View source for Earl of Lancaster

{{Short description|English nobility title (1267–1361)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Earldom of Lancaster 
| image             = [[File:Coronet of a British Earl.svg|150px]] 
| image_size        =  
| alt               =  
| caption           = [[File:Arms of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster.svg|180px]]<br />Arms of Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Leicester: ''Royal arms of King Henry III with a label of three points of France for difference''
| creation_date     = {{Start date|1267|6|30|df=yes}} 
| creation          =  
| monarch           = [[Henry III of England]] 
| peerage           = [[Peerage of England]] 
| baronetage        =  
| first_holder      = [[Edmund Crouchback]] 
| last_holder       = [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont]] 
| present_holder    =  
| heir_apparent     =  
| heir_presumptive  =  
| remainder_to      =  
| subsidiary_titles = [[Earl of Leicester]] 
| status            =  
| extinction_date   = {{End date|1361|3|23|df=yes}} 
| family_seat       = [[Lancaster Castle]] 
| former_seat       =  
| motto             =  
| footnotes         =  
}}
The title of '''Earl of Lancaster''' was created in the [[Peerage of England]] in 1267. It was succeeded by the title [[Duke of Lancaster]] in 1351, which expired in 1361. (The most recent creation of the ducal title merged with the Crown in 1413.)

King [[Henry III of England]] created the Earldom of Lancaster{{mdash}}from which the [[House of Lancaster|royal house]] of Henry IV was named{{mdash}}for his second son, [[Edmund Crouchback]], in 1267. Edmund had already been created [[Earl of Leicester]] in 1265 and following the [[Second Barons' War]] and the death and [[attainder]] of the king's rebellious brother-in-law [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]]<ref name=Weir2008>{{harvnb|Weir|2008|p=75}}</ref> in 1265, the latter's lands, including most notably [[Kenilworth Castle]] in Warwickshire, had been awarded to him.

When Edmund's son [[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster]], inherited the estates and title of his father-in-law [[Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln]], he became at a stroke the most powerful nobleman in England, with lands throughout the kingdom and the ability to raise vast private armies to wield power at national and local levels.<ref name=Jones2012p371>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|pp=371}}</ref> This brought him{{mdash}}and his younger brother [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]]{{mdash}}into conflict with their first cousin King [[Edward II of England|Edward II]], leading to Thomas's execution. Henry inherited Thomas's titles and he and his son [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster]], gave loyal service to Edward's son{{mdash}} King [[Edward III of England|Edward III]].

==History==
[[File:PedigreeChart DescentOf JohnOfGaunt.svg|thumb|Chart showing descent of the Earldom and Duchy of Lancaster and its eventual merger into the crown under King Henry IV]]

===Creation===
After the supporters of [[Henry III of England]] suppressed opposition from the English nobility in the [[Second Barons' War]], Henry granted to his second son [[Edmund Crouchback]] the titles and possessions forfeited by [[attainder]] of the barons' leader, [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]], including the [[Earl of Leicester|Earldom of Leicester]], on 26 October 1265. Later grants included the first Earldom of Lancaster on 30 June 1267 and that of [[Earl Ferrers]] in 1301. Edmund was also [[Count of Champagne]] and Brie from 1276 by right of his wife.<ref name="Weir2008"/> [[Henry IV of England]] would later use his descent from Edmund to legitimise his claim to the throne, even making the spurious claim that Edmund was the elder son of Henry but had been passed over as king because of his deformity.<ref name=Weir1995>{{harvnb|Weir|1995|p=40}}</ref>

[[File:Edmond1.jpg|thumb|[[Seal (emblem)|Seal]] of Edmund Crouchback]] Edmund's second marriage to [[Blanche of Artois]], the widow of [[Henry I of Navarre|the King of Navarre]], placed him at the centre of the European aristocracy. Blanche's daughter [[Joan I of Navarre]] was queen regnant of Navarre and through her marriage to [[Philip IV of France]] was queen consort of France. Edmund's son [[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster|Thomas]] became the most powerful nobleman in England, gaining the Earldoms of [[Earl of Lincoln|Lincoln]] and [[Earl of Salisbury|Salisbury]] through marriage to the heiress of [[Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln]]. His income was £11,000 per annum{{mdash}}double that of the next wealthiest earl.<ref name="Jones2012p371"/>

