Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester

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Thomas of Woodstock

Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester KG (born January 7, 1355 in Woodstock Palace , Oxfordshire , † September 8, 1397 in Calais ) was an English prince .

origin

His parents were the English King Edward III. and his wife Philippa von Hennegau . He is the couple's fifth and youngest son to reach adulthood. His older brothers are Edward of Woodstock , Prince of Wales , known as the "Black Prince", Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence , John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York . Thomas is the second son with this name. His brother of the same name died shortly after his birth in 1347.

Act

Thomas of Woodstock Coat of Arms

In 1376 Thomas married the underage Eleanor de Bohun , daughter and partial heir of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford ( Bohun House ), who died in 1373 . From their rights he gained control of the lands of the extinct Earldom of Essex at the latest in 1381 and at times called himself Earl of Essex , without this title having been explicitly awarded or confirmed to him. A younger sister of Eleanor, Mary de Bohun , would later marry Henry Bolingbroke , later Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt and thus nephew of Thomas.

In April 1377 he was beaten as Prince of Wales to Knight of the Bath on the occasion of the investiture of his nephew Richard . In July 1377, Thomas was bestowed the title of Earl of Buckingham . In 1380 he was accepted into the Order of the Garter. In 1385 he became Duke of Aumale and Duke of Gloucester .

In 1387 Thomas was a spokesman for the opposition to his nephew King Richard II. At his side were Henry Bolingbroke, then Earl of Derby , Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick , Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel and Thomas Mowbray, 1st Earl of Nottingham . This group, called Lords Appellant , rebelled against efforts by the young king to strengthen his power and deprive parliament of rights. After Richard II declared the resolutions of the "Wonderful Parliament" invalid and treason proceedings were in the room, his opponents reacted, arrested the king in London and in 1387 defeated an army loyal to Radcot Bridge in Oxfordshire . The "Merciless Parliament" established in 1388 was completely under the influence of the Lord Appellants, who undermined the power structure of Richard II in this way. Most of the king's confidants were removed from office, imprisoned, exiled or even sentenced to death. It was not until 1397 that Richard was able to get rid of the Lord Appellants.

Thomas was heavily contested throughout his life due to some intrigues. Perhaps he actually saw himself as the more suitable King of England, who, however, simply as the youngest son of the old king had little chance of inheritance. Because of this trait, Thomas was the first victim of Richard II's counterstrike in 1397. Thomas Mowbray charged his former companion with high treason and a conspiracy against the king. Thomas was captured and sent to Calais under the guard of Mowbray.

death

On September 8, 1397 Thomas died as a prisoner in Calais under unexplained circumstances.

His nephew Bolingbroke should take this death as an opportunity to now in turn accuse Thomas Mowbray of the murder of his uncle. Richard II dropped his henchman and banished him from England for life, but not without expelling Heinrich from the country for ten years. A direct connection between Richard II and the possible assassination of Thomas could never be proven, but Mowbray could well have been the king's tool in getting rid of the uncomfortable and scheming uncle.

progeny

Thomas and Eleanor had a son and four daughters.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 126.
  2. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 5.
predecessor Office successor
New title created Earl of Buckingham
1377-1397 		Humphrey of Buckingham
New title created Duke of Gloucester
1385-1397 		Title forfeited


personal data
SURNAME Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gloucester, Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duke of Gloucester
DATE OF BIRTH January 7, 1355
PLACE OF BIRTH Woodstock Palace
DATE OF DEATH September 8, 1397
Place of death Calais