John Beaufort
1404 – 1444 · Generation XIX · Duke of Somerset
John Beaufort (1404–1444). Duke of Somerset. Married Margaret Beauchamp in 1439. The second son of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset, and Margaret Holland, he inherited the earldom in 1418 when his elder brother died at the siege of Rouen. Three years later, campaigning in Anjou under his stepfather the Duke of Clarence, he was taken prisoner at Baugé and spent seventeen years in French captivity. Ransomed in 1438, he commanded the naval squadron that helped recover Harfleur in 1440, and in 1443 he was made Duke of Somerset and captain-general of Guyenne. That expedition went badly: already sick, he attacked Guerche, a Breton town covered by a peace treaty, then wandered through Maine to no purpose before going home. He died the following year, possibly by suicide, and the favour shown him over Richard of York left lasting bitterness between York and the Beauforts. His only legitimate child, Margaret Beaufort, became the mother of Henry VII.
Place in the family
- John Beaufort was a great-grandfather of King Henry VIII.
- The archive records 119 of his descendants, across 21 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 → John Beaufort.
Parents
- John Beaufort (1373 – 1410)
- Margaret Holland (1385 – 1439)
Partners
- Married Margaret Beauchamp (1410 – 1482) in 1439 — one child together
Children
- Margaret Beaufort (1443 – 1509)
Life
- 1404 — Born
- 1439 — Married Margaret Beauchamp
- 1444 — Died