Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (1537/1538 – 14 July 1551), known as Lord Charles Brandon until shortly before his death, was the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk
and the suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
His father had previously been married to Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII
. Following Mary's death, he had married Lady Willoughby de Eresby, who had been originally intended as the bride of his son Henry
.
In 1541, Lord Charles Brandon and his older brother Lord Henry Brandon
had their miniatures painted by Hans Holbein the Younger
.
He died of the sweating sickness
one hour after the same disease claimed his elder brother Henry
(who had succeeded their father as 2nd Duke of Suffolk in 1545), and because of this holds the record for the shortest tenure of a British peerage. (The 2nd Baron Stamp
may claim a shorter tenure, but merely through a legal fiction.) Suffolk died without issue and his title became extinct. They died at the Bishop of Lincoln's Palace, Buckden, in the village of Buckden
near Huntingdon
, Huntingdonshire
, where they had fled in an attempt to escape the epidemic.
A solemn celebration of the funerals of the two Dukes, called a 'Month's Mind
', was held on 22 September 1551 with all the funeral equipment in duplicate. The humanist
intellectual Thomas Wilson
wrote a life of Suffolk and his elder brother shortly after their death.
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
and the suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
His father had previously been married to Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Following Mary's death, he had married Lady Willoughby de Eresby, who had been originally intended as the bride of his son Henry
Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln
Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln was the youngest child and second son born to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, Queen of France, who was a daughter of Henry VII of England. Thus Henry Brandon was nephew to Henry VIII of England...
.
In 1541, Lord Charles Brandon and his older brother Lord Henry Brandon
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk , styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, the suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby....
had their miniatures painted by Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
.
He died of the sweating sickness
Sweating sickness
Sweating sickness, also known as "English sweating sickness" or "English sweate" , was a mysterious and highly virulent disease that struck England, and later continental Europe, in a series of epidemics beginning in 1485. The last outbreak occurred in 1551, after which the disease apparently...
one hour after the same disease claimed his elder brother Henry
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk , styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, the suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby....
(who had succeeded their father as 2nd Duke of Suffolk in 1545), and because of this holds the record for the shortest tenure of a British peerage. (The 2nd Baron Stamp
Wilfred Stamp, 2nd Baron Stamp
Wilfred Carlyle Stamp, 2nd Baron Stamp was a son of the British banker Josiah Stamp. He holds the record for holding a peerage for the shortest length of time....
may claim a shorter tenure, but merely through a legal fiction.) Suffolk died without issue and his title became extinct. They died at the Bishop of Lincoln's Palace, Buckden, in the village of Buckden
Buckden
Buckden may refer to:*Buckden, Cambridgeshire*Buckden, North Yorkshire...
near Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, where they had fled in an attempt to escape the epidemic.
A solemn celebration of the funerals of the two Dukes, called a 'Month's Mind
Month's Mind
A Month's Mind is a requiem mass celebrated about one month after a person's death, in memory of the deceased. In medieval and later England, it was a service and feast held one month after the death of anyone in his or her memory. Bede speaks of the day as commemorationis dies...
', was held on 22 September 1551 with all the funeral equipment in duplicate. The humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
intellectual Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson (rhetorician)
Thomas Wilson was an English diplomat, judge, and privy councillor in the government of Elizabeth I. He is now remembered for his Logique and The Arte of Rhetorique , an influential text...
wrote a life of Suffolk and his elder brother shortly after their death.
Further reading
- The Life and Career of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, c. 1484-1545, by S. J. Gunn (on his father)
- Catherine Willoughby, by Evelyn Read (on his mother)