Thomas Beaufort | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Exeter | |
 Arms of Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter | |
| Born | c. January 1377[1][2] Château de Beaufort,Anjou, France |
| Died | 31 December 1426[3] (age 49 or 50) Greenwich manor,Kent, England |
| Buried | Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk |
| Family | Beaufort |
| Spouse | Margaret Neville of Hornby |
| Issue | Henry Beaufort (died in infancy) |
| Father | John of Gaunt |
| Mother | Katherine Swynford |
| Occupation | Lord Chancellor Lord High Admiral Admiral of the North and West Admiral of the North Captain of Calais |
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (c. January 1377 – 31 December 1426) was anEnglish military commander during theHundred Years' War, and brieflyChancellor of England. He was the third of the four children born toJohn of Gaunt,Duke of Lancaster, and his mistressKatherine Swynford. To overcome their problematic parentage, his parents were married in 1396, and he and his siblings were legitimated in 1390 and again in 1397. He married the daughter of Sir Thomas Neville (died 1387)[4] of Hornby, Margaret Neville (born c. 1384).[5] She bore him one son, Henry Beaufort, who died young.
After the accession of his half-brotherHenry IV, Beaufort was made aKnight of the Garter. In the following years he held various military posts: constable ofLudlow (1402), appointedAdmiral of the North (1403), appointedcaptain of Calais (1407), andAdmiral of the North and West (1408–1413) he retained the title for life. His most notable action during this decade was commanding the forces against the northern rebellion of 1405.
He became Chancellor of England on 31 January 1410, an office he held until 5 January 1412[6] during a time when King Henry was having trouble with the clergy, and then returned to military matters. Later in 1412 he was createdEarl of Dorset.[7]
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On the accession ofHenry V, Beaufort was appointedLieutenant of Aquitaine in 1413 and then captain ofHarfleur in 1415. He spent the next few years inNormandy, serving as lieutenant of that duchy from 1416. He was createdDuke of Exeter for life that same year.
Beaufort returned to England in 1417 while the king was still in Normandy in order to deal with problems in Scotland. In 1418, he went back to Normandy with a large force, taking part in the sieges ofÉvreux,Ivry, andRouen. After the fall of Rouen in 1419, he was made captain of the city and conquered several more of the smaller Norman cities. Finally, in 1419, he took the great fortress ofChâteau Gaillard, midway betweenRouen andParis, after a six-month siege.
During this time, Henry V began a policy of creating Norman titles for his aristocrats, with Beaufort being made Count of Harcourt in 1418.
In 1420, Beaufort helped negotiate thetreaty of Troyes. The next year he was captured at theBattle of Baugé, where his nephew,Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, was killed.
Beaufort was one of the executors of Henry V's will, and so returned to England in 1422 after the latter's death. He served on the governing council for the infant KingHenry VI, though it is likely he spent some time in France as well.
The character of Exeter in Shakespeare's playHenry V is based on Beaufort, although Beaufort was not actually created duke of Exeter until after theBattle of Agincourt; in 1415 he was still earl of Dorset. He also appears inHenry VI, Part 1.
He is reported to have died on 31 December 1426,[8][5] although 27 December 1426 or 1 January 1427[2][9] have been suggested as alternative dates. All of his titles (Duke of Exeter,Earl of Dorset andCount of Harcourt) became extinct. The Duchy of Exeter was restored to theHolland family; the Earldom of Dorset was recreated forEdmund, Count of Mortain, his nephew.
As a legitimated grandson of the sovereign, Beaufort bore the arms of the kingdom, differenced by abordure gobony azure and ermine.[10][11]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lord Chancellor 31 January 1410 – 5 January 1412 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord High Admiral 1413 – 26 July 1426 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Duke of Exeter 18 November 1416 – 1426 | Extinct |
| Earl of Dorset 5 July 1411 – 1426 | ||
| French nobility | ||
| New creation | Count of Harcourt Lord ofLillebonne 1 July 1418 – 1426 | Extinct |
| International | |
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| National | |
