Henry de Beaumont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry de Beaumont
4th Earl of Buchan & 1st Baron Beaumont
Arms of Beaumont: Azure semée of fleurs-de-lis, a lion rampant or
Born	bef. 1280 France
Died	10 March 1340
Noble family	de Brienne
Spouse(s)	Alice Comyn, Countess of Buchan
Father	Louis de Brienne
Mother	Agnès de Beaumont

Henry de Beaumont (born before 1280 – died 10 March 1340) was an important person during the Wars of Scottish Independence. These wars were conflicts between England and Scotland in the 1200s and 1300s.

Henry de Beaumont fought in many big battles, from the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 to the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. He might not be famous today, but he was very important in military and political matters. His long experience in the Scottish wars helped him create new battle tactics. These tactics were later used successfully in famous battles like Crécy and Agincourt.

He was part of a group called the 'disinherited'. These were English nobles who had lost their lands in Scotland. Henry de Beaumont worked hard to undo the peace treaty between England and Scotland, called the Treaty of Northampton. This led to the Second War of Scottish Independence.

He became the 4th Earl of Buchan through his marriage. He married Alice Comyn, Countess of Buchan (who died in 1349) shortly before July 14, 1310. Alice was the niece and heir of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan.

Who Was Henry de Beaumont?

Henry de Beaumont was the oldest son of Louis of Brienne (who died after September 1, 1297) and Agnès de Beaumont. His family was from Beaumont in Maine, France. They owned lands like Beaumont-le-Vicomte (now Beaumont-sur-Sarthe), Sainte-Suzanne, La Fleche, Fresnay-le-Vicomte, and Le Lude.

Henry's First Military Actions

Henry de Beaumont started his military career with King Edward I in 1297. He joined Edward I's campaign in Flanders against Philip IV of France. The next year, Edward I returned to England. He needed to deal with the Scottish victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Beaumont went with him.

At the Battle of Falkirk, Beaumont was one of the young knights. His horse was killed by the long spears of William Wallace's Scottish soldiers, called schiltrons. Beaumont continued to serve Edward I in the Scottish wars in 1302.

Lands and Titles Henry Held

King Edward II gave Beaumont many lands and estates. These included Folkingham, Barton-upon-Humber, and Heckington in Lincolnshire. From March 4, 1309, to October 20, 1332, he was called to Parliament. This meant he became Lord Beaumont.

He was called to the English Parliament again from January 22, 1334, to November 16, 1339, as the Earl of Buchan. He also attended the Scottish Parliament of Edward Balliol on February 10, 1334, as the Earl of Buchan.

In 1310, he was given control of the Isle of Man. The next year, he and his sister, Isabel de Vesci, were sent away from the royal court. This happened because they were friends with Piers Gaveston, who was disliked by some nobles. However, they soon returned.

In 1313, he and his sister gained the rights to the manors of Seacourt, Berkshire, and Tackley, Oxfordshire. When his sister died in 1334 without children, these lands became his. In 1312, he received Birthorpe, Lincolnshire. This land was taken from Roger de Birthorpe after he attacked Sempringham Priory. Between 1317 and 1321, his wife inherited English estates from her sister, Margery Comyn. In 1320, he bought the Lordship of Ditchburn in Northumberland.

Henry at the Battle of Bannockburn

On the first day of the Battle of Bannockburn, Henry de Beaumont was part of a cavalry group. He was with Robert Clifford and Sir Thomas de Grey of Heaton. Thomas de Grey's son, the chronicler Thomas Grey, wrote about what happened:

On the second day, Beaumont was among those who fled with King Edward II. After the battle, King Robert Bruce took away his Scottish Earldom of Buchan.

The "Disinherited" Nobles

After the Battle of Bannockburn, the Scottish Parliament took away lands and titles from nobles who kept fighting with the English. This group became known as the 'disinherited'. Henry Beaumont was one of them. Even though others like David III Strathbogie, titular Earl of Atholl were more powerful, Beaumont was the most determined to get his lands back.

He fought for Edward II at the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. But in May 1323, Edward II started peace talks with the Scots. Beaumont disagreed with any agreement that ignored the claims of the disinherited. He had become their main spokesperson. Edward ignored Beaumont, and they argued. Beaumont was briefly put in prison for being disrespectful. After this, he left the court and continued his plans in exile. He eventually joined forces with Edward's wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. However, their takeover in 1327, which put Edward III on the throne, did not help Beaumont's cause.

Isabella and Mortimer wanted to end the conflict with Scotland. They convinced Parliament to accept the Treaty of Northampton. This treaty again ignored the disinherited nobles. Many important nobles felt this was a shameful peace. When Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster rebelled in late 1328, Henry Beaumont joined him. Others like Thomas Wake and David de Strathbogie also joined. This group later supported Edward Balliol, the son of the former King John Balliol. The rebellion ended quickly. Lancaster, Wake, and Strathbogie made peace. But Henry Beaumont was specifically not pardoned. He went into exile to plan Mortimer's downfall.

