Thomas Montgomery (Knight)

Coat of arms of Sir Thomas Montgomery, KG

Sir Thomas Montgomery of Faulkborn , KG (* around 1433, † 1495 ) was an English knight .

Life

Sir Thomas Montgomery was a son of Sir John Montgomery and Elizabeth Boteler (also Butler).

He was a significant and influential diplomat and advisor. Montgomery began his career under King Henry VI. as Esquire to the Kings Body , Marshall of the Kings Hall and Warden of the Mint in the Tower of London . He was able to expand his position, obtain other important tasks and offices and was named Keeper of the Exchange , Keeper of the Money in the Tower and Warden of the Coinage of Gold and Silver within the Kingdom .

Sir Thomas was Sheriff of Norfolk four times between 1461 and 1490 and represented Essex five times in Parliament between 1463 and 1484.

During the Wars of the Roses , Thomas Montgomery fought for the House of York in 1460 at the Battle of Northampton , Towton in 1461 and 1471 in the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury . After the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461 Thomas Montgomery was knighted by Edward IV .

Although his brother, John Montgomery, fought for the House of Lancaster and was executed for conspiracy against the king in 1462, Sir Thomas enjoyed the complete trust of King Edward and became one of his closest confidants and personal friend of great influence.

Sir Thomas made an unparalleled diplomatic career and received numerous important posts, tasks and possessions by Edward IV. He was King's Counselor and member of the Cabinet ( Cabinet ), acted as a negotiator to the emperor Maximilian I , negotiated with the ambassador of the King of Hungary and conducted talks with Charles the Bold , Duke of Burgundy .

In 1468 he accompanied Margaret of York , a sister of Edward, to her wedding with Charles the Bold in Flanders . Sir Thomas has been named Steward of Havering-atte-Bower , Steward of Hadleigh Castle , Steward of the Forests of Essex , Constable of Bristol , Captain of Caernarfon Castle , Steward of Hadley and Treasurer of Ireland .

During the brief second reign of Henry VI. from October 1470 to May 1471, Sir Thomas was immediately imprisoned for his loyalty to Edward IV. Although there were corresponding resolutions by parliament, the expropriation and confiscation of his property could not be implemented in reality, which may have been due to his still great influence. Sir Thomas was released just in time, so that in the spring of 1471 he could join Edward IV, who had returned and was marching towards London.

In 1475 Sir Thomas accompanied his king on his French campaign and was one of the negotiators who worked with King Louis XI. negotiated the Treaty of Picquigny . He and the other negotiators, John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings , then received considerable amounts and pensions from the French crown. Sir Thomas was also partly responsible for the settlement with King Louis XI. regarding Margaret of Anjou , who was still imprisoned in London , and whom Sir Thomas then escorted back to France.

Around 1475/76 Sir Thomas was appointed Knight of the Order of the Garter , and received the corresponding robes of the order at later festivities at court in 1480, 1488 and 1494.

Anne Neville, Duchess of Buckingham , named Sir Thomas one of the executors in her 1480 will. In 1482 the king issued a decree that allowed Sir Thomas to wear purple and gold cloth and fur at court, which was a high honor.

When King Edward IV died in 1483, he decreed in his will that Sir Thomas should be one of the executors of his last will.

Also to Richard III. stood loyal to Sir Thomas and proved himself an important diplomat and advisor. He was named Knight of the Kings Body and Counselor and was an invited guest at Richard's coronation ceremony. Richard appointed Montgomery ambassador to negotiate with the Duke of Austria in 1484, and lent him for life properties and houses in Earls Colne , Hatfield Broad Oak , Ongar , Harlow and Hingham .

Whether Sir Thomas took part in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 is not clear, at least only one source reports that Sir Thomas was responsible for Richard III. should have fought. The fact is that Thomas Montgomery was welcomed at court even under the new King Henry VII . Montgomery received the honor of holding the altar cloth over the monarch at the coronation ceremony of Henry. Heinrich also issued a decree that the privileges Sir Thomas received from Edward IV should remain unchanged.

Sir Thomas Montgomery died in 1495 and was buried in the Lady Chapel of St. Mary of Graces Abbey on Tower Hill . He had the said chapel built himself during his lifetime.

Marriage and offspring

Sir Thomas Montgomery was married twice, first to Philippa Heron and second to Lora Berkeley. He left no offspring.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} George R. French: Shakespeareana Genealogica. Macmillan & Co., London 1869, p. 198.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t} John Ashdown-Hill: Eleanor the secret Queen: The Woman who put Richard III on the Throne. The History Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7524-6895-2 , pp. 65-67.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q} Transactions of the Essex Archaelogical Society. Vol. III, Colchester 1865, pp. 167-169, p. 251.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} John Fenn: Paston Letters. Vol. I, Charles Knight & Co, London 1840, pp. 50, 53, 194.
5. ↑ John Ashdown-Hill: Richard III's beloved cousin: John Howard and the House of York. The History Press 2012, ISBN 978-0-7524-8671-0 .
6. ^ Mary Ann Hookham: The Life and Times of Margaret of Anjou. Vol. II, Tinsley Brothers, London 1872, p. 287.
7. ^ ^{A b c d e} Towton Battlefield Society
8. ↑ ^{a b c d} Richard III. Foundation Inc. ( Memento of the original from January 22nd, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ^ ^{A b} William A. Shaw: Knights of England. Genealogical Publishing, 1971, ISBN 0-8063-0443-X , pp. 13, 16.
10. ^ ^{A b} Anthony Corbet: Edward IV England's Forgotten Warrior King. iUniverse 2015, ISBN 978-1-4917-4635-6 , p. 153.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Letters and Papers of the Verney Family. John Bruce, 1853, pp. 18-22.
12. ↑ James Bohn: The Chronicles of the White Rose of York. Vol. II, William Stevens, London 1845, p. 45, p. 165.
13. ^ ^{A b} The Harleian Miscellany. Vol. XII, Robert Dutton, London 1811, p. 19.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Caroline A. Halsted: Richard III as Duke of Gloucester and King of England. Carey and Hart, Philadelphia 1844, p. 156, p. 451.
15. ^ ^{A b c} Nicholas Harris Nicolas: History of the order of Knighthood of the British Empire. Vol. II, William Pickering, London 1842, Appendix S. xlv, xlvi, xli, xlviii.
16. ^ George F. Beltz: Memorials of the Order of the Garter. William Pickering, London 1841, Appendix S. clxv
17. ↑ Nicholas Harris Nicolas: Testamenta Vetusta. Vol. I, Nichols & Son, London 1825, p. 357.
18. ↑ ^{a b} William Jerdan: Rutland Papers. John Bowyer Nichols & Son, London 1842, p. 16.