Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Devon
Encyclopedia
Margaret Beaufort was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
and Margaret Holland
.
She was a younger sister of Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset
, John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
, Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche
, Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
and Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset.
She was born in Westminster
and raised alongside her siblings. She was married to Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
. They were parents to eight children:
Two of her nieces were also named Margaret Beaufort. Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford
was the mother of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
and Margaret Beaufort, Duchess of Suffolk, Countess of Richmond and Derby was the mother of Henry VII
.
John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, KG was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife...
and Margaret Holland
Margaret Holland
Margaret Holland, Countess of Somerset was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, who was the son of Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent"...
.
She was a younger sister of Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset
Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset
Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset was the eldest son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and the grandson of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford....
, John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG was an English noble and military commander.-Family:Baptised on 25 March 1404, he was the second son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland, and succeeded his elder brother Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset to become the 3rd Earl of...
, Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche
Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche
Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche was a member of the Beaufort family and an English commander during the Hundred Years' War.He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Margaret Holland....
, Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
Joan Beaufort was the Queen Consort of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II , she served as the Regent of Scotland....
and Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset.
She was born in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
and raised alongside her siblings. She was married to Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon
Thomas Courtenay, 13th earl of Devon was born, presumably in Devon, in 1414. As the only surviving son of Hugh de Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon, Courtenay inherited the earldom on his father’s death in 1422. He may have been a ward of the all-powerful Duke of Exeter. In August, a mere teenager, he...
. They were parents to eight children:
- Thomas Courtenay, 14th Earl of DevonThomas Courtenay, 14th Earl of DevonSir Thomas Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon was the eldest son of Thomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon by Margaret Beaufort, the royal blooded daughter of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent....
(1432–1461). He supported the House of LancasterHouse of LancasterThe 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...
in the Wars of the RosesWars of the RosesThe 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 was captured by the House of YorkHouse of YorkThe 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...
during the Battle of TowtonBattle of TowtonIn 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
and executed later in the same year. - Henry Courtenay (died 4 May 1466). Heir to his older brother and claimant to the Earldom of Devon which had been attainted. Executed by orders of Edward IVEdward IV of EnglandEdward 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...
for treason. - John Courtenay, 15th Earl of DevonJohn Courtenay, 15th Earl of DevonJohn Courtenay was a son of Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon and Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Devon.He was the younger brother of Thomas Courtenay, 14th Earl of Devon. It was his brother who knighted him on 29 December 1460 after the Battle of Wakefield...
(c. 1435 – 4 May 1471). Heir to his older brothers. Restored to the Earldom of Devon by Henry VIHenry VI of EnglandHenry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
in 1470. Killed fighting for the Lancastrian side in the Battle of TewkesburyBattle of TewkesburyThe Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
. - Jane Courtenay. Married first Sir Robert Clifford, younger son of Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, and secondly Sir William KnyvettSir William KnyvettSir William Knyvett was an English knight in the late Middle Ages.Knyvett is also written as Knivet, Knivett or Knyvet He was the son of John Knyvet and Alice Linne and assumed the titles of Sheriff of Norfolk & Suffolk, Burgess of Melcombe, Bletchingley, & Grantham, Constable of Rising...
who served as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk. Possibly mother to naval captain Charles Clifford. - Elizabeth Courtenay. Married Sir Hugh Conway.
- Anne Courtenay. Possibly died young.
- Eleanor Courtenay. Possibly died young.
- Matilda Courtenay. Possibly died young.
Two of her nieces were also named Margaret Beaufort. Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford
Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford
Margaret Beaufort was a daughter of Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and Lady Eleanor Beauchamp.Her maternal grandparents were Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and his first wife Elizabeth Beauchamp, 4th Baroness Lisle...
was the mother of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG played a major role in Richard III of England's rise and fall. He is also one of the primary suspects in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower...
and Margaret Beaufort, Duchess of Suffolk, Countess of Richmond and Derby was the mother of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
Ancestry
Sources
- Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy by Alison WeirAlison Weir (historian)Alison Weir is a British writer of history books, and latterly historical novels, mostly in the form of biographies about British royalty.-Personal life:...
.