House of Beaufort

The Beauforts were a powerful and wealthy family from the start, and rose to greater power after their half-brother and uncle became King Henry IV in 1399. However, in 1406, Henry IV decided that although the Beauforts were legitimate, their genetic line could not be used to make any claim to the throne. John Beaufort had already been created Earl of Somerset in 1397. His second son John became the first Duke of Somerset in 1443.[2]

The second son (of John of Gaunt), Henry, became a bishop, Lord Chancellor, and a Cardinal; the third son, Thomas, became Duke of Exeter; and the daughter, Joan, married Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland. Joan had the most pedigree, her many descendants including the Dukes of York, Warwick the "Kingmaker", the Dukes of Norfolk, the Dukes of Buckingham, the Earls of Northumberland, and Henry VIII's last queen, Catherine Parr.

When the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the Roses broke out in the later fifteenth century, the Beauforts were the chief supporters of Henry VI and the House of Lancaster.[3]

Henry VII traced his claim to the English crown through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, granddaughter of John Beaufort, and great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt.

The Beauforts suffered heavily in the Wars of the Roses. Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and his three elder sons were killed in the war, leaving no legitimate male heir. The male line was continued through Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset.

Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester (1629–1700) was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Charles Somerset. He assisted in the Restoration to the throne of Charles II. In 1682, Charles created Henry Somerset the first Duke of Beaufort.[2]

The Beaufort family in the male line is today represented by its cadet branch the House of Somerset, whose senior dynast is Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort.

Heraldic achievement forming the Garter stall plate of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset(d.1444), KG, St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The earliest garter plate with supporters.[4] It includes the badge of an ostrich feather, here shown as a pair, blazoned: feather argent pen gobonne argent and azure

These included:

• John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (c. 1371–1410).
  • Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset (c. 1401–1418).
  • John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. 1404–1444).
    • Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (1443–1509), mother of King Henry VII of England
  • Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland (c. 1404–1445)
  • Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche (c. 1405–1431)
  • Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset (c. 1406–1455).
    • Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1436–1464).
    • Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford (c. 1427–1474)
    • Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (c. 1438–1471).
    • John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset (c. 1455–1471)
  • Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Devon (1409–1449)
• Henry Beaufort (c. 1375–1447), Cardinal Bishop of Winchester
• Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (c. 1377–1426)
• Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland (c. 1379–1440)
  • Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (1415–1495), mother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III of England

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Beaufort". Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Bibliography

• Ailes, Adrian (1982), The Origins of The Royal Arms of England, Reading: Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Reading, ISBN 0704907763
• Amin, Nathen (2017), The House of Beaufort, The Bastard Line That Captured The Crown, Stroud: Amberley, ISBN 9781445684734
• Brooke-Little, J.P., FSA (1978) [1950], Boutell's Heraldry (Revised ed.), London: Frederick Warne LTD, ISBN 0-7232-2096-4
• Fox-Davies, Arthur (1978) [1909], Complete Guide to Heraldry (Revised ed.), New York: Bonanza Books, ISBN 1602390010
• Louda, Jiří; Maclagan, Michael (1981), Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, United States of America: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., ISBN 0517545586
• Pinches, John Harvey; Pinches, Rosemary (1974), The Royal Heraldry of England, Heraldry Today, Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press, ISBN 0-900455-25-X