William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
Encyclopedia
William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1475 – 9 June 1511) was the son of Sir Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
and Elizabeth Courtenay.
Made a Knight Bachelor on 25 November 1487, William was a supporter of Henry VII. The occasion was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
He was a supporter of Henry VII, and Captain in the royal army. He assisted his father in the defeat of the pretender Perkin Warbeck
at Battle of Blackheath in 1497, that secured finally the Tudor Succession.
However William fell out of favour. The King found out that he was scheming with Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, the last Yorkist claimant. For the complicity in rebellion he was attainted from the Tower in February 1504, and so incapable of inheritance. Released from prison by Henry VIII, Courtenay was pardoned and restored to his rights and privileges, as a sword bearer at the coronation on 24 June 1509. He assumed the full titles and lands of the earldom on 10 May 1511, after jousting in a full tournament with the king and his cousin Sir Thomas Knyvett and Sir William Nevill. He died a month later on 9 June 1511 of pleurisy and was buried by a royal warrant at Blackfriars.
the sixth daughter of Edward IV of England
and Elizabeth Woodville
. William and Catherine had three children:
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1485 creation)
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon KG was an English peer and member of the House of Lords.A loyalist of the House of Tudor, he fought alongside Henry VII at Bosworth and had been one of his original companions in France. There he went to pay homage to the future King of the Lancastrian affinity...
and Elizabeth Courtenay.
Made a Knight Bachelor on 25 November 1487, William was a supporter of Henry VII. The occasion was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
He was a supporter of Henry VII, and Captain in the royal army. He assisted his father in the defeat of the pretender Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
at Battle of Blackheath in 1497, that secured finally the Tudor Succession.
However William fell out of favour. The King found out that he was scheming with Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, the last Yorkist claimant. For the complicity in rebellion he was attainted from the Tower in February 1504, and so incapable of inheritance. Released from prison by Henry VIII, Courtenay was pardoned and restored to his rights and privileges, as a sword bearer at the coronation on 24 June 1509. He assumed the full titles and lands of the earldom on 10 May 1511, after jousting in a full tournament with the king and his cousin Sir Thomas Knyvett and Sir William Nevill. He died a month later on 9 June 1511 of pleurisy and was buried by a royal warrant at Blackfriars.
Family
He married Catherine of YorkCatherine of York
Catherine or Katherine of York was the ninth child and sixth daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. From birth to death, she was daughter to Edward IV, sister to Edward V, niece to Richard III, sister-in-law to Henry VII and aunt to Henry VIII.-Early life:She was born in Eltham...
the sixth daughter of Edward IV of England
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 Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
. William and Catherine had three children:
- Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of ExeterHenry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of ExeterHenry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay...
(c. 1496 – 9 January 1539) married (1) Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess LisleElizabeth Grey, Viscountess LisleElizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle was an English noblewoman.Elizabeth was the daughter of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle and Muriel Howard. After the death of her stepfather, Sir Thomas Knyvet, in August 1512, Elizabeth was left an orphan and became the ward of Sir Charles Brandon, a favourite of...
and (2) Gertrude Blount - Edward Courtenay (c. 1497 – 1502)
- Lady Margaret CourtenayMargaret CourtenayMargaret Courtenay was the only daughter of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York. Her maternal grandparents were Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville....
(c. 1499 – before 1526) married Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of WorcesterHenry Somerset, 2nd Earl of WorcesterHenry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester was an English nobleman, son of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert. On his father's death on 15 April 1526, he succeeded as the second Earl of Worcester...
.