Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset

Also known as: Edmund Beaufort, Earl of Mortain / Edmund late duke of Summerset / Edmund late earle of Mortaigne / duke Edmund / earle of Mortaigne Edmund Beaufort / lord Edmund duke of Summerset · Family: England · Role: earl · First appears: Henry V 33

In 1421, Henry V sent Edmund Beaufort, Earl of Mortain, to Normandy with the authority formerly held by Clarence. After the death of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, Edmund attained the title of Duke of Somerset, while Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond was left as sole heir. As a cousin of Henry VI, he opposed Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, seeking to hinder his advancement; their division later led to mortal war that consumed both their lives and their offspring.

Around 1440, Edmund joined Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York in campaigns in Anjou and Maine, while also fighting Jean de Lohéac in the marches of Brittany, where he captured Lord Dausignie and Louis de Bueil. By about 1451, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and his allies accused Edmund of being among the king’s chief councillors at fault and demanded that Henry VI imprison him. Edmund died at the battle of Saint Albans in about 1455; in 1456, Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset succeeded him as duke. He left three sons, Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset (the younger), and John Beaufort, who took the side of the line of Henry VI.