In March 1330, Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent was arrested. He was accused of planning to bring back Edward II, who he wrongly believed was still alive. At his trial, Kent said Beaumont had met him in Paris. Beaumont supposedly told him that Donald, Earl of Mar, would support his plot from Scotland. Kent was executed. Beaumont was not allowed to return to England while Mortimer and Isabella were in power.

Edward Balliol and the Second War

The peace treaty of Northampton seemed to end the hopes of the disinherited forever. But two things changed this. First, King Robert Bruce died in 1329. Second, in 1330, there was a change in power in England. Roger Mortimer was overthrown and executed, and King Edward III took full control.

In Scotland, Robert's young son, David II, became king. A young king often leads to problems. Edward III kept the peace with Scotland for a while. But he, like many others, thought the Northampton treaty was a "shameful peace." In 1330, Edward III formally asked the Scottish Crown to give Beaumont his earldom lands back. This request was refused.

The cause of the disinherited was now alive again. But it needed a leader and a clear goal. By the early 1330s, their goal became Edward Balliol. Some believed he was the rightful King of Scotland. Edward Balliol had not fought in the first war. It is not clear if he had any military experience before coming to Scotland in 1332.

The main person driving this was Henry Beaumont. He was the chief plotter of the disinherited. He formed their 'party' after the Northampton peace. He encouraged Balliol to leave France and come to England, with Edward III's approval. Beaumont was an experienced soldier. He had been at Bannockburn and Boroughbridge, learning much from both.

It is almost certain that Beaumont planned Balliol's victory at the Battle of Dupplin Moor, where he fought. He likely advised Edward III on the tactics that led to his first great military success at the Battle of Halidon Hill. This battle was a preview of the later triumph at Crécy. Beaumont also provided much of the money that allowed Balliol to invade Scotland with an army. But Beaumont's main loyalty was to himself and then to Edward III. Edward Balliol was a tool for Beaumont's own ambitions.

How Beaumont Used Diplomacy and Force

When Edward III took power, he remembered Beaumont's support. He also knew that Beaumont, though a useful friend, could be a dangerous enemy. Beaumont's changing loyalties since 1323 were all about getting his Earldom of Buchan back. Edward III supported the disinherited for more than just thanks. Beaumont's constant plotting eventually gave Edward a reason to ignore the 1328 peace treaty.

Before the end of 1330, Edward began to make strong diplomatic requests for Beaumont and Thomas Wake. Wake claimed the Lordship of Liddesdale. These were the only two nobles officially recognized as disinherited by both governments. Edward wrote to the young King David II in December. He asked for the lands of the 'Earl of Buchan' and the 'Lord of Liddesdale' to be returned. But Edward must have known the Scots would likely refuse. It made no sense to give important lands to men whose loyalties were with a potential enemy. These men were also known to strongly oppose the Treaty of Northampton. David's guardian, Thomas Randolph, ignored Edward's request. Beaumont then began to seek his lands back in other ways.

Between 1330 and 1331, Beaumont planned to invade Scotland with a private army. He and Edward Balliol would lead it. Balliol and Beaumont first contacted each other in 1330. In 1331, their plans became more serious. In June, Beaumont and Strathbogie crossed the Channel to visit Balliol, who was in exile in Picardy. Beaumont returned in August and again in November with Walter Comyn. The Brut Chronicle tells a story that Balliol had upset the King of France. Beaumont supposedly rescued him from prison. What is certain is that Balliol was convinced to leave France and come to England in the winter of 1331. He stayed at the manor of Standal in Yorkshire, which belonged to Beaumont's sister, the Lady Vesci.

Beaumont then visited King Edward III. He got an important agreement: Edward would not let the disinherited cross the border directly, which would break the Treaty of Northampton. But he would not stop them from sailing from English ports. By the summer of 1332, everything was ready. A small army of archers and men-at-arms sailed from various ports in Yorkshire. They landed on the coast of Fife in August.

Edward Balliol's Invasion

Soon after landing, Beaumont skillfully led the army. They faced a much larger Scottish force at the Battle of Dupplin Moor in August 1332. They won by using a deadly combination of infantry and archers. After this victory, the army moved to Scone. Edward Balliol was crowned King of Scots there on September 24.

The coronation was a tense and unhappy event. The new king and his small army were isolated in a country that was hostile to them. At the banquet after the ceremony, it is said the guests stayed fully armed, except for their helmets. There was a good reason for this. It is also said that the local people supported Balliol more out of fear than love. The new rulers' terror spread. The priests of St. Andrews wrote that they could not collect money from their church at Fordun "for fear of the said Lord Henry."

It was clear that Balliol's adventure could only succeed with King Edward III's open support. To tempt Edward, Balliol wrote to him, offering to give all of southeast Scotland to England. Henry Beaumont and David de Strathbogie took this proposal south to a Parliament meeting at York. Before they could return, Balliol and his remaining army were surprised by supporters of the House of Bruce at Annan. They were chased out of the country. All the money and effort of the past years had been wasted.

