Thomas Erpingham
Sir Thomas Erpingham KG ( 1357 - June 27, 1428 ) was an English knight . Under Henry V he commanded the archers during the Battle of Azincourt .
Thomas Erpingham's military career resulted in him fighting in several countries. He was a member of the Anglo-Welsh troops in several campaigns during the Hundred Years War , served in Spain, Scotland, Prussia and the Holy Land. His military career spanned nearly fifty years and is closely linked to the House of Lancaster . John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster knighted him. Thomas Erpingham was also involved in the invasion of Aquitaine under Edward of Woodstock , accompanied Henry IV of England to Lithuania before his accession to the throne and from Prussia to Jerusalem in 1392. Under Henry IV he held the court office of Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1399 to 1404 , and the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1399 to 1409 . In 1401 Heinrich IV accepted him as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter . His military career ended around 1416.
He was married twice, first to Joan († before 1409), daughter of Sir William Clopton, landlord of Clopton in Suffolk , and in second marriage to Joan († 1425), daughter of Sir Richard Walton, widow of Sir John Howard . He left no offspring, which is why his nephew Sir William Phelip, the son of his sister Julian, inherited him in 1428.
In William Shakespeare's drama Henry V , Thomas Erpingham is portrayed as a wise old military leader who encourages the young English king on the fearful night before the Battle of Azincourt.
literature
- Anne Curry (Ed.): Agincourt 1415. Henry V., Sir Thomas Erpingham and the Triumph of the English archers. Tempus, Stroud 2000, ISBN 0-7524-1780-0 .
- Albert Frederick Pollard: Erpingham, Sir Thomas (1357-1428) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). Volume 2, Smith, Elder & Co, London 1901, pp. 189-190.
Individual evidence
- ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 8.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Erpingham, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Erpingham, Sir Thomas (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English knight |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1357 |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 27, 1428 |