Everything about Henry Of Grosmont Duke Of Lancaster totally explained
Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster (
c.1310 –
23 March,
1361) was a member of the
English royal family in the
14th century, and a prominent
English diplomat,
politician, and
soldier. The son and heir of
Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and
Maud Chaworth, he became one of
Edward III’s most trusted Captains in the early phases of the
Hundred Years' War, and distinguished himself with victory in the
Battle of Auberoche. He was a founding member of the
Order of the Garter, and in 1351 was promoted to the title of duke. Grosmont was also the author of the book
Livre de seyntz medicines; a highly personal devotional treatise.
Family background and early life
Grosmont's uncle,
Thomas of Lancaster, was the son and heir of
Edward I’s brother
Edmund Crouchback. Through his inheritance and a fortunate marriage, Thomas became the wealthiest peer in England, but constant quarrels with King
Edward II led to his execution in 1322. Having no heir, Thomas’s possessions and titles went to his younger brother
Henry – Grosmont’s father. Earl Henry of Lancaster assented to the deposition of Edward II in 1327, but didn't long stay in favour with the regency of
Queen Isabella and
Roger Mortimer. When
Edward III took personal control of the government in 1330, relations with the Crown got better, but by this time the older Henry was already struggling with poor health and blindness.
Little is known of Grosmont’s early years, but is seems clear that he was born at the castle of
Grosmont in
Monmouthshire, and that he was born
c.1310, not around the turn of the century as previously held. According to his own memoirs he was better at the
martial arts than at academic subjects, and didn't learn to read until later in life. In 1330 he was knighted, and represented his father in
parliament. The next year he's recorded as participating in a Royal
tournament, at
Cheapside. After further service in the
north, he was appointed the King's lieutenant in Scotland in 1336.
Service in France
With the outbreak of the
Hundred Years' War in 1337, Grosmont's attention was turned towards
France. He took part in several diplomatic missions and minor campaigns, and was present at the great English victory in the naval
battle of Sluys in 1340. Later the same year, he was required to commit himself as hostage in the
Low Countries for the king’s considerable debts. He remained hostage until the next year, and had to pay a large ransom for his own release. On his return he was made the king's lieutenant in the north, and stayed at
Roxburgh until 1342. The next years he spent in diplomatic negotiations in the Low Countries,
Castile and
Avignon. The ransom from the prisoners has been estimated at £50,000. The next year, while Edward was carrying out his
Crécy campaign, Grosmont laid siege to, and captured,
Poitiers, before returning home to England in 1347. A few years later, in 1351, Edward bestowed an even greater honour on Lancaster, when he created him
Duke of Lancaster. The title of
duke was of relatively new origin in England; only one other ducal title existed prior. In addition to this, Lancaster was given
palatinate status for the county of
Lancashire, which entailed a separate administration independent of the crown. This grant was quite exceptional in English history; only two other county palatines existed:
Durham, which was an ancient ecclesiastical palatinate, and
Chester, which was crown property. It is a sign of Edward’s high regard for Lancaster that he'd bestow such extensive privileges on him. The two men were also second cousins, through their great-grandfather
Henry III, and practically coeval (Edward was born in 1312), so it's natural to assume that a strong sense of camaraderie existed between them. Another factor that might have influenced the king’s decision was the fact that Henry had no male heir, so the grant was made for the Earl’s lifetime only, and not intended to be hereditary. The years 1351-2 he spent on
crusade in
Prussia. It was here that a quarrel with
Otto, Duke of Brunswick, almost led to a duel between the two men, narrowly averted by the intervention of the French King,
Jean II. In the later half of the decade campaigning in France resumed. After a
chevauchée in
Normandy in 1346 and the siege of
Rennes in 1358, Lancaster participated in the last great offensive of the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War: the
Rheims campaign of 1359-60. Then he was appointed principal negotiator for the
treaty of Brétigny, where the English achieved very favourable terms.
Private life
Lancaster was married to Isabella, daughter of
Henry, Lord Beaumont, in 1330. The two had no sons, but two daughters:
Maude and
Blanche. While Maude was married to the
Duke of Bavaria, Blanche married Edward III’s younger son,
John of Gaunt. Gaunt ended up inheriting Lancaster’s possessions and ducal title, but it wasn't until 1377, when the dying King Edward III was largely incapacitated, that he was able to restore the palatinate rights for the county of Lancaster. When Gaunt’s son
Henry of Bolingbroke usurped the crown in 1399 and became Henry IV, the vast Lancaster inheritance was merged with the crown as the
Duchy of Lancaster.
We know more of Lancaster's character than of most of his contemporaries, through his memoirs the
Livre de seyntz medicines (Book of the Holy Doctors). This book is a highly personal treatise on matters of religion and piety, but it also contains details of historical interest. It is, among other things, revealed that Lancaster, at the age of 44 when he wrote the book in 1354, suffered from
gout.
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