Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk

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Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk (* 1330 ; † 1389 ) was the eldest son of William de la Pole and Catherine Norwich, a daughter of Sir Walter Norwich .

His father was a Hull wool merchant who worked during the reign of Edward III. after the Bardi and Peruzzi became the main financier of the king. Michael fought in France under John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , and his brother Edward of Woodstock , the Black Prince. When Richard II ascended the throne in 1377, Michael de la Pole was one of the most important English diplomats and was involved in the negotiations on the occasion of the marriage between Richard II and Anne of Böhmen , daughter of Emperor Charles.

Through these negotiations de la Pole seems to have gained the confidence of the king, who appointed him Chancellor of England in 1383 and Earl of Suffolk in August 1385 , transferring the lands of the last Earl to him. De la Pole is likely to have administered his office rather badly: Jean Froissart describes Michael de la Pole as a devious and weak adviser who advised Richard against defeating the Scottish and French troops once and for all, and turned the king against his uncle John of Gaunt. In addition, his position was likely to have been too dependent on the favor of the king and so his star fell along with that of the king in the late 80s of the 14th century. He was removed from office and imprisoned by the Wonderful Parliament in 1386 for embezzlement and negligence.

After the victory of the Lords Appellant at Radcot Bridge and also out of fear of the “Merciless Parliament”, he fled to Paris and thus escaped execution. De la Pole stayed in France for the rest of his life. In his absence he was convicted and his title was revoked. But de la Poles son Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk , again played a major role in the political life of England.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 450
  2. ↑ JS Roskell, The Impeachment of Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk in 1386 in the context of the Reign of Richard II (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984) ISBN 0-7190-0963-4
  3. ↑ Maurice Powicke and EB Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd ed.London: Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 85

literature

Web links

predecessor Office successor
New title created Earl of Suffolk
1365-1388 		Michael de la Pole
Robert Braybrook Lord Chancellor of England
1383–1386 		Thomas Arundel
personal data
SURNAME Pole, Michael de la, 1st Earl of Suffolk
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pole, Michael de la
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 1330
DATE OF DEATH 1389