Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche
Encyclopedia
Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche (c. 1405 – 3 October 1431) 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
.
With his elder brother, Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset
, Thomas joined in Henry V
's 1419 campaigns in France. In 1421, he accompanied the king's younger brother Thomas of Lancaster
to the fighting in Anjou
. Thomas was killed at the Battle of Baugé
while Somerset and Thomas were captured. Thomas was eventually released around 1427 in a prisoner exchange negotiated by his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort.
As an able male member of the Beaufort family, Thomas rejoined the fighting almost immediately. He was granted the title Count of Perche in December 1427, his title being more a claim to land, rather than a recognized title since it was already held by the French Duke John II of Alençon
. This was part of a continuing attempt by Cardinal Beaufort to carve out estates for his nephews from conquered French land. During the 1430 royal coronation expedition of Henry VI
, Thomas was granted a retinue of 128 soldiers and 460 archers. He commanded soldiers at a battle at La Charité-sur-Loire
in late 1430 and died 3 October 1431 at the siege of Louviers
, three weeks before the city's fall.
Perche died unmarried and childless. Upon his death, his title was forfeit.
Beaufort family
The House of Beaufort is an English noble family, which originated in the fourteenth century and played an important role in the political struggles of the fifteenth century....
and an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
commander during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
.
He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
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 his wife, 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"...
.
With his elder brother, 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....
, Thomas joined in Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
's 1419 campaigns in France. In 1421, he accompanied the king's younger brother Thomas of Lancaster
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, KG , also known as Thomas Plantagenet, was the second son of King Henry IV of England and his first wife, Mary de Bohun. He was born before 25 November 1387 as on that date his father's accounts note a payment made to a woman described as his nurse...
to the fighting in Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
. Thomas was killed at the Battle of Baugé
Battle of Baugé
The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and the Franco-Scots on 21 March 1421 in Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War...
while Somerset and Thomas were captured. Thomas was eventually released around 1427 in a prisoner exchange negotiated by his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort.
As an able male member of the Beaufort family, Thomas rejoined the fighting almost immediately. He was granted the title Count of Perche in December 1427, his title being more a claim to land, rather than a recognized title since it was already held by the French Duke John II of Alençon
John II of Alençon
John II of Alençon was the son of John I of Alençon and Marie of Brittany. He succeeded his father as Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche as a minor in 1415, after the latter's death at the Battle of Agincourt.He saw action as a young man at the Battle of Verneuil on 17 August 1424, and was...
. This was part of a continuing attempt by Cardinal Beaufort to carve out estates for his nephews from conquered French land. During the 1430 royal coronation expedition of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry 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...
, Thomas was granted a retinue of 128 soldiers and 460 archers. He commanded soldiers at a battle at La Charité-sur-Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-History:The town began as the first of the Cluniac priories on an island site in the Loire....
in late 1430 and died 3 October 1431 at the siege of Louviers
Louviers
Louviers is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.Louviers is from Paris and from Rouen.-Population:-Sights:Its church, Notre Dame, has parts which date from the thirteenth century...
, three weeks before the city's fall.
Perche died unmarried and childless. Upon his death, his title was forfeit.