Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence
| Thomas of Lancaster | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Clarence Earl of Aumale |
|
| Born | 1388 probably London |
| Died | 22 March 1421 (aged 32) Battle of Baugé, France |
| Burial | Canterbury Cathedral, Kent |
| Spouse | Margaret Holland |
| House | Lancaster |
| Father | Henry IV of England |
| Mother | Mary de Bohun |
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, KG (c. 1388 – 22 March 1421), was the second son of King Henry IV of England and his first wife, Mary de Bohun. After the death of his father he participated in the military campaigns of his brother King Henry V.
Heir to the throne in the event of his brother's death, he was left in charge of English forces when Henry returned temporarily to England after his marriage to Catherine of Valois. He led the English in their disastrous defeat at the hands of a mainly Scottish force coming to the aid of the French, at the Battle of Baugé. In a rash attack he and his leading knights were surrounded and Thomas was killed.
He was born before 25 November 1388 as on that date his father's accounts note a payment made to a woman described as his nurse.
Thomas married Lady Margaret Holland, widow of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, in November or December of 1411. No children were born from this union, though Thomas was stepfather to her six children from her first marriage, who were his first cousins. He had, however, a natural son, Sir John Clarence, called "Bastard of Clarence" who fought by his father's side in France.
After his father became ill in 1411, his older brother became head of the royal council. Conflicts arose between the young Henry and his father when the prince gathered a group of supporters favouring his policy of declaring war on France. The prince was removed from the council by his father after he had defied the king's wishes by persuading it to declare war. Thomas was given his brother's seat, and fell in line with his father's peace policy.
During the wars of his elder brother Henry V in France, Clarence fought in the Siege of Rouen (July 1418 – 19 January 1419), where he commanded the besieging force. After Henry had negotiated the Treaty of Troyes, in which he became heir to the French throne, the king returned to England with his new wife Catherine. The Dauphin, the disinherited former heir, refused to accept the situation and organised continuing resistance, aided by a Scottish army led by John Stewart, Earl of Buchan.
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