Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Beaufort
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| Duke of Exeter | |
Coat of arms of Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter
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| Born | c. January 1377 Château de Beaufort, Anjou, France |
| Died | 31 December 1426 (aged c. 49) Greenwich manor, Kent, England |
| Buried | Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk, England |
| Family | Beaufort |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Neville of Hornby |
| 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 (born around January 1377, died 31 December 1426) was an important English military leader. He fought in the Hundred Years' War and also served as Chancellor of England for a short time.
Thomas was one of four children born to John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford. At first, his parents were not married. Later, in 1396, they got married. This meant that Thomas and his siblings were officially recognized as legal children of their parents, which was important for their future.
Thomas married Margaret Neville, who was the daughter of Sir Thomas Neville. They had one son named Henry, but sadly, he died when he was very young.
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Thomas Beaufort's Early Career: Serving Henry IV
After his half-brother, Henry IV, became king, Thomas Beaufort was given a special honor. He was made a Knight of the Garter, which is a very old and important group of knights.
In the years that followed, Thomas held many important military jobs. He was in charge of the castle at Ludlow in 1402. He became the Admiral of the North in 1403, meaning he was a top commander of the navy in the northern seas.
He also became the captain of Calais in 1407. Calais was a very important port city in France that England controlled. From 1408 to 1413, he was the Admiral of the North and West, a title he kept for the rest of his life.
One of his most important actions during this time was leading the army against a rebellion in the north of England in 1405. He helped the king put down this uprising.
On January 31, 1410, Thomas Beaufort became the Lord Chancellor of England. This was a very powerful position, like being the king's chief minister. He held this job until January 5, 1412. After that, he went back to his military duties. Later in 1412, he was given the title of Earl of Dorset.
Thomas Beaufort's Role Under Henry V
When Henry V became king, Thomas Beaufort continued to serve in important roles. In 1413, he was made the Lieutenant of Aquitaine, a region in France. Then, in 1415, he became the captain of Harfleur, another key French town.
For the next few years, he spent a lot of time in Normandy, France, as the Lieutenant of Normandy. In 1416, he received a very high honor: he was made the Duke of Exeter for life.
Thomas Beaufort returned to England in 1417 to help with problems in Scotland while King Henry V was still in Normandy. In 1418, he went back to Normandy with a large army. He helped in the sieges (when an army surrounds a city to capture it) of Évreux, Ivry, and Rouen.
After Rouen was captured in 1419, Thomas became the captain of that city. He then went on to conquer more smaller towns in Normandy. Finally, in 1419, he captured the strong fortress of Château Gaillard. This was a very difficult task, taking six months to complete.
During this time, King Henry V was giving French titles to his English nobles. So, in 1418, Thomas Beaufort was also made the Count of Harcourt.
In 1420, Thomas Beaufort helped to negotiate the treaty of Troyes. This treaty was a big agreement between England and France. The next year, he was captured during the Battle of Baugé, where his nephew, Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, was killed.
Thomas Beaufort was one of the people chosen to carry out King Henry V's wishes after the king died. Because of this, he returned to England in 1422. He served on the council that governed England for the young king, Henry VI, who was just a baby. He likely spent some time in France as well.
The character of Exeter in William Shakespeare's play Henry V is based on Thomas Beaufort. However, in real life, Thomas was not made Duke of Exeter until after the famous Battle of Agincourt. In 1415, at the time of that battle, he was still the Earl of Dorset.
Thomas Beaufort passed away on December 31, 1426. After his death, all his titles, including Duke of Exeter, Earl of Dorset, and Count of Harcourt, ended. The title of Duke of Exeter was later given to another family, the Holland family. The Earldom of Dorset was later given to his nephew, Edmund, Count of Mortain.
Arms
Thomas Beaufort's coat of arms showed his connection to the royal family. As a recognized grandson of the king, he used the royal arms of England. However, he added a special border around them, which was a pattern of blue and ermine (a white fur with black spots). This border showed that he was part of the royal family but not directly in line for the throne.
See also