Thomas and his younger brother [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster|Henry]] served in the [[Coronation of the British monarch|coronation]] of their cousin King [[Edward II of England]] on 25 February 1308; Thomas carried Curtana, the [[Sword of Mercy]], and Henry carried the royal sceptre.<ref name=Jones2012p363>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|pp=363}}</ref> After initially supporting Edward, Thomas became one of the [[Lords Ordainers]], who demanded the banishment of [[Piers Gaveston]] and the governance of the realm by a baronial council. After Gaveston was captured, Thomas took the lead in his trial and execution at Warwick in 1312.<ref name=Jones2012p375>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|pp=375–8}}</ref> Edward's authority was weakened by poor governance and defeat by the Scots at the [[Battle of Bannockburn]]. This allowed Thomas to restrain Edward's power by republishing the [[Ordinances of 1311]]. Following this achievement Thomas took little part in the governance of the realm and instead retreated to [[Pontefract Castle]].<ref name=Jones2012p390>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|p=390}}</ref> This allowed Edward to regroup and re-arm, leading to a fragile peace in August 1318 with the [[Treaty of Leake]]. In 1321 Edward's rule again collapsed into civil war. Thomas raised a northern army but was defeated and captured at the [[Battle of Boroughbridge]]. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but because he was Edward's cousin he was given a quicker death by beheading.<ref name=Jones2012p400>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|p=400}}</ref>

Henry joined the revolt of Edward's wife [[Isabella of France]] and her lover [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Mortimer]] in 1326, pursuing and capturing Edward at [[Neath]] in South Wales.<ref name="Jones2012p400"/> Following Edward's deposition at the Parliament of Kenilworth in 1326 and reputed murder at [[Berkeley Castle]],<ref name=Davies1999>{{harvnb|Davies|1999|p=381}}</ref> Thomas's conviction was posthumously reversed and Henry regained possession of the Earldoms of Lancaster, Derby, Salisbury and Lincoln that had been forfeit for Thomas's treason. His restored prestige led to him knighting the young King [[Edward III of England]] before his coronation.<ref name=Jones2012p422>{{harvnb|Jones|2012|p=422}}</ref> Mortimer lost support over the [[Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton]] that formalised Scotland's independence, and his developing power in the [[Welsh Marches]] provoked jealousy from the barons. When Mortimer called a parliament to make his new powers and estates permanent with the title of [[Earl of March]] in 1328, Henry led the opposition and held a counter-meeting. In response, Mortimer ravaged the lands of Lancaster and checked the revolt. Edward III was able to assume control in 1330 but Henry's further influence was restricted by poor health and blindness for the last fifteen years of his life.<ref name=Waugh>{{harvnb|Waugh|Harrison|2004}}</ref><ref name=Lee1997p115>{{harvnb|Lee|1997|p=115}}</ref>

===Succession===
{{See also|County palatine }}
Henry's son, also called [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry]], was born at the castle of [[Grosmont, Monmouthshire|Grosmont]] in [[Monmouthshire]] between 1299 and 1314.<ref name="Weir2008p77">{{harvnb|Weir|2008|p=77}}</ref> According to the younger Henry's memoirs, he was better at [[Historical European martial arts|martial arts]] than academic subjects and did not learn to read until later in life.<ref name=fowler26>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|p=26}}</ref> Henry was coeval with Edward III and was pivotal to his reign, becoming his best friend and most trusted commander.<ref name="Jones2012p471b">{{harvnb|Jones|2012|p=471}}</ref> Henry was knighted in 1330, represented his father in [[Parliament of England|parliament]] and fought in Edward's Scottish campaign.<ref name=fowler30>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|p=30}}</ref> After the outbreak of the [[Hundred Years' War]], Henry took part in several diplomatic missions and minor campaigns and was present at the great English victory in the naval [[Battle of Sluys]] in 1340.<ref name=fowler34>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|p=34}}</ref> Later, he was required to commit himself as hostage in the [[Low Countries]] for Edward's considerable debts. He remained hostage for a year and had to pay a large ransom for his own release.<ref name=fowler35>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|pp=35–7}}</ref>

In 1345, Edward III launched a major, three-pronged attack on France. The [[William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton|Earl of Northampton]] attacked from [[Brittany]], Edward from [[Flanders]], and Henry from [[Aquitaine]] in the south.<ref name="Jones2012p471b"/> Moving rapidly through the country, Henry confronted the [[Bertrand I, 1st Comte de l'Isle|Comte d'Isle]] at the [[Battle of Auberoche]] and achieved a victory described as "the greatest single achievement of Lancaster's entire military career".<ref name=fowler58>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|pp=58–9}}</ref> The ransom from the prisoners has been estimated at £50,000.<ref name=fowler61>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|p=61}}</ref> Edward rewarded Henry by including him as a founding knight of the [[Order of the Garter]].<ref name=McKisack>{{harvnb|McKisack|1959|pp=252}}</ref> An even greater honour was bestowed on Lancaster when Edward created him [[Duke of Lancaster]]. The title of duke was relatively new in England, with only Cornwall being a previous ducal title. Lancaster was also given [[County palatine|palatinate]] status for the county of [[Lancashire]], which entailed a separate administration independent of the crown.<ref name=fowler173>{{harvnb|Fowler|1969|pp=173–4}}</ref> There were two other counties palatine; [[County Durham|Durham]] was an ancient ecclesiastical palatinate and [[Chester]] was crown property.

