caption
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, detail from his effigy inWimborne Minster,Dorset
Earl of Somerset
PredecessorHenry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset(elder brother)
SuccessorEdmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset(younger brother)
Born25 March 1404
Died27 May 1444(1444-05-27)(aged 40)
BuriedWimborne Minster church
FamilyBeaufort
SpouseMargaret Beauchamp
Issue
Detail		Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby
FatherJohn Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
MotherMargaret Holland
Chest tomband effigies of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and his wife inWimborne Minster,Dorset

John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, 3rd Earl of Somerset,KG(25 March 1404 – 27 May 1444) was an Englishnoblemanand military commander during theHundred Years' War.He was the maternal grandfather ofHenry VII.

Origins[edit]

Arms of Beaufort, Earls and Dukes of Somerset:Royal arms of Englanddifferencedby abordurecomponyargent and azure

Born on 25 March 1404, he was the second son ofJohn Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset,the eldest of the four legitimised children ofJohn of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster,by his mistressKatherine Swynford.John of Gaunt was the third surviving son of KingEdward III.His mother wasMargaret Holland,a daughter ofThomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent,the son ofJoan "the Fair Maid of Kent",a granddaughter of KingEdward Iand wife ofEdward the Black Prince(eldest brother of John of Gaunt) and mother of KingRichard II.

Career[edit]

In 1418 he became 3rd Earl of Somerset, having succeeded his elder brotherHenry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset(1401–1418), who died unmarried, aged 17, whilst fighting for the Lancastrian cause at theSiege of Rouenin France, under the command of their uncleThomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter(1377–1426).

French campaign and imprisonment[edit]

He fought in the 1419 French campaigns of his cousin KingHenry V.In 1421 he accompanied his step-fatherThomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence(the king's younger brother) on a campaign inAnjou,France. Thomas was killed at theBattle of Baugé(22 March 1421), while Somerset and his younger brother were captured and imprisoned for 17 years. On 25 March 1425 Somerset came into his majority, but his paternal estates had to be managed by his mother for the next thirteen years of his imprisonment. He remained imprisoned until 1438 and having been ransomed, became one of the leading English commanders in France.[1]

Created Duke of Somerset[edit]

Heraldic achievementof John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG, detail from hisGarter stall plateinSt. George's Chapel, Windsor.It is the earliest garter plate withsupporters.[2]Thebadgeof anostrich feather,here shown as a pair, is blazoned:A feather the pencomponéeargent and azure,as the Beaufort bordure. Thesinistersupporter is aBeaufort Yale.

In 1443 John was createdDuke of SomersetandEarl of Kendal,was made aKnight of the Garterand appointed Captain-General ofGuyenne.He presided over a period during which England lost much territory in France and proved a poor commander.Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester,regent for the young KingHenry VI,was unable to control the administration of justice and finance, which led to widespread lawlessness. At the beginning of the second lieutenantcy ofRichard, Duke of York,Gloucester declined the office of Lieutenant-Governor, which was then accepted by Somerset, who drew from it a salary of 600 pounds.

He was appointed Admiral of the Sea to the army commanderJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury,[3]who from August 1440 besiegedHarfleur,which had been in French hands for five months. KingCharles VII of Francesent a large army under Richemont. The English dug a double ditch rampart with only 1,000 men, while Somerset's squadron prevented a French landing by sea, using archers to pick off the enemy at short range. Having been thus frustrated the French withdrew toParisand lifted the siege. The town surrendered to the English and was re-occupied. York was incensed that John's uncleCardinalHenry Beaufortadvised the king to sue for peace. Somerset advised King Henry that peace was humanitarian and that the king of France was determined to seizePontoise.[4]When York arrived in Normandy in 1441 to the campaign, Somerset had resigned. But the fall of Pontoise toCharles, Duke of Orléansin September 1441 weakened English garrisons and inGasconythe situation was even worse.[5]TheBeaufortssent Sir Edward Hull, who arrived atBordeauxon 22 October 1442, to inform York that a huge army would arrive commanded by Somerset. York was ordered to fortifyRouen;just as the king andDauphin of Francewere threateningBordeauxandAquitaineand seized the town ofDaxSomerset dithered; York was held back asGuyennewas being lost.

Meanwhile, theDuke of York,fighting alongside the tacticianLord Talbot,had been appointed Lieutenant for all France. With the Duke of Gloucester's wifeEleanorcharged with treason, Somerset took the opportunity in April 1443 to declare himselfLieutenant of Aquitaineand Captain-General of Guyenne. By then, the negotiations Somerset had started asCaptain-General of Calaishad failed. These two factors turned York against the Beauforts. But the last straw was the payment of £25,000 to Somerset while York remained heavily in debt. Furthermore,Guyennewas consuming precious resources otherwise destined forNormandy.[6]

Death and burial[edit]

In August 1443 Somerset led 7,000 men toCherbourgand marched south toGascony;the duke was ill. He blundered intoGuerche,aBretontown with whichEnglandhad signed a peace treaty. But Somerset set all prisoners free, accepting money from theDuke of Brittany.Marching aimlessly throughMaine,he returned that winter toEngland.[7]His death in 1444,[8]possibly by suicide, and that of his uncle the Cardinal, marked the end of Beaufort influence and left the door open forWilliam de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk,to dominate the government.[9]The lasting effect of these events was burning resentment between theHouse of Yorkand the remaining members of theBeaufort family.

Marriage and issue[edit]

In 1439 he marriedMargaret Beauchamp,a daughter of Sir John Beauchamp,de jure3rd Baron Beauchamp (d.1412/14) ofBletsoeinBedfordshire,by his second wife Edith Stourton, a daughter of Sir John Stourton ofStourton, Wiltshire.By his wife he had an only daughter and sole heiress:

Succession[edit]

As he died without male issue his dukedom went extinct but his earldom passed to his younger brotherEdmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset(1406–1455). As Edmund was later granted the title Duke of Somerset, he is often called 2nd Duke of Somerset though he did not inherit the title from his brother.

Illegitimate issue[edit]

His illegitimate issue included:

  • Tacine of Somerset, who, being foreign-born, was made a denizen of England 20 June 1443. She married (before 29 September 1447) Reynold (or Reginald) Grey, 7th Lord Grey of Wilton by whom she had one son:
    • John Grey, 8th Lord Grey of Wilton;
  • John of Somerset (c. 1444–1453)

Titles and styles[edit]

Ancestry and family tree[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Harriss 1988,p. xx.
  2. ^Planché, J.R.(1852).Pursuivant of Arms.p. xx.
  3. ^Burne 2005,p. 422.
  4. ^Burne 2005,p. 426.
  5. ^Jacob 1961,p. 470.
  6. ^Jacob 1961,p. 468.
  7. ^Burne 2005,p. 435–6.
  8. ^Harriss 2004,p. xx.
  9. ^Burne 2005,p. 438.
  10. ^abCokayne 1953,p. 47.
  11. ^Cokayne 1953,p. 45.
  12. ^abcdBrown 2004.
  13. ^Marshall 2003,p. 50.
  14. ^Weir 2008,pp. 94, 125.
  15. ^Weir 2008,p. 232.
  16. ^Weir 2008,p. 93.
  17. ^Weir 2007,p. 6.
  18. ^abcWeir 2008,p. 125.
  19. ^Weir 2008,p. 77.

Notes[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Peerage of England
New creation Duke of Somerset
1st creation
1443–1444 		Extinct
Earl of Kendal
1443–1444
Preceded by Earl of Somerset
1418–1444 		Succeeded by
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