Thomas of Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk

Thomas of Brotherton
Coat of arms of Thomas, Earl of Norfolk
Born	(1300-06-01)1 June 1300 Brotherton, Yorkshire
Died	August 4,1338 Framlingham Castle, Suffolk, England
Resting place	Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk 52°14′38.76″N 0°43′9.12″E / 52.2441000°N 0.7192000°E / 52.2441000; 0.7192000
Title	1st Earl of Norfolk
Tenure	1312 – 1338
Known for	Younger half-brother of Edward II of England
Years active	1316 – 1338
Wars and battles	Second War of Scottish Independence Battle of Halidon Hill
Offices	Earl Marshal
Predecessor	New creation
Successor	Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk
Spouse(s)	Alice Hales Mary Brewes
Issue	Edward of Norfolk Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk Alice of Norfolk
Parents	Edward I of England Margaret of France

Second War of Scottish Independence

Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk (1 June 1300 – 4 August 1338), was the fifth son of King Edward I (1272-1307), and the eldest child by his second wife Margaret of France, the daughter of Philip III of France. He was, therefore, a younger half-brother of King Edward II (1307-1327) and a full brother of . He occupied the office of Earl Marshal of England.

Thomas of Brotherton was born 1 June 1300 at the manor house at Brotherton, Yorkshire, while his mother was on her way to Cawood, where her confinement was scheduled to take place. According to Hilton, Margaret was staying at Pontefract Castle and was following a hunt when she went into labour. The chronicler William Rishanger records that during the difficult delivery his mother prayed, as was the custom at the time, to Thomas Becket, and Thomas of Brotherton was thus named after the saint and his place of birth.

Edward I quickly rushed to the queen and the newborn baby and had him presented with two cradles. His brother was born in the year after that. They were overseen by wet nurses until they were six years old. Like their parents, they learned to play chess and to ride horses. They were visited by nobles and their half-sister , who was a nun. Their mother often accompanied Edward on his campaigns to Scotland, but kept herself well-informed on their well-being.

His father died when he was 7 years old. Thomas's half-brother, Edward, became king of England and Thomas was heir presumptive until his nephew Edward was born in 1312. The Earldom of Cornwall had been intended for Thomas, but Edward instead bestowed it upon his favourite, Piers Gaveston, in 1306. When Thomas was 10 years old, Edward assigned to him and his brother Edmund, the estates of Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk who had died without heirs in 1306.