John Beaufort
1373 – 1410 · Generation XVIII · Earl of Somerset
John Beaufort (1373–1410). Earl of Somerset. Married Margaret Holland in 1397. The eldest of John of Gaunt’s children by Katherine Swynford, he probably took his surname from his father’s castle of Beaufort in Champagne. As a young knight he joined the Barbary Crusade of 1390 and served with the Teutonic Knights in Lithuania in 1394. Days after Parliament recognised the Beauforts as legitimate in 1397 he was created Earl of Somerset, and for helping Richard II break free of the Lords Appellant he was raised to marquess, given the Garter and married to the king’s niece Margaret Holland. When his half-brother took the throne as Henry IV, the marquessates were withdrawn, yet he stayed loyal, serving the new king as commander and envoy and becoming Constable of England in 1404. He died in the Hospital of St Katharine by the Tower and was buried at Canterbury Cathedral. Through his son John he was great-grandfather of Henry VII.
Place in the family
- John Beaufort was a great-great-grandfather of King Henry VIII.
- The archive records 120 of his descendants, across 22 generations.
Line of descent: King William I The Conqueror → King Henry I → Matilda the Empress → King Henry II → King John → King Henry III → King Edward I Longshanks → King Edward II → King Edward III → John of Gaunt → John Beaufort.
Parents
- John of Gaunt (1340 – 1399)
- Katherine Swynford (1350 – 1403)
Siblings
- King Henry IV (1367 – 1413) (half)
- Joan Beaufort (1379 – 1440)
Partners
- Married Margaret Holland (1385 – 1439) in 1397 — one child together
Children
- John Beaufort (1404 – 1444)
Life
- 1373 — Born
- 1397 — Married Margaret Holland
- 1410 — Died