George Neville, Duke of Bedford facts for kids

George Neville, Duke of Bedford (born 1465 – died 4 May 1483) was an English nobleman. A nobleman is a person from a high-ranking family, often with special titles and lands. George belonged to the powerful House of Neville family. When he was born, it seemed like he would inherit a lot of money and property. However, his father and uncle faced political problems, which meant George ended up inheriting very little.

Who Was George Neville?

George Neville was the son of John Neville. His father was first known as the Earl of Northumberland and later became Marquess Montagu. George's uncle was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, who was a very important and powerful figure in England at the time. George's mother was Isobel Ingoldsthorpe. She was the only daughter and heir of Sir Edmund Ingoldsthorpe and Joan Tiptoft.

A Future of Great Wealth?

When George was born, many people thought he would become very rich. He was expected to inherit several important properties:

• His father's lands from his earldom.
• His mother's family estates, known as the Ingoldsthorpe properties.
• Smaller properties that his parents owned together.

Just the Ingoldsthorpe and joint properties were enough to support a baron, which is a noble rank. George was also expected to inherit the large Neville family estates from his uncle Warwick. This was because Warwick had only daughters, and his lands were set up to pass to male heirs.

Finally, George was likely to inherit a share of the Tiptoft family's property. This was through his mother and grandmother. All these inheritances together could have given him an income of about 4,000 pounds a year. This was a huge amount of money back then. For example, George, Duke of Clarence, who was the king's brother and one of the richest people, had an income of about 4,500 pounds a year.

Becoming and Losing a Duke

In 1470, George Neville was given the important title of Duke of Bedford. This was planned because he was meant to marry Elizabeth of York, who was the daughter of the king. The title of Duke of Bedford had not been used since 1435.

However, things changed quickly. The very next year, George's father and his uncle Warwick rebelled against King Edward IV. Both his father and uncle were killed in battle. Even though no special law was passed to take away their property, George did not inherit anything from them. He also did not receive any inheritance from his mother's family.

In 1475, a special law was passed by Parliament. This law gave the Neville family's lands in northern England to Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Richard was married to one of George's uncle Warwick's daughters. George still had a small share in some of his maternal grandparents' estates, but it was much less than what he was supposed to get.

The Title Taken Away

Just before George turned 13 in 1478, Parliament made another decision. They took away his title of Duke of Bedford. The reason given was that he did not have enough money to live like a duke. After this, the title was given to a baby named George of York. This baby was the third son of King Edward IV. George Neville died a few years later in 1483.