Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland

Coat of arms of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland

Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland KG (* 1364 in Raby Castle , County Durham , England; † October 21, 1425 ibid), was an English nobleman and partisan of the Lancaster King Henry IV. He was also the tutor of Richard Plantagenet , later the main enemy of the Lancasters .

Life

Ralph Neville was the son of John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby , who was admiral of the royal fleet, and his wife Maud Percy. After the death of his father in 1388, Ralph inherited his title Baron Neville de Raby . At first he was a loyal supporter of King Richard II and secured the northern English border against the Scots for him (see Battle of Otterburn ). As a reward, he received the title of Earl of Westmorland in 1397 . In 1399, however, he stood up for the half-brother of his second wife, the new King Henry IV , who had prevailed against his cousin Richard. Ralph Neville took it from 1400 to 1412 to the office of " Earl Marshal ", one of the nine highest court offices, and in 1402 was accepted into the Order of the Garter. For Heinrich IV. And his son Heinrich V , he was primarily important as a reliable ally in the troubled north of the country. After the death of Heinrich V, he was one of the regents for his underage son Heinrich VI.

In 1415 he took Richard Plantagenet , the orphaned heir to the House of York, as a royal ward. He later became Duke of York and married Ralph's daughter Cecily .

In addition to his political activities, Ralph Neville had many churches and the college of Staindrop built, where a remarkable tomb commemorates him and his two wives.

family

Ralph Neville's importance in history also results from his numerous children. In 1382 he married Margaret Stafford (* around 1364 in Brancepath; † June 9, 1396 in Raby;), the daughter of Sir Hugh Stafford and Philippa de Beauchamp. He had nine children with her:

• Maud Neville († October 1438), ⚭ Peter Mauley, 5th Baron Mauley
• Alice Neville, ⚭ (1) Sir Thomas Gray of Heton, ⚭ (2) Sir Gilbert Lancaster
• Philippa Neville, ⚭ Thomas Dacre, 6th Baron Dacre
• John Neville, Lord Neville († 1420), ⚭ Elizabeth Holland ( House of Holland ), parents of Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmoreland
• Sir Ralph Neville († February 25, 1458), ⚭ Mary Ferrers, daughter of Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Wemme († 1396)
• Elizabeth Neville, nun
• Anne Neville, ⚭ Sir Gilbert Umfraville
• Margaret Neville († around 1465), ⚭ (1) Richard Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton , ⚭ (2) William Cressoner
• Anastasia Neville

After the death of his wife, he married Joan Beaufort (1379–1440) on November 29, 1396 , a daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , and Catherine Swynford and widow of Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Wemme ( † 1396). With her he had fourteen children:

• Katherine Neville , ⚭ (1) John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk , ⚭ (2) Sir Thomas Strangways, ⚭ (3) John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont , ⚭ (4) John Woodville
• Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
• Eleanor Neville , ⚭ (1) Richard le Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh , ⚭ (2) Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
• Robert Neville († 1457), Bishop of Durham
• William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent
• Edward Neville, 1st Baron Bergavenny
• Anne Neville , ⚭ Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
• Cecily Neville (1415–1495), ⚭ Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York , mother of the later English kings Edward IV and Richard III.
• George Nevill, 1st Baron Latymer
• John Neville, died as a child
• Cuthbert Neville, died as a child
• Thomas Neville, died as a child
• Henry Neville, died as a child
• Joan Neville, nun

reception

William Shakespeare let him appear in his play Henry V as "Westmoreland".

Individual evidence

1. ^ Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 454
2. ↑ H. Vollrath & N. Fryde (eds.): The English Kings in the Middle Ages; From William the Conqueror to Richard III. Beck, 2004, ISBN 3-406-49463-3 , p. 189
3. ↑ H. Vollrath & N. Fryde (eds.): The English Kings in the Middle Ages; From William the Conqueror to Richard III. Beck, 2004, ISBN 3-406-49463-3 , p. 191

Web links

• Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland on thepeerage.com , accessed July 21, 2015.

predecessor	Office	successor
John Neville	Baron Neville de Raby 1388-1425	Ralph Neville
New title created	Earl of Westmorland 1397-1425	Ralph Neville