Earl of Lancaster

Earldom of Lancaster
Arms of Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Leicester: Royal arms of King Henry III with a label of three points of France for difference
Creation date	30 June 1267 (1267-06-30)
Created by	Henry III of England
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Edmund Crouchback
Last holder	Henry of Grosmont
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Leicester
Extinction date	23 March 1361 (1361-03-23)
Seat(s)	Lancaster Castle

The title of Earl of Lancaster was created in the Peerage of England in 1267. It was succeeded by the title Duke of Lancaster in 1351, which expired in 1361. (The most recent creation of the ducal title merged with the Crown in 1413.)

King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancaster—from which the royal house of Henry IV was named—for his second son, Edmund Crouchback, in 1267. Edmund had already been created Earl of Leicester in 1265 and following the Second Barons' War and the death and attainder of the king's rebellious brother-in-law Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ^[1] in 1265, the latter's lands, including most notably Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, had been awarded to him.

When Edmund's son Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, inherited the estates and title of his father-in-law Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, he became at a stroke the most powerful nobleman in England, with lands throughout the kingdom and the ability to raise vast private armies to wield power at national and local levels. ^[2] This brought him—and his younger brother Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster —into conflict with their first cousin King Edward II, leading to Thomas's execution. Henry inherited Thomas's titles and he and his son Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, gave loyal service to Edward's son— King Edward III.

History

Chart showing descent of the Earldom and Duchy of Lancaster and its eventual merger into the crown under King Henry IV

Creation

After the supporters of Henry III of England suppressed opposition from the English nobility in the Second Barons' War, Henry granted to his second son Edmund Crouchback the titles and possessions forfeited by attainder of the barons' leader, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, including the Earldom of Leicester, on 26 October 1265. Later grants included the first Earldom of Lancaster on 30 June 1267 and that of Earl Ferrers in 1301. Edmund was also Count of Champagne and Brie from 1276 by right of his wife. ^[1] Henry IV of England would later use his descent from Edmund to legitimise his claim to the throne, even making the spurious claim that Edmund was the elder son of Henry but had been passed over as king because of his deformity. ^[3]

Seal of Edmund Crouchback

Edmund's second marriage to Blanche of Artois, the widow of the King of Navarre, placed him at the centre of the European aristocracy. Blanche's daughter Joan I of Navarre was queen regnant of Navarre and through her marriage to Philip IV of France was queen consort of France. Edmund's son Thomas became the most powerful nobleman in England, gaining the Earldoms of Lincoln and Salisbury through marriage to the heiress of Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln. His income was £11,000 per annum—double that of the next wealthiest earl. ^[2]

Thomas and his younger brother Henry served in the coronation of their cousin King Edward II of England on 25 February 1308; Thomas carried Curtana, the Sword of Mercy, and Henry carried the royal sceptre. ^[4] After initially supporting Edward, Thomas became one of the Lords Ordainers, who demanded the banishment of Piers Gaveston and the governance of the realm by a baronial council. After Gaveston was captured, Thomas took the lead in his trial and execution at Warwick in 1312. ^[5] Edward's authority was weakened by poor governance and defeat by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn. This allowed Thomas to restrain Edward's power by republishing the Ordinances of 1311. Following this achievement Thomas took little part in the governance of the realm and instead retreated to Pontefract Castle. ^[6] This allowed Edward to regroup and re-arm, leading to a fragile peace in August 1318 with the Treaty of Leake. In 1321 Edward's rule again collapsed into civil war. Thomas raised a northern army but was defeated and captured at the Battle of Boroughbridge. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but because he was Edward's cousin he was given a quicker death by beheading. ^[7]

Henry joined the revolt of Edward's wife Isabella of France and her lover Mortimer in 1326, pursuing and capturing Edward at Neath in South Wales. ^[7] Following Edward's deposition at the Parliament of Kenilworth in 1326 and reputed murder at Berkeley Castle, ^[8] Thomas's conviction was posthumously reversed and Henry regained possession of the Earldoms of Lancaster, Derby, Salisbury and Lincoln that had been forfeit for Thomas's treason. His restored prestige led to him knighting the young King Edward III of England before his coronation. ^[9] Mortimer lost support over the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton that formalised Scotland's independence, and his developing power in the Welsh Marches provoked jealousy from the barons. When Mortimer called a parliament to make his new powers and estates permanent with the title of Earl of March in 1328, Henry led the opposition and held a counter-meeting. In response, Mortimer ravaged the lands of Lancaster and checked the revolt. Edward III was able to assume control in 1330 but Henry's further influence was restricted by poor health and blindness for the last fifteen years of his life. ^{[10] [11]}

