Was the House of Beaufort Really Barred from the Line of Succession?
On the 22nd of August 1485 as the scorching summer sun bore down on the heavily armoured soldiers of late Medieval England, a new king was proclaimed whilst the previous one lay face down dead in the Leicestershire mud. This new king was Henry Tudor, a Welshman who rose from obscurity, to become Henry VII, England’s first Tudor king.
Although his father’s lineage had ancestral ties going back to the king’s and Queen’s of France and Wales, it was ultimately his mother, Margaret Beaufort’s claim to the throne that saw the crown placed atop Henry’s head at Bosworth Field in August 1485. Margaret was apart of one of late Medieval England’s greatest dynasty’s, The Beaufort’s, who played an integral part in the kingdom’s governance for nearly one hundred years. The family itself was descended from the great Plantagenet king, Edward III which ultimately would land Henry on the throne in 1485. They were bastards in origin, the result of an extra - marital affair between Edward III’s son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and the governess of his children, Katherine Swynford. The two appeared to have had a loving relationship with Gaunt siring four children by Katherine, three sons and one daughter in the space of nearly ten years . For centuries it was believed that the children were born in France which resulted in their surname being Beaufort. However, a biographer of the family, Nathen Amin notes that it is much more likely that all the children were born in Lincoln with the name originating from an old French landholding of Gaunt’s.
With the death of the Duke’s second wife in 1394, Gaunt looked to have his bastard children by Katherine legitimized. So in a small ceremony in the grand cathedral at Lincoln, John married for the third time, he and Katherine would remain husband and wife till the former’s death three years later. A year on, the Duke of Lancaster would see all four of his children legitimized in the eyes of both the church and by act of parliament.
Though the Beaufort children became legitimate offspring of the Duke of Lancaster by both act of the church and parliament, their bastard origins has still been a bone of contention to this day, one that has often been used to rubbish Henry’s claim to the throne. However more significantly is that there is a document, an act of parliament from the reign of the first Beaufort children’s half brother, Henry IV’s which states that the Beaufort’s had the right ‘to be raised, promoted, elected, assume, and admitted to all honours, dignities, pre - eminences, estates, degrees and offices except to the royal dignity’. It is this piece of legislation that I want to talk about today.
Furthermore, I want to look at
Why I do not believe that this legislation was passed by an act of parliament but was instead an unofficial addition to the documentation
Delve into why Henry IV did not pass this act and why he didn’t need to.
Discuss how it was never acknowledged during the Wars of the Roses.
And finally how it has become a stick to beat king Henry VII, the founder of England’s most infamous dynasty with.
‘Except to the Royal Dignity’
As has been noted, the first batch of Beaufort children, John, Henry, Thomas and Joan were all legitimized by act of parliament in 1397, during the reign of their royal cousin, Richard II. Richard’s reign had been one riveted with civil strife, from the Peasant’s Revolt to the formation of the Lord’s Appellant that looked to curb the Plantagenet king’s power. In this period, the king’s uncle, John of Gaunt was England’s greatest magnate, owning large swathes of land across the country, in addition, he was one of the wealthiest men in the country. When the Duke’s bastard children were legitimized in 1397 they all saw a rise to prominence. The eldest, John was particularly favoured by his royal cousin, who showered him with lands and titles, creating him Earl and then Marquess of Somerset. Henry entered into the church, in which his career would blossom by the 15th century, whilst their sister found a politically advantageous marriage, marrying the Earl of Westmorland. We can see that the Beaufort’s certainly profited from the patronage of their cousin, the king, however this was all to change by 1399.
The English skyline was blotted with grey clouds and rain as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the country’s greatest magnate breathed his last in Leicester Castle in February 1399. His eldest son, Henry Bolingbroke had had a less amicable relationship with his cousin, the king than his younger half - siblings with Bolingbroke in exile when his father passed. Instead of inviting Henry back to claim his lands and titles, the king made the greatest mistake of his reign, extending his cousin’s exile to life and seizing the very wealthy Dukedom of Lancaster. He would pay for the Dukedom with his throne. Whilst Richard was away quelling rebellion in Ireland, Henry invaded England, under the guise that he only wanted his titles and estates returned to him. the Marquess of Somerset was ordered to face off against his half - brother before he could take control of the whole country. Though John had Richard to thank for his family’s prosperity as well as the wealth that he himself had gained, he decidedly sided with his brother, Henry who now openly claimed the throne.
Ultimately, the support against Richard ignited much of the country and more significantly the nobility to join the revolt. Richard was formerly deposed by his cousin in October 1399, dying possibly under suspicious circumstances only four months later. Henry would ascend to the throne as king Henry IV, England’s first Lancastrian king.
