Edmund Tudor - 1st Earl of Richmond

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, was a Welsh Nobleman and the father of Henry Tudor, future King Henry VII of England. Edmund played a pivotal role in the origins of the Tudor Dynasty.

 

 

Edmund Tudor was born on June 11th, 1430, at Much Hadham Palace in Hertfordshire, England. He was the eldest son of Owen Tudor and the dowager queen, Catherine of Valois, who married Owen Tudor after the death of her husband, King Henry V. Edmund was the half-brother of Henry VI of England and the brother of Jasper Tudor.

In 1436, Edmund's mother, Catherine, retired to Bermondsey Abbey, where she died on January 3rd, 1437. With Catherine gone, the Queen's enemies focused on removing Owen Tudor, who was called to London on charges stemming from their secret marriage, but was acquitted by the Royal Court. While en route to Wales from London, Owen was arrested and imprisoned in Newgate Prison. He escaped in 1438 but was recaptured and then held captive in Windsor Castle.

With Catherine now dead and their father imprisoned, Edmund and his brother Jasper were brought up under the care of Katherine de la Pole, daughter of Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk.

In March of 1422, Henry VI began to take notice of his half-brothers, Edmund and Jasper, and ensured they were placed in the care of priests who oversaw their education. Henry ennobled them both, making Edmund the Earl of Richmond on December 15th, 1449, and Jasper the Earl of Pembroke in 1452. Edmund was also given lands in Westmorland and Lancashire, as well as Baynard's Castle in London. As half-brothers to King Henry VI, Edmund and Jasper held influential positions at court as advisors to the King and played key roles in maintaining the King's authority in Wales.

Edmund supported the Lancastrian King, Henry VI, during the Wars of the Roses, but also supported Richard, Duke of York, when King Henry VI was incapacitated by a 17-month illness from 1453 to 1454.

Edmund married Lady Margaret Beaufort, daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, on November 1st, 1455, at Bletsoe Castle in Bedfordshire, England. She was also the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt. Edmund and Margaret would have one child, Henry. It was through his wife Margaret that Edmund's son could one day lay claim to the English throne.

In 1456, Edmund was sent to South Wales to maintain royal authority. While suppressing a local rebellion, he was captured by William Herbert, a Yorkist supporter, who imprisoned him at Carmarthen Castle. On November 3rd, 1456, Edmund died at Carmarthen Castle of the Bubonic Plague, leaving his 13-year-old pregnant wife, Margaret, under the protection of Edmund's brother, Jasper Tudor. Three months later, Margaret gave birth to Henry Tudor, future King Henry VII, at Pembroke Castle.

Edmund Tudor was buried at Carmarthen Grey Friars Franciscan Church, but, with the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, his remains were moved to the choir of St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, by his Grandson, King Henry VIII.