Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Encyclopedia
Edmund, Earl of Rutland (17 May 1443 – 30 December 1460) was the fifth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Cecily Neville
. He was born in Rouen
.
Edmund was a younger brother of Anne of York
and Edward IV
and an older brother of Elizabeth of York
, Margaret of York
, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
and Richard III
.
He was created Earl of Rutland by Henry VI probably some time before 1454. No record of the creation has been preserved; Edward and Edmund signed a letter to their father on June 14, 1454 as "E. Marche" and "E. Rutland."
, appointed Edmund as Lord Chancellor of Ireland
. As Edmund was underage, the duties of the position were held by Deputy Chancellors.
His first Deputy Chancellor was Edmund Oldhall
, Bishop of Meath
. His brother Sir William Oldhall
was Chamberlain to the Duke of York and was likely behind that appointment. He acted as de facto Chancellor until 1454.
Olldhall was replaced by John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
who also held the office of Lord High Steward of Ireland
. He would continue serving as the de facto Chancellor until his death at the Battle of Northampton
(10 July 1460).
His appointment and those of his Deputies were acknowledged by the Parliament of Ireland
which at this time first asserted its independence. The Parliament declared that Ireland held separate legislature from the Kingdom of England
and its subjects were only subject to the laws and statutes of "the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of Ireland, freely admitted and accepted in their Parliaments and Great Councils".
According to Parliamentary decisions during his term, the Irish subjects were only bound to answer writ
s by the Great Seal of Ireland, held by the Lord Chancellors. Any officer attempting to enforce the rule of decrees from England would lose all of his property in Ireland and be subject to a fine.
The House of York
in Ireland had won the support of Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare
and James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond
. Several allies of the FitzGeralds followed them in their loyalties. On the other hand the House of Lancaster
found its main Irish supporter in the person of James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormonde
.
(30 December 1460) during the Wars of the Roses
. He had fought in the battle at the side of his father.
By the account given by Roderick O'Flanagan in his 1870 biography of the Edmund:
"Urged by his tutor, a priest named Robert Aspell, he was no sooner aware that the field was lost than he sought safety by flight. Their movements were intercepted by the Lancastrians, and Lord Clifford made him prisoner, but did not then know his rank. Struck with the richness of his armour and equipment, Lord Clifford demanded his name. 'Save him,' implored the Chaplain; 'for he is the Prince's son, and peradventure may do you good hereafter.'
This was an impolitic appeal, for it denoted hopes of the House of York being again in the ascendant, which the Lancastrians, flushed with recent victory, regarded as impossible. The ruthless noble swore a solemn oath:- 'Thy father,' said he, 'slew mine; and so will I do thee and all thy kin;' and with these words be rushed on the hapless youth, and drove his dagger to the hilt in his heart. Thus fell, at the early age of seventeen, Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland, Lord Chancellor of Ireland."
Edmund was thus executed on the orders of the Lancastrian Lord Clifford
, or by some accounts, by Lord Clifford himself. His head was displayed on the gates of York
, England
, along with those of his father and of his uncle, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
. http://www.thepeerage.com/p10164.htm#i101636
In Shakespeare
's play, Henry VI, Part 3
, Rutland is inaccurately portrayed as a small child who is brutally murdered by Clifford after pleading for his life.
Edmund and his father were buried at Pontefract Priory
. The bodies were reburied, with great pomp, in the family vault at Fotheringhay Castle
on 29–30 July 1476.
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
and Cecily Neville
Cecily Neville
Cecily Neville, Duchess of York was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and the mother of two Kings of England: Edward IV and Richard III....
. He was born in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
.
Edmund was a younger brother of Anne of York
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter
-External links:* A Medieval Re-enactment Society based in London, featuring members of the Neville/Plantagenet family....
and Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and an older brother of Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk was the sixth child and third daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville....
, Margaret of York
Margaret of York
Margaret of York – also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy – was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Duchy after his death. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the sister of...
, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
and Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
.
He was created Earl of Rutland by Henry VI probably some time before 1454. No record of the creation has been preserved; Edward and Edmund signed a letter to their father on June 14, 1454 as "E. Marche" and "E. Rutland."
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
In 1451, Edmund's father, who held the title of Lord Lieutenant of IrelandLord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, appointed Edmund as Lord Chancellor of Ireland
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
The office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801 it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament.-13th century:...
. As Edmund was underage, the duties of the position were held by Deputy Chancellors.
