Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

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Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
Coat of arms of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham ( September 4, 1455 - November 2, 1483 ) was an English nobleman .

Origin and relationship

His parents were Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Stafford († around 1459), and Margaret Beaufort († 1474). Through his father's mother, Anne Neville , he was the cousin of the English kings Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII was a second cousin through his mother, who like her cousin is also called Margaret Beaufort .

The early years

In 1460 Henry inherited his grandfather Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham , and thus acquired his title, which was publicly awarded to him in 1465.

During these years he was under the supervision of Elizabeth Woodville , wife of Edward IV since 1464. She married him in 1466 to her sister Katharine . Katharine's dates of birth are not known, she was first mentioned in 1458, but she was probably much older than her husband. The marriage was extremely unhappy and subsequent resentments against the numerous and powerful Woodville family may have been due to the forced marriage.

He also had a troubled relationship with Edward IV. Through his great-great-grandmother Eleanor Bohun, wife of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester , Henry had obtained half of the Bohun inheritance. The other half went to the House of Lancaster through the marriage of Eleanor's sister Mary to Henry IV . Edward IV, however, had not given this part of the inheritance to Henry after the victory over the Lancaster side, but added it to the crown land. Richard III was to promise him later after his coronation, although he made this dependent on the approval of parliament.

King Edward IV accepted him as a knight in the Order of the Garter in 1474 .

The kingmaker

When on April 9, 1483 King Edward IV died unexpectedly after a short illness and his underage son Edward V nominally followed him, Henry had meanwhile risen to the throne council. While Elisabeth Woodville gained control of the state treasure and the navy through her family and her allies in the following power struggle, Edward IV's youngest brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester , opposed his sister-in-law, as he had been appointed by his brother as a guardian for his sons . Henry immediately took Richard's side with Lord Chancellor William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings , and was able to work against the hated Woodville family. On April 30, 1483, Edward V fell into the hands of his uncle, and Henry and Hastings had convinced the Council of Thrones that the best way to survive the little king's youth would be through the guardianship and lord protectorate of a capable man like Richard of Gloucester.

In the next time Henry managed to become more and more the second man in the state next to Richard. The resettled Hastings allied with the Woodvilles, but the conspiracy was exposed, Hastings and some co-conspirators executed.

Henry played the decisive role in Richard's assumption of the throne. A rumor had spread about Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, that Edward IV's children with Elizabeth Woodville were illegitimate because the king had previously been engaged. Whether Richard or Henry started this rumor is unclear, but now the problem of an illegitimate king was in the room. Henry appeared before a meeting of nobles on June 23, presenting Richard's claim to the throne. On June 25, Richard was declared heir to the throne by Parliament.

The princes in the tower and the quick end

Henry now stood as a connective of England and as the closest advisor to Richard III. at the height of his power. In the various discussions about the princes in the Tower , it has long been discussed whether Henry, alongside Richard III, his henchman Sir James Tyrell and the later King Henry VII , could be regarded as the prince's murderer or as the instigator of this act. There are several reasons for such a hypothesis, since Henry had access to the Tower and thus to the princes at all times. In addition, because of their descent, the two boys were a permanent threat to Richard III, but also to Henry VII. Due to his own origins and his multiple and close relatives to the royal family, there is also speculation about whether Henry himself had intentions on the throne and now gradually eliminated all adversaries. Ultimate clarification will probably never be achieved.

This could be indicated by the fact that Henry made contact with Henry Tudor, later Henry VII, in 1483 and is said to have recommended an invasion of England to him. Richard III had his former follower declared a traitor and executed on November 2, 1483.

progeny

Although her marriage to Katharine Woodville was not a lucky star, she still had five children:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Data on peerage at www.leighrayment.com (English)
  2. ^ Trevor Royle: The Wars of the Roses; England's first civil war. Abacus, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-349-11790-4 , p. 440.

Web links

literature

predecessor Office successor
Humphrey Stafford Duke of Buckingham
1460-1483 		Edward Stafford
personal data
SURNAME Stafford, Henry, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH September 4, 1455
DATE OF DEATH November 2, 1483