The usurpation proved to be a time of great change for the country, especially for the Beaufort family, their own brother was now king, this did not mean however that they would remain unscathed as they ultimately were amongst those that prospered the most under Richard’s regime. It was John who was particularly targeted, being stripped of his title of Marquess, this was the full extent of the punishment’s however.
As we have noted it was a time of change in England and John who had recently been stripped of title possibly felt somewhat vulnerable especially after the death of his influential father in 1399, compounded by his Mother’s death in 1403. It is possibly this sense of vulnerability that led John to requesting his half - brother, the king to reaffirm the act of parliament that had been passed ten years earlier. It is also possible that the Earl in the upheaval of recent years simply lost the piece of original documentation and wanted a copy. However when the document was revealed there had been an addition to the original script.
Written in Latin was the addition of ‘Except to the Royal Dignity’ - barring the Beaufort family from the line of succession or from ever inheriting the throne. These five small but significant words had been scribbled in a different hand onto the end of the original document in the ten years since it had initially been passed. Historian and author, Nathen Amin argues that the changes were ‘never sanctioned by parliament’. Ultimately meaning that this addition to the act was unofficial and not a binding alteration and is why we often see this piece ignored throughout the duration of one of England’s bloodiest civil war’s, The War’s of the Roses. Though the addition is likely unofficial, someone did order it to be written onto the end of the document.
Did Henry IV order the addition to the Document?
So who ordered this small but very significant caveat? All fingers for good reason point to the Beaufort’s half - brother, the king, Henry IV.
Henry’s reign much like his cousin’s had been riveted with disaffection and rebellion notably led by the infamous Welsh rebel, Owain Glyndwr as well as the Percy family who even met Henry in the field at Shrewsbury in 1403. However throughout this time, the Beaufort family had displayed unwavering loyalty to their king. They had after all been amongst those that joined Henry’s rebellion in 1399 and we can’t find any discord growing between the sibling’s. As a matter of fact we see that the king had a more than cordial relationship with his younger brother, John, the two men would even be buried close to each other at Canterbury Cathedral.
Possibly, having seen the direction that the kingdom was going in, the king felt that his dynasty was not secure enough to succeed him and had the small caveat barring the Beaufort family from ever succeeding to the throne. However by 1407 the Lancastrian king had four young sons, all of marrying age. The eldest of these four strapping young men was Henry, Prince of Wales, who had already proven himself as a warrior, taking an arrow to the face at Shrewsbury. Surely Henry could have not foreseen that by 1470 only one grandson and one great - grandson survived. Ultimately there was no need to bar the Beaufort’s from the throne with the eldest son, John being fifth in line to the crown.
Though it was an act of parliament it does not entirely mean that king Henry ordered the barring of the Beaufort’s. By 1407 the family had rose to great prominence in the small space of just ten years and unsurprisingly made some enemies along the way. Notably churchman, Henry Chichele was to strike up a rivalry with Henry Beaufort, a future Cardinal, the former would have had a good understanding of Latin (he was created Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Henry V) and would also have had access to official documents. However it is to be noted that this theory is just historical speculation and could have equally been added by a nervous king Henry, anxious of what the future posed for his dynasty.
Even with the addition of this ruling which may or may not have been implemented by Henry, his relationship with his Beaufort sibling’s remained strong up until his eventual death in 1413 after years of fighting rebellion and civil strife.
The Beaufort’s: Possible Heir’s to the Throne
The Beaufort’s notoriously played a significant role in the igniting of one of England’s grittiest and bloodiest civil conflicts which saw two branches of the royal family battle it out for the throne. It is known to history as the War’s of the Roses. However, this civil war did not start as a dynastic conflict but instead resulted from a deadly rivalry between Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and Richard, 3rd Duke of York. The two men had in their political careers never seen eye to eye with York blaming Somerset for the fall of the important French city of Rouen. York also disliked the favour that was shown to Somerset from the weak and ineffectual king Henry VI. However, the Duke’s biggest bone of contention was that he had not been named the childless king’s heir.
This aggrievement from York is a point of interest when looking at whether or not the Beaufort’s were ever truly barred from the throne. Richard really had no other rival to becoming heir in terms of lineage. The Duke was descended twice from Edward III, more importantly he was descended from the Plantagenet king’s second surviving son, Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence. However it is quite possible that the childless Henry was looking at naming his close kinsman, the Duke of Somerset his heir.
This deliberation from Henry proves that the legislation barring the Beaufort family from inheriting the throne was either forgotten about or largely ignored by the middle of the 15th century.
Even more tantalisingly is the earlier event of the notorious Margaret Beaufort marrying John de la Pole, son of one of the most influential men in the early reign of Henry VI, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Though the Duke proved to be almost a father figure to the young king as well as being his right hand man, he was hated by the English public and detested by the nobility. Suffolk had proved to be pivotal in arranging the king’s marriage to Margaret of Anjou, ceding the ancestral lands of the Plantagenet’s, Maine and Anjou to the French.
