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Earl of Oxford was one of the older titles in the English peerage
Peerage

The Peerage is a system of titles of nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title....
, and was held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141. It finally became dormant in 1703 with the death of the 20th Earl. Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan era courtier, playwright, poet, sportsman, patron of numerous writers, and sponsor of at least two acting companies, Oxford's Men and Oxford's Boys, and a company of musicians....
, is perhaps the most famous of the line, because of his emergence as the most popular alternative candidate as the actual author of the works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 (see Shakespearean authorship
Shakespearean authorship

The Shakespeare authorship question is the ongoing debate, first recorded in the early 18th century, about whether the works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon were actually written by another writer, or a group of writers....
). The Vere Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of Lord Great Chamberlain
Lord Great Chamberlain

The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable....
 from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625.






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Earl of Oxford was one of the older titles in the English peerage
Peerage

The Peerage is a system of titles of nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title....
, and was held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141. It finally became dormant in 1703 with the death of the 20th Earl. Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan era courtier, playwright, poet, sportsman, patron of numerous writers, and sponsor of at least two acting companies, Oxford's Men and Oxford's Boys, and a company of musicians....
, is perhaps the most famous of the line, because of his emergence as the most popular alternative candidate as the actual author of the works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 (see Shakespearean authorship
Shakespearean authorship

The Shakespeare authorship question is the ongoing debate, first recorded in the early 18th century, about whether the works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon were actually written by another writer, or a group of writers....
). The Vere Earls of Oxford were also hereditary holders of the office of Lord Great Chamberlain
Lord Great Chamberlain

The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable....
 from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625. Their primary seat was Castle Hedingham, Essex, but they held lands across England, particularly in East Anglia. Robert de Vere, 3rd earl of Oxford, was one of the 25 barons of Magna Carta.

The title of Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was created in the peerage of Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
 to Robert Harley
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer

Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , was an British politician and statesman of the late Stuart dynasty and early Georgian era periods....
 in 1711; in the 20th century the title of Earl of Oxford and Asquith was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 to the former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the head of government Her Majesty's Government....
 Herbert Henry Asquith, whose descendants still bear that title. These later creations bear the double title because the original earldom is not certainly known to be extinct; the first Vere earl may still have living legitimate descendants in the male line, though it would be exceedingly difficult to prove such a claim.

After the discontinuation of the title, the former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith

Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Queen's Counsel served as the Liberal Party Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916....
 was keen to choose 'Earl of Oxford' for his own title. As an Earldom was then traditional for former Prime Ministers, and Asquith had a number of connections with the city, it seemed a logical choice, and had the King's support. However, it greatly offended the relatives of the dormant Earldom, and in the face of opposition from them, another title had to be selected - the formal title 'Earl of Oxford and Asquith' was finally decided as a compromise, with it being abbreviated to 'Earl of Oxford' in everyday conversation and letters. For information on this creation, see the Earl of Oxford and Asquith
Earl of Oxford and Asquith

Earl of Oxford and Asquith is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1925 for the Liberal Party politician H. H. Asquith....
.

Earls of Oxford (1142)

  • Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford (c. 1110-1194)
  • Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford
    Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford

    Aubrey de Vere IV, 2nd Earl of Oxford , was the eldest son of Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford and his third wife Agnes of Essex, daughter of Henry de Essex, Lord of Rayleigh....
     (c. 1194-1214)
  • Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere was the second surviving son of Aubrey de Vere III, first earl of Oxford, and Agnes of Essex. Almost nothing of his life is known until he married in 1207 the widow Isabel de Bolebec, the aunt and co-heiress of his deceased sister-in-law....
     (d. 1221)
  • Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford
    Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford

    Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford was the only child and heir of Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, born circa 1208. When his father died in 1221, his mother Isabel de Bolebec paid for wardship of her son and heir....
     (c. 1208-1263)
  • Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford. Robert was born c. 1240. He was among the followers of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester during the Second Barons' War, and was with Simon's son, Hugh, when Edward I of England attacked Kenilworth Castle prior to the Battle of Evesham....
     (1240-1296) (forfeit 1265, restored soon after)
  • Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford. Robert the younger took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward I of England, Edward II of England and Edward III of England in Wales, Scotland and France....
     (1257-1331)
  • John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue....
     (1312-1360)
  • Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
    Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford

    Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. Thomas took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward III of England....
     (1337-1371)
  • Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford (1362-1392) (forfeit 1388)
  • Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
    Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford

    Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere....
     (1340-1400) (restored 1393)
  • Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford
    Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford

    Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford. His father died in 1400, and Richard succeeded on 21 December, 1406....
     (1385-1417)
  • John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford was the son of Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford. A minor at his father's death in 1417, he came to the earldom in 1429....
     (1408-1462)
  • John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford was one of the principal House of Lancaster commanders during the English Wars of the Roses.Early in the reign of Edward IV of England, Oxford's father, the 12th Earl, and his elder brother were executed for plotting against the king ....
     (1442-1513) (forfeit 1475, restored 1485)
  • John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford was the son of Sir George de Vere and Margaret Stafford. He also went by the nick-name of 'Little John of Campes.'...
     (1457-1526)
  • John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere , 15th Earl of Oxford, was an English aristocrat and courtier.John de Vere was a Protestant, the son of John de Vere and Alice Kilrington , and the great-grandson of Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, succeeding his second cousin, John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford....
     (1482-1540)
  • John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford was born to John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, daughter of Edward Trussel....
     (1516-1562)
  • Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
    Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

    Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan era courtier, playwright, poet, sportsman, patron of numerous writers, and sponsor of at least two acting companies, Oxford's Men and Oxford's Boys, and a company of musicians....
     (1550-1604)
  • Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
    Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford

    Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford was born to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth Trentham. He married Lady Diana Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter and Elizabeth Drury, on 1 January 1623 and died two years later, without issue....
     (1593-1625)
  • Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford was the second cousin of Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford. When Henry died some time between 2 and 9 June 1625, Robert emerged as the heir apparent to the earldom....
     (1575-1632)
  • Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford
    Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford

    Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of England, was the son of Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford and his wife Beatrix van Hemmend....
     (1627-1703) (extinct 1703)


Although there were twenty Earls of Oxford, there were only 15 generations in the succession and a third of those men never bore the title:
  1. Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford
  2. Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere was the second surviving son of Aubrey de Vere III, first earl of Oxford, and Agnes of Essex. Almost nothing of his life is known until he married in 1207 the widow Isabel de Bolebec, the aunt and co-heiress of his deceased sister-in-law....
  3. Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford
    Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford

    Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford was the only child and heir of Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, born circa 1208. When his father died in 1221, his mother Isabel de Bolebec paid for wardship of her son and heir....
  4. Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford. Robert was born c. 1240. He was among the followers of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester during the Second Barons' War, and was with Simon's son, Hugh, when Edward I of England attacked Kenilworth Castle prior to the Battle of Evesham....
  5. Alfonso de Vere
  6. John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue....
  7. Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
    Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford

    Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere....
  8. Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford
    Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford

    Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford. His father died in 1400, and Richard succeeded on 21 December, 1406....
  9. Robert de Vere
  10. John de Vere
  11. John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford
    John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford

    John de Vere , 15th Earl of Oxford, was an English aristocrat and courtier.John de Vere was a Protestant, the son of John de Vere and Alice Kilrington , and the great-grandson of Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, succeeding his second cousin, John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford....
  12. Aubrey de Vere
  13. Hugh de Vere
  14. Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford
    Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford

    Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford was the second cousin of Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford. When Henry died some time between 2 and 9 June 1625, Robert emerged as the heir apparent to the earldom....
  15. Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford
    Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford

    Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of England, was the son of Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford and his wife Beatrix van Hemmend....


Earls of Oxford and Mortimer (1711)

  • Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
    Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer

    Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , was an British politician and statesman of the late Stuart dynasty and early Georgian era periods....
     (1661-1724)
  • Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1689-1741)
  • Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1699-1755)
  • Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1726-1790)
  • Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1773-1849)
  • Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1809-1853)


Earls of Oxford and Asquith (1925)

  • see the Earl of Oxford and Asquith
    Earl of Oxford and Asquith

    Earl of Oxford and Asquith is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1925 for the Liberal Party politician H. H. Asquith....