==Earls of Lancaster==
{{Sticky header}}
{{Nobility table header|name=Earl}}
| '''[[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster and Leicester]]'''<ref name=Edmund>{{harvnb|Lloyd|Harrison|2004|pp=}}</ref> || [[File:Contemporary illustration of Edmund Crouchback.jpg|100px|Edmund Crouchback]] || 16 January 1245<br />[[London]]<br />son of [[Henry III of England]] and [[Eleanor of Provence]]|| (1) [[Aveline de Forz]]<br />1269<br />0 children<br />(2) [[Blanche of Artois]]<br />21 September 1271<br />4 children<br />[[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster]]<br />[[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]]<br />[[John of Lancaster, Lord of Beaufort]]<br />Mary of Lancaster||5 June 1296<br />[[Bayonne]], [[Gascony]]<br />aged 51
|-
| '''[[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster|Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester]]'''<ref name=Thomas2>{{harvnb|Weir|2008|pp=76–7}}</ref>|| [[File:BodleianDouce231Fol1rEdCrouchbackAndStGeorge.jpg|100px|Manuscript illustration of Thomas of Lancaster with Saint George.]] || {{circa}} 1278<br />[[Grismond Castle]], [[Monmouthshire]]<br />son of [[Edmund Crouchback]] and [[Blanche of Artois]] || [[Alice de Lacy, 4th Countess of Lincoln]]<br />28 October 1294 – Divorced 1318<br />0 children || 22 March 1322<br />[[Pontefract]], [[Yorkshire]]<br />Executed by order of [[Edward II of England]]<br />aged 43–44
|-
| '''[[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster|Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Leicester]]'''<ref name="Weir2008p77"/>|| [[File:Arms of Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster.svg|100px]]||1281<br />[[Grosmont Castle]], [[Monmouthshire]]<br />son of [[Edmund Crouchback]] and [[Blanche of Artois]]||[[Maud Chaworth|Matilda de Chaworth]]<br />7 children<br />[[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry ''of Grosmont'', 1st Duke of Lancaster]]<br />[[Blanche of Lancaster, Baroness Wake of Liddell]]<br />[[Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster]]<br />[[Joan of Lancaster|Joan of Lancaster, Baroness Mowbray]]<br />[[Isabel of Lancaster, Prioress of Amesbury]]<br />[[Eleanor of Lancaster|Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel]]<br />[[Mary of Lancaster|Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy]] ||22 September 1345<br />[[Leicestershire]]<br />aged 63–64
|-
| '''[[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Lancaster and Leicester]]'''<ref name="Weir2008p77"/>|| [[File:Portrait of Henry, Duke of Lancaster - William Bruges's Garter Book (c.1440-1450), f.8 - BL Stowe MS 594 (cropped).jpg|100px]] || {{circa}} 1310<br />[[Grosmont Castle]], [[Monmouthshire]]<br />son of [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]] || [[Isabel of Beaumont|Isabel de Beaumont]]<br />1334<br />2 children<br />[[Maud, Countess of Leicester]]<br />[[Blanche of Lancaster|Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster]] || 23 March 1361<br />[[Leicester Castle]], [[Leicestershire]]<br />[[Black Death]]<br />aged 50–51
|-
| '''[[Blanche of Lancaster|Blanche, 5th Countess of Lancaster and Leicester]]'''{{Efn|Both [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont]] and [[John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster|John of Gaunt]] are listed as the 1st Duke of Lancaster.  This is because the Dukedom could only be passed down to a son; when Henry of Grosmont died on 23 March 1361, the Earldom passed to his son-in-law John of Gaunt but the Dukedom expired.  A new Dukedom with the identical name was created for John of Gaunt on 13 November 1362 by his Father, [[Edward III]].}}<ref name=blanche>{{harvnb|Walker|1990|p=}}</ref>||[[File:Tomb of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster.jpg|100px]] ||25 March 1345<br />[[Bolingbroke Castle]], [[Lincolnshire]]<br />daughter of [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont]]|| [[John of Gaunt]]<br />19 May 1359<br />7 children<br />[[Philippa of Lancaster|Philippa, Queen of Portugal]]<br />John of Lancaster<br />[[Elizabeth of Lancaster, Duchess of Exeter]]<br />Edward of Lancaster<br />John of Lancaster<br />[[Henry IV of England|Henry IV ''Bolingbroke'', King of England]]<br />Isabel of Lancaster || 12 September 1369<br />[[Tutbury Castle]], [[Staffordshire]]<br />[[Black Death]]<br />aged 23