Edward III's Invasion

In January 1333, Edward III finally stopped pretending to be neutral. Edward Balliol was officially recognized as King of Scotland, and Edward III promised him military help. Beaumont and the others now received money to prepare for a new invasion. In July, a new Scottish army was destroyed at Halidon Hill, near Berwick-upon-Tweed. The same battle tactics used at Dupplin Moor were used again.

Once again, the disinherited nobles advanced into Scotland. Henry Beaumont was able to return to Buchan. According to Andrew Wyntoun, he rebuilt the old Comyn castle of Dundarg on the Aberdeenshire coast in 1333/4. Robert Bruce had destroyed this castle in 1308:

The Beaumont went intil Buchan; And there, Dundarg of lime and stane He made stoutly, and therin lay.

Even so, the disinherited lords' control was still not strong. By September 1334, Edward Balliol faced a full rebellion. He sent urgent pleas to England for more help. To make things worse, his followers, who had joined him for land, started fighting among themselves over land. In a dispute over the estates of Alexander de Mowbray, who died at Annan in 1332, Balliol unwisely argued with Beaumont. Beaumont, like Achilles, angrily left the court and went to Dundarg.

Balliol's rule collapsed, and for the second time, he fled across the border. Meanwhile, Beaumont was under siege at Dundarg by Sir Andrew de Moray of Avoch and Bothwell, the new Guardian of Scotland. Under constant attack and running out of supplies, he had to surrender on December 23, 1334. After a short time in prison, he was ransomed and returned to England. He was back in time for the summer campaign of 1335. When he returned to Scotland, it is unclear if he ever saw Buchan again. Dundarg Castle was destroyed for the second and last time.

Henry's Later Years

Beaumont actively took part in Edward III's invasion of Scotland in 1335. This was the largest invasion Edward ever launched for his unlucky friend, Balliol. But the results were no more lasting than before. In November, Moray's victory over Strathbogie at the Battle of Culblean wiped out the gains of the summer.

After Culblean, Balliol's weak kingdom almost disappeared. Perth was taken back. Only Cupar Castle in Fife and remote Lochindorb kept his cause alive. At Lochindorb, Strathbogie's widow, Katherine Beaumont, Henry Beaumont's daughter, had been under siege by Moray since late 1335.

Saving Katherine Beaumont allowed Edward III to make one of his most destructive military actions seem like a noble act of chivalry. The English action was a large-scale attack. It aimed to crush Scottish resistance and stop a possible French landing in the northeast. Edward first gave command to Henry of Lancaster, Beaumont's son-in-law. But he later decided to lead it himself. Edward advanced into Aberdeenshire in the summer of 1336. Beaumont and Edward Balliol came with him. Katherine was rescued, and the northeast suffered widespread destruction.

During this time, Henry Beaumont took his last actions in Scotland. He sought revenge against those he blamed for his son-in-law's death. The Pluscarden Chronicle describes his actions: Henry Beaumont, to avenge his son-in-law, the Earl of Atholl, who was slain at Culblean, either cast into prison or put to cruel death all who had taken part in the engagement in which he was slain; whereby much innocent blood was shed.

In 1337, Edward III began the Hundred Years War. He almost completely lost interest in Balliol and his hopeless cause. Even Henry Beaumont, the most determined of the disinherited, had had enough. Instead of returning to Scotland with Balliol, the old warrior went with King Edward to the Low Countries. This was where he had come from with Edward's grandfather in 1298. He died there in March 1340, his long fight unfinished. His son, John, never claimed the lost earldom of Buchan. When Beaumont's wife, Alice, died in 1349, the Comyn family line of Buchan, which had existed since the early 1200s, finally ended.

When an investigation was held to check his lands in April 1340, Henry owned a lot of land in Lincolnshire. He also had smaller areas in Leicestershire, Northumberland, and Yorkshire.

Henry's Family

Arms of Comyn: Azure, three garbs or. These arms were used by John Beaumont, 4th Baron Beaumont (1361–1396), KG.

Henry married Alice Comyn, Countess of Buchan, shortly before July 14, 1310. Alice was the niece and heir of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan. Because of this marriage, Henry was recognized as Earl of Buchan. He and Alice had several children, including:

• Elizabeth Beaumont (around 1320 – 1400). She married Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley (1328–1391), but they had no children.
• John de Beaumont, 2nd Lord Beaumont (around 1318). He married Eleanor of Lancaster. She was the great-granddaughter of King Henry III and sister of Henry of Grosmont.
• Isabel de Beaumont. She married Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, who was Eleanor of Lancaster's brother. They were ancestors of the English Royal House of Lancaster. King Henry IV of England was their grandson.
• Katherine de Beaumont. She married David III Strathbogie, who was the Earl of Atholl and 1st Lord Strathbogie.
• Joan de Beaumont. It is believed she married Fulk VII FitzWarin, 3rd Baron FitzWarin (died 1349). He was from Whittington Castle in Shropshire and Alveston in Gloucestershire.