Succession

See also: County palatine

Henry's son, also called Henry, was born at the castle of Grosmont in Monmouthshire between 1299 and 1314. ^[12] According to the younger Henry's memoirs, he was better at martial arts than academic subjects and did not learn to read until later in life. ^[13] Henry was coeval with Edward III and was pivotal to his reign, becoming his best friend and most trusted commander. ^[14] Henry was knighted in 1330, represented his father in parliament and fought in Edward's Scottish campaign. ^[15] After the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War, Henry took part in several diplomatic missions and minor campaigns and was present at the great English victory in the naval Battle of Sluys in 1340. ^[16] Later, he was required to commit himself as hostage in the Low Countries for Edward's considerable debts. He remained hostage for a year and had to pay a large ransom for his own release. ^[17]

In 1345, Edward III launched a major, three-pronged attack on France. The Earl of Northampton attacked from Brittany, Edward from Flanders, and Henry from Aquitaine in the south. ^[14] Moving rapidly through the country, Henry confronted the Comte d'Isle at the Battle of Auberoche and achieved a victory described as "the greatest single achievement of Lancaster's entire military career". ^[18] The ransom from the prisoners has been estimated at £50,000. ^[19] Edward rewarded Henry by including him as a founding knight of the Order of the Garter. ^[20] An even greater honour was bestowed on Lancaster when Edward created him Duke of Lancaster. The title of duke was relatively new in England, with only Cornwall being a previous ducal title. Lancaster was also given palatinate status for the county of Lancashire, which entailed a separate administration independent of the crown. ^[21] There were two other counties palatine; Durham was an ancient ecclesiastical palatinate and Chester was crown property.

Earls of Lancaster

Earl	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster and Leicester [22]		16 January 1245 London son of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence	(1) Aveline de Forz 1269 0 children (2) Blanche of Artois 21 September 1271 4 children Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster John of Lancaster, Lord of Beaufort Mary of Lancaster	5 June 1296 Bayonne, Gascony aged 51
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester [23]		c. 1278 Grismond Castle, Monmouthshire son of Edmund Crouchback and Blanche of Artois	Alice de Lacy, 4th Countess of Lincoln 28 October 1294 – Divorced 1318 0 children	22 March 1322 Pontefract, Yorkshire Executed by order of Edward II of England aged 43–44
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester [12]		1281 Grosmont Castle, Monmouthshire son of Edmund Crouchback and Blanche of Artois	Matilda de Chaworth 7 children Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster Blanche of Lancaster, Baroness Wake of Liddell Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster Joan of Lancaster, Baroness Mowbray Isabel of Lancaster, Prioress of Amesbury Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy	22 September 1345 Leicestershire aged 63–64
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Lancaster and Leicester [12]		c. 1310 Grosmont Castle, Monmouthshire son of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster	Isabel de Beaumont 1334 2 children Maud, Countess of Leicester Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster	23 March 1361 Leicester Castle, Leicestershire Black Death aged 50–51
Blanche, 5th Countess of Lancaster and Leicester [lower-alpha 1] [24]		25 March 1345 Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire daughter of Henry of Grosmont	John of Gaunt 19 May 1359 7 children Philippa, Queen of Portugal John of Lancaster Elizabeth of Lancaster, Duchess of Exeter Edward of Lancaster John of Lancaster Henry IV Bolingbroke, King of England Isabel of Lancaster	12 September 1369 Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire Black Death aged 23

Family tree

v t e Family tree of the Earls of Leicester, and Earls of Lancaster and Dukes of Lancaster

