Eleanor Holland
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury (1386- after 1413), was an English noblewoman, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
, a half-brother of King Richard II of England
. She was the first wife of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
. One of her brothers was Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
, to whom she was co-heiress. She is not to be confused with her eldest sister Alianore Holland
, Countess of March who bore the same name.
, Lancashire
, England, one of the ten children of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Lady Alice FitzAlan
, sister of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel
. Eleanor's eldest sister, Lady Alianore Holland who married Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March shared the same name. They were named after their maternal grandmother. Eleanor's father was a uterine half-brother of King Richard II. Her eldest brother Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey
was beheaded in 1400 by a mob of angry citizens at Cirencester
for his role in the Epiphany Rising
, which was aimed against the life of King Henry IV of England
, who had usurped the throne of King Richard. Thomas's heir to the earldom of Kent was her second eldest brother Edmund Holland
, to whom Eleanor became co-heiress.
Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
and Joan of Kent
, who was the mother of King Richard by her second marriage to Edward, the Black Prince
; and her maternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel
and Eleanor of Lancaster
.
, son of John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
and Maud Francis, on 23 May 1399, as his first wife. She was about thirteen years old at the time of her marriage. Thomas would later become one of the most important commanders in the Hundred Years War. Eleanor did not assume the title of Countess of Salisbury until 14 June 1409, when the title, Earl of Salisbury, was nominally restored to Thomas. An attainder had been placed on his father's title and estates following his execution for his participation in the Epiphany Rising in 1400 alongside Eleanor's brother, Thomas. Eleanor's uncle John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter
had also been part of the conspiracy but he had escaped the mob only to be captured in Essex
and decapitated on the orders of her maternal aunt Joan Fitzalan
, mother-in-law of King Henry IV.
Thomas and Eleanor made their home at Bisham Manor
in Berkshire
. Together they had one daughter:
Eleanor died on an unknown date sometime after 1413. She was buried in Bisham Priory
.
Thomas married secondly before 1424, Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of the noted author Geoffrey Chaucer
, but their marriage was childless. He was mortally wounded on 27 October 1428 at the Siege of Orléans
and died several days later on 3 November.
Alice, the daughter of Thomas and Eleanor, succeeded her father as suo jure
5th Countess of Salisbury. Through Alice, Eleanor was the great-grandmother of Cecily Bonville, one of the wealthiest English heiresses in the 15th century. Alice was also great-great grandmother of queen consort Catherine Parr
, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII
.
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland , 2nd Earl of Kent, 3rd Baron Holand KG was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England.-Family and early Life:...
, a half-brother of King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
. She was the first wife of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...
. One of her brothers was Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG was the Earl of Kent in ca. 1400 – ca. 1407. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403....
, to whom she was co-heiress. She is not to be confused with her eldest sister Alianore Holland
Alianore Holland
Alianore Holland, Countess of March was an English noblewoman, and the wife of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March the heir presumptive of her half-uncle King Richard II of England, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. She was the mother of Anne Mortimer, and Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March...
, Countess of March who bore the same name.
Family
Lady Eleanor Holland was born in 1386 in UphollandUpholland
Upholland is a civil parish and village in West Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 3 miles east of Skelmersdale, also in West Lancashire, and 4½ miles west of Wigan in Greater Manchester.-Geography:...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England, one of the ten children of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Lady Alice FitzAlan
Alice FitzAlan (1350-1416)
Alice Holland, Countess of Kent , formerly Lady Alice FitzAlan, was an English noblewoman, a daughter of the 10th Earl of Arundel, and the wife of the 2nd Earl of Kent, the half-brother of King Richard II. She was the maternal grandmother of Anne Mortimer, thus an ancestor of King Edward IV and...
, sister of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel and 9th Earl of Surrey KG was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:...
. Eleanor's eldest sister, Lady Alianore Holland who married Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March shared the same name. They were named after their maternal grandmother. Eleanor's father was a uterine half-brother of King Richard II. Her eldest brother Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey
Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey
Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, 4th Baron Holland, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.-Early life and family:...
was beheaded in 1400 by a mob of angry citizens at Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
for his role in the Epiphany Rising
Epiphany Rising
The Epiphany Rising was a failed rebellion against Henry IV of England in January 1400.-Background:After the murder of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester in 1397, Richard II rewarded those who had supported him against Gloucester and the Lords Appellant with a plethora of new titles.Upon...
, which was aimed against the life of King Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
, who had usurped the throne of King Richard. Thomas's heir to the earldom of Kent was her second eldest brother Edmund Holland
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent
Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG was the Earl of Kent in ca. 1400 – ca. 1407. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403....
, to whom Eleanor became co-heiress.
Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holand, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Early Life:...
and Joan of Kent
Joan of Kent
Joan, Countess of Kent , known to history as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the first English Princess of Wales...
, who was the mother of King Richard by her second marriage to Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
; and her maternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
and Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...
.
Marriage and issue
Lady Eleanor married Sir Thomas MontacuteThomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...
, son of John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
`John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury and 5th and 2nd Baron Montacute, KG was an English nobleman, one of the few who remained loyal to Richard II after Henry IV became king.-Early life:...
and Maud Francis, on 23 May 1399, as his first wife. She was about thirteen years old at the time of her marriage. Thomas would later become one of the most important commanders in the Hundred Years War. Eleanor did not assume the title of Countess of Salisbury until 14 June 1409, when the title, Earl of Salisbury, was nominally restored to Thomas. An attainder had been placed on his father's title and estates following his execution for his participation in the Epiphany Rising in 1400 alongside Eleanor's brother, Thomas. Eleanor's uncle John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter KG , also 1st Earl of Huntingdon, was an English nobleman, primarily remembered for helping cause the downfall of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester and then for conspiring against Henry IV.He was the third son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan...
had also been part of the conspiracy but he had escaped the mob only to be captured in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and decapitated on the orders of her maternal aunt Joan Fitzalan
Joan Fitzalan
Joan FitzAlan, Countess of Hereford, Countess of Essex and Countess of Northampton , was the wife of the 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton. She was the mother of Mary de Bohun, the first wife of Henry of Bolingbroke who later reigned as King Henry IV, and Eleanor...
, mother-in-law of King Henry IV.
Thomas and Eleanor made their home at Bisham Manor
Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the traditional resting place of many Earls of Salisbury...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Together they had one daughter:
- Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury (1407- 3 April/9 December 1462), married in 1420, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of SalisburyRichard Neville, 5th Earl of SalisburyRichard 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:...
, by whom she had ten children.
Eleanor died on an unknown date sometime after 1413. She was buried in Bisham Priory
Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the traditional resting place of many Earls of Salisbury...
.
Thomas married secondly before 1424, Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of the noted author Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, but their marriage was childless. He was mortally wounded on 27 October 1428 at the Siege of Orléans
Siege of Orléans
The Siege of Orléans marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England. This was Joan of Arc's first major military victory and the first major French success to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415. The outset of this siege marked the pinnacle of English power...
and died several days later on 3 November.
Alice, the daughter of Thomas and Eleanor, succeeded her father as suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
5th Countess of Salisbury. Through Alice, Eleanor was the great-grandmother of Cecily Bonville, one of the wealthiest English heiresses in the 15th century. Alice was also great-great grandmother of queen consort Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.