|}

==Family tree==
{{Lancaster and Leicester family tree}}

==See also==
*[[Duke of Lancaster]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{cite book | last=Davies | first=Norman | title=The Isles : a history | publisher=Oxford University Press | publication-place=Oxford | date=1999 | isbn=0-19-513442-7 | oclc=41156575 |url=https://archive.org/details/isleshistory00norm |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Fowler |first=Kenneth Alan |title=The King's Lieutenant: Henry of Grosmont, First Duke of Lancaster, 1310-1361 |year=1969 |isbn=0-236-30812-2 |location=London}}
* {{cite book |last=Jones |first=Dan |date=2012 |title=The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England |publisher=HarperPress |isbn=978-0-00-745749-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Christopher |date=1997 |title=[[This Sceptred Isle (radio series)|This Sceptred Isle]] |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-1-84529-994-1}}
*{{Cite ODNB |last1=Lloyd |first1=Simon|chapter=Edmund, first earl of Lancaster and first earl of Leicester (1245–1296) |title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198613598 |url-access=registration |location=Oxford|date=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/8504|last2=Harrison|first2=B.}}<!--|access-date=2008-10-30-->
*{{Cite book |last=McKisack |first=May |title=The Fourteenth Century: 1307–1399 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1959 |isbn=0-19-821712-9 |location=Oxford |author-link=May McKisack}}
*{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Simon |title=The Lancastrian Affinity 1361-1399 |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1990 |isbn=0-19-820174-5 |location=Oxford}}
*{{Cite ODNB|last1=Waugh|first1=Scott L.|chapter=‘Henry of Lancaster, third earl of Lancaster and third earl of Leicester (c.1280–1345)|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198614020|url-access=registration|location=Oxford|date=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/12959|last2=Harrison|first2=B.}}<!--|access-date=2008-10-30-->
* {{cite book | last=Weir | first=Alison | title=Lancaster and York : the Wars of the Roses | publisher=Jonathan Cape | publication-place=London | date=1995 | isbn=0-224-03834-6 | oclc=32700817 |url=https://archive.org/details/lancasteryorkwar0000weir |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy |publisher=Vintage Books |year=2008 |isbn=9780099539735 |location=London}}

=== Further reading ===
*{{Cite book |last=Castor |first=Helen |title=The King, the Crown, and the Duchy of Lancaster: Public Authority and Private Power, 1399-1461 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-19-820622-4 |location=Oxford |pages=8–21}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Given-Wilson |first=C. |date=June 1994 |title=Richard II, Edward II, and the Lancastrian Inheritance |journal=[[The English Historical Review]] |volume=109 |issue=432 |pages=553–571 |doi=10.1093/ehr/CIX.432.553}}
*{{Cite book |last=Goodman |first=Anthony |title=John of Gaunt: The Exercise of Princely Power in Fourteenth-Century Europe |publisher=Longman |year=1992 |isbn=0-582-09813-0 |location=Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex |author-link=Anthony Goodman (historian)}}
*{{Cite book |last=Maddicott |first=J. R. |url=https://archive.org/details/thomasoflancaste0000madd |title=Thomas of Lancaster, 1307–1322: A study in the reign of Edward II |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1970 |isbn=0-19-821837-0 |location=Oxford |author-link=John Maddicott |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Mortimer |first=Ian |title=The Fears of King Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King |publisher=Jonathan Cape |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-224-07300-4 |location=London |author-link=Ian Mortimer (historian)}}
*{{Cite book |last=Powicke |first=F. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/thomasoflancaste0000madd |title=King Henry III and the Lord Edward: The Community of the Realm in the Thirteenth Century |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1947 |isbn=0-19-821837-0 |location=Oxford |author-link=F. M. Powicke |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Powicke |first=F. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/thirteenthcentur0000powi_2 |title=The Thirteenth Century: 1216-1307 |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1953 |isbn=0-19-285249-3 |location=Oxford |url-access=registration}}
*{{Cite book |last=Powicke |first=F. M. |title=Handbook of British Chronology |last2=Fryde |first2=E.B. |publisher=[[Royal Historical Society]] |year=1961 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=434–5}}
*{{Cite book |last=Prestwich |first=Michael |title=Plantagenet England 1225&ndash;1360 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-922687-0 |location=Oxford |author-link=Michael Prestwich}}
*{{Cite book |last=Somerville |first=Robert |title=History of the Duchy of Lancaster |date=1953 |publisher=Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster |volume=1 |location=London}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster Earl}}
[[Category:Earls of Lancaster| Earl]]
[[Category:1267 establishments in England]]
[[Category:1361 disestablishments in England]]
[[Category:Lancashire-related lists|Earl]]
[[Category:History of Lancashire|Earl]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]
[[Category:Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1267]]