Young Margaret’s father, John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset (older brother of Edmund) died in 1445, possibly by committing suicide, as a result Margaret became the ward of the influential Suffolk. De la pole married his son to the heiress and was accused by contemporaries that he intended to have John named as heir to the childless king Henry. Though this theory is deemed unlikely by modern historians it proves that many believed that the Beaufort’s had a good claim to the throne of England with the earlier legislation being completely ignored.
Margaret’s marriage to de la pole was annulled in 1453 as the latter’s father was exiled and then murdered when he was out at sea. Margaret was next married to the king’s half - brother, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond in 1444. Henry likely arranged this marriage to strengthen Edmund’s claim should he be forced to designate him as heir. If the Beaufort’s were ever truly barred from the line of succession with the addition to the 1397 act of parliament being acknowledged then Edmund’s marriage to Margaret to strengthen his claim would be useless.
These three instances of the Beaufort’s possibly being weighed up to succeed the childless Henry for me proves that the 1407 documentation was either forgotten or never acknowledged.
Henry VII, A True Claimant to the English Throne
On the 4th of May 1471, in a field near the town of Tewkesbury, the Beaufort’s , who had climbed the rung’s of power from bastardy to become one of England’s most important families was all but obliterated.
The Wars of the Roses had more than taken it’s toll on the family with Edmund Beaufort, 2nd of Duke of Somerset killed at St Albans in the first battle of the conflict. His son Henry, 3rd Duke of Somerset would meet a similar fate nearly ten years later at Hexham. The dukedom went onto Henry’s younger brother who would live much of his life in exile before returning to England in 1470. Edmund would be executed after the battle of Tewkesbury whilst his younger brother, John would be killed in the brutal hand to hand fighting. With Edmund’s and John’s death’s the legitimate male line of the Beaufort family was extinguished. Nobility who had Lancastrian or Beaufort blood running through their veins would meet similarly grizzly ends as the Yorkist king, Edward IV looked to ‘crush the seed’ and rid himself of dynastic threat’s to his crown. There was one who slipped through the mighty king’s finger’s however, Henry Tudor. Henry with his uncle Jasper escaped to the continent after the annihilation at Tewkesbury. Edward would make numerous attempts of capturing the young Henry which shows that the Beaufort’s were perceived as serious claimant’s to the crown and dangerous one’s at that also proving that Henry himself did have a good enough claim to threaten the Yorkist king.
Edward IV would die at the young age forty after having led an extravagant lifestyle full of eating, drinking and whoring. His death caused great upheaval that plagued the kingdom as his son, Edward’s throne was usurped by his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
As king, Richard would face a dynastic threat led by his one time right hand man, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham could claim three lines of descent to Edward III, two of which came from the Beaufort’s, once again implying that the Beaufort’s had a perfectly valid claim to the throne of England. However much like his Beaufort forbears, Stafford would also find himself on the chopping block. It would not be the final rebellion the last Plantagenet king faced.
After year’s of trying to bring her son back home, Margaret Beaufort who had grown from the thirteen year old mother and heiress to a wily and resilient politician began to plot against Richard. The plotting would run throughout the king’s two year reign and would eventually see her son sat upon the English throne.
Thanks to the support of his Mother as well as those of the old Yorkist regime that had fled the country upon Richard’s ascension, Henry Tudor, aged twenty - eight landed at Milford Haven as the choppy Welsh waters crashed against his boat’s. Henry fell to his knee’s on the wet sand and put his claim before God. Tudor raised men as his tore through his native Wales and into England before meeting Richard at Bosworth Field.
The small caveat of ‘Except to the Royal Dignity’ has very often been used to rubbish Henry’s claim to the throne. However Henry had a good claim to the throne in every right as can be seen. His Mother Margaret Beaufort was a wealthy heiress, a descendant of Edward III and his grandfather was the 1st Duke of Somerset, these are not bad credentials. The actions taken by both Edward IV and Richard III to rid themselves of Henry only strengthen the Beaufort’s claim. We can see that the addition to the 1397 act of parliament was largely ignored throughout the War’s of the Roses. Henry’s arch - enemy, Richard III would declare Tudor a ‘Welsh Milksop’ but he could never bastardize the Beaufort claim, their blood also ran through Richard’s veins.
The Beaufort’s proved to be one of the major political powerhouses of late Medieval England and a family that I believe held a good claim to the throne, one that would be perfectly utilized by an obscure Welshman in August 1485.
Further Reading:
Nathen Amin, The House of Beaufort: The Bastard Line That Captured The Crown
Nichola Tallis, Margaret Beaufort: Uncrowned Queen
Dan Jones, Hollow Crown