John Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (12 September, 1415 – 6 November, 1461) was an important player in the
Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between supporters of the rival houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. They are generally accepted to have been fought in several spasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1487...
.
He was the son of John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and
Lady Katherine NevilleKatherine Neville or Catherine de Neville was the eldest daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and Joan Beaufort , daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster by his mistress Catherine de Roet. Katherine was married firstly to John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk...
. He held the office of
Earl MarshalEarl Marshal is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Scotland.- England :...
from 1432, when he inherited the title of 3rd
Duke of NorfolkThe Duke of Norfolk is the Premier Duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the Premier Earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
.
At the beginning of the War of the Roses in 1450 he supported
Richard, Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York was a leading English magnate, descended from King Edward III. He inherited great estates, and served in various offices of state in France at the end of the Hundred Years' War, and in England, ultimately governing the country as Lord Protector during Henry...
, the leader of the
YorkistThe House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom 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 Edward's...
faction. However, in 1459, he swore allegiance to the
LancastrianThe 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...
Henry VIHenry VI was King of England 1422–1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realms were governed by regents. Contemporaneously, he was described as a peaceful and pious man, not suited for the harsh nature of the struggles facing him...
. He then quickly changed sides back to the Yorkists. This sort of treachery was by no means unusual during the
Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between supporters of the rival houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. They are generally accepted to have been fought in several spasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1487...
.
In February 1461 he fought for the defeated Yorkists in the
Second Battle of St AlbansThe Second Battle of St Albans was a battle of the English Wars of the Roses fought on 12 February, 1461, at St Albans. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of Warwick attempted to bar the road to London north of the town. The rival Lancastrian army used a wide outflanking manoeuvre to...
. In March 1461 (Richard, Duke of York now being dead) he was one of those who asked the Duke’s son the Earl of March to become
Edward IVEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 2 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and later that month his intervention at the
Battle of TowtonThe Battle of Towton took place on a snowy 29 March 1461 on a plateau between the villages of Towton and Saxton in Yorkshire ....
was decisive. The battle took place in a snow storm between 80,000 men. Neither side could get an advantage until about midday Norfolk entered the battle on the Yorkist’s right flank. The Lancastrians then began to slowly fall back. As Earl Marshal Mowbray then officiated at Edward IV’s coronation.
Marriage and issue
He married Eleanor Bourchier, daughter of
William Bourchier, Count of EuWilliam Bourchier , founder of the fortunes of the Bourchier family, was Count of Eu, in Normandy.He was the son of William Bourchier, comte d'Eu, and Alianore de Lovayne. He married Anne Plantagenet, Countess of Stafford, the daughter of the Plantagenet prince, Thomas of...
and
Anne of GloucesterAnne of Gloucester was the eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and Eleanor de Bohun. Her father was the youngest son of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Her mother was the daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford and Joan Fitzalan. Her mother was...
, Countess of Buckingham. She was the sister of his successor as
Justice in EyreIn English law, the Justices in Eyre were the highest magistrates in forest law, and presided over the court of justice-seat, a triennial court held to punish offenders against the forest law and enquire into the state of the forest and its officers...
,
Henry BourchierHenry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex , was the eldest son of William Bourchier and Anne Plantagenet. His mother was a granddaughter of Edward III and, through her mother, great-great-granddaughter of Edward I...
. They had one child, John Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk.