Henry Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter

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Coat of arms of Henry Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter

Henry Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter (born June 27, 1430 in the Tower of London , † September 1475 ) was an English magnate . In the Wars of the Roses he was a leading partisan and military leader of the House of Lancaster .

Origin and youth

Henry Holland was the only son of John Holland, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and born to his first wife Anne Stafford . Through his grandmother Elisabeth , a sister of King Henry IV , he was closely connected to the House of Lancaster. His father was made Duke of Exeter in 1444 because of his close kinship with the king , although he had annual income of just over £ 1000 including his wife's wittum . So his income was far below that of his peers. The connection of John Holland to the House of Lancaster and the uncertain line of succession from Henry VI. probably led to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York offering a handsome dowry of 4,500 marks on August 10, 1445 for the marriage of his eldest daughter Anne to Henry . The marriage took place in January 1446, and when John Holland died in 1447, Henry became his heir as his only son. However, since he was still a minor, his father-in-law Richard of York became his guardian. On July 23, 1450 his inheritance was handed over to him, although he was officially still a minor. This may have been due to the rebellion of Jack Cade , who may wish Holland, as a relative of the king, to be part of the government.

Attempt to expand his possessions

A little later, Holland was also given the title Duke of Exeter and his father's other titles. Since his stepmother Anne Montagu was entitled to a Wittum from his father's possessions, he could only dispose of his entire inheritance after her death in 1457. With that he had even less income than his father. Although he received an annual pension of 500 marks in 1451, he lost his possessions in France with the British defeat in the Hundred Years War . His limited financial resources were in obvious contradiction to his royal origins and his title, so that he urgently tried to increase his property. Perhaps this explains his reckless and violent behavior in the 1450s. In 1450, Exeter secured administration of the royal estates owned by Matthew Gournay in Dorset and Somerset . In 1451 he was given the management of Lostwithiel , Restormel and other estates in Cornwall by the Duchy of Cornwall , and in the same year he inherited eight estates in Bedfordshire from a cousin . Exeter then falsely accused the elderly and childless Minister Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell of treason. On June 2, 1452 he forcibly occupied Ampthill Castle . However, Cromwell, supported by other barons and the government, easily refuted the allegations, whereupon Exeter and his supporters had to answer before the Court of Common Pleas . Exeter faced clear defeat in court, but threatened judges and officials in both Westminster and Bedfordshire so that from 1453 to 1454 no one could be found who wanted to take over the office of sheriff for the county. On January 19, 1454, Exeter allied itself with Thomas Percy, 1st Baron Egremont , a declared opponent of Cromwell, but who was also enemies with the powerful Neville family and even with his father-in-law York. This made the dispute between Exeter and Cromwell even more significant. When the king became incapacitated in August, Exeter was the closest relative of the king and the underage Prince of Wales , so he would have been entitled to the reign as Lord Protector . Instead, in March 1454, York was appointed Lord Protector and Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, Lord Chancellor. To this end, Parliament reinforced Cromwell's claim to Ampthill, who, unlike Exeter, was appointed to the Privy Council . The disappointed Exeter now went over to open revolt as defender of the rights of the House of Lancaster on May 21, 1454 in Spofforth . He claimed the government, the administration of the Duchy of Lancaster and gave lands of the Duchy to attract followers. For further assistance, he began negotiations with Scotland . York immediately moved to the north of England to quell the revolt, so that it quickly collapsed. Exeter now appeared at Westminster to assert himself in court against Cromwell, but was arrested. In July York had him taken to Pontefract Castle , while Cromwell returned to Ampthill Castle in September. When the king recovered in March 1455, Exeter was released. After the Yorkists' victory in the First Battle of St Albans in June 1455, he was arrested again and imprisoned at Wallingford Castle . With the death of Cromwell in January 1456, however, he escaped a crushing charge of treason. Eventually he was released, but his claim to Ampthill was forfeit.

Supporters of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses

When Salisbury was appointed Keeper of the Seas , that office contradicted Exeter's inheritance as Lord High Admiral . This led to further estrangement between Exeter and his father-in-law York, but even the Lancastrians at the royal court distrusted his actions. In November 1458 he tried arbitrarily to bring Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick into his power. Following this attack on one of the Yorkist leaders, he was imprisoned at Berkhamsted Castle . He was only released in February 1459 on bail of £ 10,000. A determined supporter of the Lancastrians, he took part in the Battle of Blore Heath in September 1459 . Despite this defeat, he swore allegiance to the king on December 11, 1459 in Coventry . The king then appointed him in command of Fotheringhay Castle , a former York castle, the property of which the king had declared confiscated. As an admiral, Exeter could not prevent Warwick's return from Ireland to England in March 1460, although he had 3,500 soldiers at his disposal. In July he took part in the Battle of Northampton . After the defeat, he accompanied Queen Margaret on her flight to northern England. On January 20, 1461, he testified to Margaret's treaty with Scotland. In February 1461 he fought on the side of the Lancastrians in the Second Battle of St Albans and in March 1461 in the Battle of Towton . After this decisive victory of the Yorkists, he fled again to the north of England. In May he and other Lancastrians attacked Carlisle in vain . He then followed Jasper Tudor to Wales, but was defeated with this on October 16 on Twt Hill near Caernarfon . With Queen Margaret he fled from Edinburgh by ship to Sluis in Burgundy . In the next few years Exeter was part of Margaret's entourage, who lived in poor conditions in Saint-Mihiel in the Duchy of Bar. The new King Edward IV had confiscated his property in November 1461, but Exeter's wife Anne was transferred for life. Allegedly, in August 1463 , Philippe de Commines saw Exeter walking barefoot and begging from door to door.

Only after the reinstatement of Henry VI. 1470 Exeter was able to return to England. In February 1471 he was back in England, but was defeated with other Lancastrians on April 3 in a battle near Leicester . Two weeks later he and Warwick were among the leaders of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Barnet . Severely wounded, he was believed dead after the defeat of the Lancastrians and left on the battlefield. However, Exeter could to to London sanctuary save. On May 26th, he was captured and taken to the Tower. Edward IV, who had become king again after the victory of the Yorkists, hesitated to execute the still injured Exeter, who was also his brother-in-law. However, Exeter's wife reached divorce on November 12, 1472. In 1475 Edward IV released him and asked him to support him on his campaign in France. The campaign failed completely, however, and instead of being reinstated as Duke by the king, he was drowned in the English Channel on the return journey .

Descendants and inheritance

Exeter had two children from his marriage to Anne of York, including:

However, since his two children had died before, Ralph Neville became his rightful heir. However, this was denied the inheritance that fell to the crown.

Role in Shakespeare's drama Henry VI.

Henry Holland appears as a Lancastrian in the third part of William Shakespeare's drama Henry VI. on. Contrary to historical truth, Exeter is in the drama together with Henry VI. thrown in jail, after that you don't hear from him again.

literature

  • John A. Wagner, Edward Ed. Wagner: Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses . ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara 2001, ISBN 978-1-85109-358-8 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Holland, Henry, 2nd Duke of Exeter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Exeter, Henry Holland, 2nd Duke of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1430
PLACE OF BIRTH Tower of London
DATE OF DEATH September 1475