John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset
| The Duke of Somerset | |
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Arms of Beaufort, Earls and Dukes of Somerset: Royal arms of England differenced by a bordure gobonne argent and azure
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| Earl of Somerset | |
| Predecessor | Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl |
| Successor | Edmund Beaufort, 4th Earl, 2nd Duke |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | Beaufort |
| Father | John Beaufort, 1st Earl |
| Mother | Margaret Holland, Countess of Somerset |
| Died | 27 May 1444 (aged 40) |
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, KG (1403 – 27 May 1444) was an English nobleman and military commander.
Baptised on 25 March 1404, he was the second son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and Margaret Holland, and succeeded his childless elder brother Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset, to become the 3rd Earl of Somerset in 1418. He was also the 1st Earl of Kendal.
The young earl fought in his cousinHenry V's 1419 campaigns in France. In 1421, he accompanied the king's younger brother Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, to the fighting in Anjou. Thomas was killed at the Battle of Baugé, while Somerset and his younger brother were captured. On 25 March 1425, Somerset came into his majority, but the estates of his father had to be managed by his mother for the next thirteen years until he was released from imprisonment.
He remained imprisoned until 1438, and after being ransomed, became one of the leading English commanders in France.
In 1443, John was created Duke of Somerset and Earl of Kendal, made a Knight of the Garter, and appointed Captain-General of Guyenne. He married Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso in 1439. He presided over a period during which England lost much territory in France, and he proved a poor commander. Humphrey, 1st Duke of Gloucester, the Regent for the young King Henry VI, was unable to control the administration of justice and finance, which led to widespread lawlessness. At the beginning of the second protectorate of Richard, Duke of York, Gloucester declined the post of Lieutenant-Governor, which was offered instead to Somerset. From this post, he drew a salary of 600 pounds and was Lieutenant-General for war even after York's appointment on 2 July 1440.
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