Thomas Beaufort - Duke of Exeter

Thomas Beaufort was a leading English Nobleman and military commander, serving as Admiral, Chancellor of England, Earl of Dorset, and Duke of Exeter. Son of John of Gaunt and grandson of King Edward III, he played key roles in the Hundred Years' War and English governance.

Born around January of 1377 at Château Beaufort in Anjou, France, Thomas was the third child of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his longtime mistress, Katherine Swynford. John of Gaunt's father was King Edward III. Thomas and his siblings were legitimized in 1390 and formally recognized after their parents' 1396 marriage.

Thomas later married Margaret Neville of Hornby, daughter of Sir Thomas Neville. They had one child, Henry, who died in infancy, a loss that would affect the continuation of his lineage.

When his half-brother Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV, Beaufort was made a Knight of the Garter. In 1402, he became constable of Ludlow, and the following year, he was appointed Admiral of the North. He later led forces against the northern rebellion in 1405. His naval commands expanded when he was appointed Admiral of the North and West in both 1408 and 1413.

On January 31, 1410, he became Chancellor of England, holding the post until January 5, 1412, during Henry IV's troubles with the clergy. Later in 1412, Thomas was created Earl of Dorset, second creation.

When Henry of Monmouth became Henry V in 1413, Beaufort was appointed Lieutenant of Aquitaine, then Captain of Harfleur in 1415. He served as Lieutenant of Normandy from 1416 and was created Duke of Exeter the same year.

In 1417, Thomas returned to England to address Scottish issues while Henry V stayed in Normandy. The following year, Thomas returned to Normandy with a large force and participated in the sieges of Évreux, Ivry, and Rouen. Afterwards, Henry V made him Count of Harcourt.

When Rouen fell in 1419, Beaufort was made its captain. After a six-month siege, he also captured the fortress Château Gaillard that year.

In 1420, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Troyes, which established that Henry V and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI. The next year, Thomas was captured at the Battle of Baugé.

Thomas returned to England in 1422 as one of the executors of Henry V's will after the King's death. He then served on the governing council for the infant King Henry VI.

Thomas Beaufort died at Greenwich Manor, Kent, on December 31, 1426. With no surviving heir, his titles—Duke of Exeter, Earl of Dorset, and Count of Harcourt—became extinct. The Duchy of Exeter passed to the Holland family, and the Earldom of Dorset was recreated for his nephew, Edmund, Count of Mortain. Thomas Beaufort was laid to rest at Bury St Edmunds Abbey in Suffolk, England.