Roger de Beaumont (c. 1015–1094) EARL OF LEICESTER (first creation), 1107 Robert de Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester (c. 1040/1050–1118) Henry de Beaumont 1st Earl of Warwick Hugh de Beaumont 1st Earl of Bedford Robert de Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester (1104–1168) Waleran de Beaumont 1st Earl of Worcester William FitzRobert 2nd Earl of Gloucester Hawise de Beaumont Robert de Beaumont 3rd Earl of Leicester (d. 1190) Robert de Beaumont 4th Earl of Leicester (d. 1204) Amice Countess of Rochefort King John (1166–1216) Isabella Countess of Gloucester Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester (c. 1175–1218) King Henry III (1207–1272) Eleanor of England Simon de Montfort 6th Earl of Leicester (c. 1208–1265) Earldom of Leicester forfeited, 1265 EARL OF LEICESTER (second creation), 1267 EARL OF LANCASTER, 1276 King Edward I (1239–1307) Edmund Crouchback 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl of Lancaster (1245–1296) Earldom of Leicester restored, 1324 Earldom of Lancaster restored, 1327 King Edward II (1284–1327) Thomas of Lancaster 2nd Earl of Leicester 2nd Earl of Lancaster (1278–1322) Henry of Lancaster 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl of Lancaster (1281–1345) Earldom of Leicester forfeited, 1322 Earldom of Lancaster forfeited, 1322 DUKE OF LANCASTER, 1351 King Edward III (1312–1377) Henry of Grosmont 4th Earl of Leicester Duke of Lancaster (c. 1310–1361) Joan of Lancaster (c. 1312–1349) John de Mowbray 3rd Baron Mowbray John of Gaunt (6th) Earl of Leicester (jure uxoris) Duke of Lancaster (1340–1399) Blanche of Lancaster (1342–1368) Maud of Lancaster a.k.a. Matilda, Countess of Hainault (1340–1362) William V, Count of Holland (5th) Earl of Leicester (jure uxoris) (1330–1389) Roger La Warr Eleanor Mowbray Henry Bolingbroke (7th) Earl of Leicester Duke of Lancaster King Henry IV (1367–1413) Joan La Warr Thomas West Earldom of Leicester merged into the Crown, 1399 Dukedom of Lancaster merged into the Crown, 1399 DUKE OF LANCASTER, 1399 Henry of Monmouth Duke of Lancaster King Henry V (1386–1422) Reginald West Dukedom of Lancaster merged into the Crown, 1413 Richard West Thomas West Edward Guildford Eleanor West John Dudley Duke of Northumberland Jane Guildford EARL OF LEICESTER (third creation), 1564 John Dudley Earl of Warwick (c. 1527–1554) Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester (1532–1588) Mary Dudley (d. 1586) m. Henry Sidney Lord Guildford Dudley (c. 1535–1554) Lady Jane Grey Disputed Queen of England (1537–1554) Earldom of Leicester extinct, 1588 EARL OF LEICESTER (fourth creation), 1618 Philip Sidney (1554–1586) Mary Sidney (1561–1621) Robert Sidney 1st Earl of Leicester (1563–1626) Robert Sidney 2nd Earl of Leicester (1595–1677) Henry Sidney Earl of Romney Philip Sidney 3rd Earl of Leicester (1619–1698) Algernon Sidney (1623–1683) Lady Lucy Sidney (1630–1685) Robert Sidney 4th Earl of Leicester (1649–1702) Thomas Pelham (1653–1712) Edward Coke (d. 1707) Philip Sidney 5th Earl of Leicester (1676–1705) John Sidney 6th Earl of Leicester (1680–1737) Jocelyn Sidney 7th Earl of Leicester (1682–1743) Elizabeth Pelham (1681–1711) Earldom of Leicester extinct, 1743 EARL OF LEICESTER (fifth creation), 1744 Thomas Coke Earl of Leicester (1697–1759) Anne Coke Philip Roberts Charles Townshend 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700–1764) Earldom of Leicester extinct, 1759 Wenman (Roberts) Coke (c. 1717–1776) George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend (1724–1807) EARL OF LEICESTER (seventh creation), 1837 EARL OF LEICESTER (sixth creation), 1784 Thomas William Coke 1st Earl of Leicester (1754–1842) George Townshend Earl of Leicester 2nd Marquess Townshend (1753–1811) George Townshend Earl of Leicester (courtesy title) 3rd Marquess Townshend (1778–1855) Earldom of Leicester extinct, 1811 Thomas William Coke 2nd Earl of Leicester (1822–1909) Thomas William Coke 3rd Earl of Leicester (1848–1941) Thomas William Coke 4th Earl of Leicester (1880–1949) Arthur George Coke (1882–1915) Thomas William Edward Coke 5th Earl of Leicester (1908–1976) Anthony Louis Lovel Coke 6th Earl of Leicester (1909–1994) Edward Douglas Coke 7th Earl of Leicester (1936–2015) Thomas Edward Coke 8th Earl of Leicester (b. 1965) Edward Horatio Coke Viscount Coke (b. 2003)

See also

• Duke of Lancaster

Notes

1. Both Henry of Grosmont and John of Gaunt are listed as the 1st Duke of Lancaster. This is because the Dukedom could only be passed down to a son; when Henry of Grosmont died on 23 March 1361, the Earldom passed to his son-in-law John of Gaunt but the Dukedom expired. A new Dukedom with the identical name was created for John of Gaunt on 13 November 1362 by his Father, Edward III.

References

1. Weir 2008 , p. 75
2. Jones 2012 , pp. 371
3. Weir 1995 , p. 40
4. Jones 2012 , pp. 363
5. Jones 2012 , pp. 375–8
6. Jones 2012 , p. 390
7. Jones 2012 , p. 400
8. Davies 1999 , p. 381
9. Jones 2012 , p. 422
10. Waugh & Harrison 2004
11. Lee 1997 , p. 115
12. Weir 2008 , p. 77
13. Fowler 1969 , p. 26
14. Jones 2012 , p. 471
15. Fowler 1969 , p. 30
16. Fowler 1969 , p. 34
17. Fowler 1969 , pp. 35–7
18. Fowler 1969 , pp. 58–9
19. Fowler 1969 , p. 61
20. McKisack 1959 , pp. 252
21. Fowler 1969 , pp. 173–4
22. Lloyd & Harrison 2004
23. Weir 2008 , pp. 76–7
24. Walker 1990

Sources

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