His first Deputy Chancellor was Edmund Oldhall
Edmund Oldhall
Edmund Oldhall was an English-born cleric and judge in fifteenth- century Ireland; he was Bishop of Meath and acting Lord Chancellor of Ireland .He was a brother of the leading Yorkist statesman Sir William Oldhall....
, Bishop of Meath
Bishop of Meath
The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
. His brother Sir William Oldhall
William Oldhall
Sir William Oldhall was an English soldier and Yorkist supporter, who served as Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1450-51.-Life:...
was Chamberlain to the Duke of York and was likely behind that appointment. He acted as de facto Chancellor until 1454.
Olldhall was replaced by John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 2nd Earl of Waterford, 8th Baron Talbot, KG was an English nobleman and soldier. He was the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Maud Nevill, 6th Baroness Furnivall...
who also held the office of Lord High Steward of Ireland
Lord High Steward of Ireland
The Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary Great Officer of State in Ireland, sometimes known as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. The Earls of Shrewsbury have held the office since the 15th century....
. He would continue serving as the de facto Chancellor until his death at the Battle of Northampton
Battle of Northampton (1460)
The Battle of Northampton was a battle in the Wars of the Roses, which took place on 10 July 1460.-Background:The Yorkist cause seemed finished after the previous disaster at Ludford Bridge...
(10 July 1460).
His appointment and those of his Deputies were acknowledged by the Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
which at this time first asserted its independence. The Parliament declared that Ireland held separate legislature from the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and its subjects were only subject to the laws and statutes of "the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of Ireland, freely admitted and accepted in their Parliaments and Great Councils".
According to Parliamentary decisions during his term, the Irish subjects were only bound to answer writ
Writ
In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...
s by the Great Seal of Ireland, held by the Lord Chancellors. Any officer attempting to enforce the rule of decrees from England would lose all of his property in Ireland and be subject to a fine.
The House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
in Ireland had won the support of Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare
Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare
Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare , was an Irish peer and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.-Background:Kildare was the son of John FitzGerald, de jure 6th Earl of Kildare, and Rose Basset.-Career:...
and James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond
James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond
James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond , called 'the Usurper', was the youngest son of Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, and Lady Eleanor, daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond...
. Several allies of the FitzGeralds followed them in their loyalties. On the other hand the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
found its main Irish supporter in the person of James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormonde
James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormonde
James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, KG was born on 24 November 1420. He was the son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond and Joan de Beauchamp...
.
Death
Edmund died at the age of seventeen after the Battle of WakefieldBattle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses...
(30 December 1460) during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. He had fought in the battle at the side of his father.
By the account given by Roderick O'Flanagan in his 1870 biography of the Edmund:
"Urged by his tutor, a priest named Robert Aspell, he was no sooner aware that the field was lost than he sought safety by flight. Their movements were intercepted by the Lancastrians, and Lord Clifford made him prisoner, but did not then know his rank. Struck with the richness of his armour and equipment, Lord Clifford demanded his name. 'Save him,' implored the Chaplain; 'for he is the Prince's son, and peradventure may do you good hereafter.'
This was an impolitic appeal, for it denoted hopes of the House of York being again in the ascendant, which the Lancastrians, flushed with recent victory, regarded as impossible. The ruthless noble swore a solemn oath:- 'Thy father,' said he, 'slew mine; and so will I do thee and all thy kin;' and with these words be rushed on the hapless youth, and drove his dagger to the hilt in his heart. Thus fell, at the early age of seventeen, Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland, Lord Chancellor of Ireland."
Edmund was thus executed on the orders of the Lancastrian Lord Clifford
John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford
John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, also 9th Lord of Skipton was a Lancastrian military leader during the Wars of the Roses...
, or by some accounts, by Lord Clifford himself. His head was displayed on the gates of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, along with those of his father and of his uncle, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...
. http://www.thepeerage.com/p10164.htm#i101636
In Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play, Henry VI, Part 3
Henry VI, part 3
Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
, Rutland is inaccurately portrayed as a small child who is brutally murdered by Clifford after pleading for his life.
Edmund and his father were buried at Pontefract Priory
Pontefract Priory
Pontefract Priory was a Cluniac monastery dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, founded about 1090 by Robert de Lacy, and located in Yorkshire, England. It existed until the dissolution of the monasteries...
. The bodies were reburied, with great pomp, in the family vault at Fotheringhay Castle
Fotheringhay Castle
Fotheringhay Castle was in the village of Fotheringhay 3½ miles to the north of the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire .King Richard III was born here in 1452 and it was also where Mary, Queen of Scots, was tried and executed in 1587....
on 29–30 July 1476.