Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Encyclopedia
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG
, PC
(c. 1496 – 9 January 1539) was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
and Catherine of York
, and grandson of King Edward IV of England
.
He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay
. Their maternal first cousins included among others Arthur, Prince of Wales
, Margaret, queen consort of Scotland
, Henry VIII of England
, Elizabeth Tudor, Mary, queen consort of France
, Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset
and Katherine Tudor, Princess of England.
was still the Earl of Devon
and his father was his eldest son and heir. But in 1504, William Courtenay was accused of maintaining correspondence with Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
, the leading Yorkist
claimant to the throne, and Henry VII of England
had him incarcerated in the Tower of London
. Henry had lost his chances at inheriting the Earldom of Devon.
Henry VII died on 22 April 1509 and Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon on 28 May 1509. Henry VIII had succeeded to the throne and released William Courtenay from the Tower. On 24 June 1509, William took part in the coronation of Henry VIII. He carried the sword for his royal nephew. He enjoyed some favor with Henry VIII who created him Earl of Devon on 10 May 1511. However William died on 9 June 1511. Henry Courtenay was his heir.
against Louis XII of France
. The new Earl of Devon experienced his first battles in 1513 as second captain of a man of war
.
He seems to have gained the further favor of his royal cousin during the 1510s.
He became a member of the Privy Council
in May 1520. He accompanied Henry VIII for his meeting with Francis I of France
on the Field of the Cloth of Gold
(June 7 – 24 June 1520). And became one of the debauched and athletic friends on the King's hunting trips with Charles Brandon.
In 1521, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
was executed on charges of treason. The Earl of Devon replaced him as a Knight of the Garter on 9 June and received part of his lands and properties as a gift from Henry VIII. He was granted the administrations of the vacant Duchies of Exeter
, Somerset
and Cornwall
over the following two years. In April he was made Keeper of Burling Park, Kent during which period he reached his great height of power in the King's inner council, this may have been when he met the Boleyn family. He continued in hereditary traditional offices of the Courtenays as Warden of the Stannaries and the King's Steward in the Duchy of Cornwall from April 1523.
But it was on the occasion as Constable of the Royal Castle of Windsor that he was elevated to the Marquissate of Exeter at the heart of government.
on 18 June 1525. At the time Francis I of France had lost the Battle of Pavia
and was under the captivity of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
. Henry VIII was allied with his nephew-by-marriage but sent the new Marquess of Exeter to secure an agreement with Regent
Louise of Savoy
and promise the assistance of Henry VIII in negotiations for the return of Francis.
The Marquess of Exeter further served the interests of the King in the procceedings for the annulment
of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
. He was only second to the King at the Privy Council when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was charged with treason. He signed the documents for his prosecution. His signature is also present in the formal papers requesting the annulment from Pope Clement VII
. He served as a commissioner for the formal deposition of Catherine in 1533.
He was granted stewardship over several monasteries in 1535. Henry VIII was already preparing the Dissolution of the Monasteries
and had placed his favoured cousin in a key position for this process. Exeter was also a commissioner in the trial of Anne Boleyn
in 1536. She was the second wife of Henry VIII and had been accused of adultery
, incest
and high treason
.
Exeter and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
were sent into Yorkshire
to face the Pilgrimage of Grace
, a Roman Catholic
uprising that broke out on 15 October 1536. Exeter was not able to achieve victory and had to retreat to Devon
shire. He was however Lord High Steward
during the trial of Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy
for treason on 15 May 1537.
and the two men reportedly had little sympathy for each other.
However, his second wife Gertrude Blount
was still a Roman Catholic. She had supported Elizabeth Barton
to her downfall. She continued to maintain correspondence with Catherine of Aragon to her death. Cromwell used these connections to point suspicion at Exeter's loyalties.
At St Keverne
on the Lizard
peninsula of Cornwall a painted banner
was reportedly created that toured the local villages and called the population to revolt—the stated demand was to have Henry VIII name Exeter his Heir Apparent
, thus disinheriting his own children.
Then Courtenay himself was found in correspondence with the self-exiled Cardinal Reginald Pole. Sir Geoffrey Pole
, younger brother of the Cardinal, came to London
with the information that a Roman Catholic conspiracy
was preparing a new uprising. Both Poles were accused of heading this conspiracy and Cromwell convinced Henry VIII that Exeter was part of it.
In early November 1538, Exeter, his wife and their son Edward Courtenay were all arrested and incarcerated at the Tower of London
. On 3 December 1538, Exeter was put on trial in Westminster Hall. There was little evidence for his involvement in the so-called Exeter Conspiracy
.
Being a powerful landowner in the west country did not make him blind to the sufferings of his tenants. Many lay and clerical alike were turned out of their lands and homes by the dissolution, notably of Glastonbury Abbey, the largest ecclesiastical estate in England, and home of the legend of King Arthur's burial. The Marquess, Henry came to hate Vicar-General Cromwell and his Protestantism.
He joined the Catholic Poles in the Western Rebellion during 1538, and perhaps anticipating the end wrote a will on 25 September 1538. Captured as his support collapsed, he was taken in chains to the Tower. He was tried by his Peers only one of two Marquess in the kingdom, on 3 December 1538 in Westminster Hall. He was found guilty by his correspondence with Cardinal Pole from Rome. He was executed by decapitation with a sword on Tower Hill on 9 January 1539. The earldom of Devon became forfeit, and his lands in Cornwall annexed by the Duchy.
His wife and son were both attainted. His wife was, however, released in 1540 and maintained a friendship with Princess Mary Tudor
for the rest of her life. Their son was released on 3 August 1553 on the orders of Mary who was by then Queen Regnant
.
(1505–1519). She was the only daughter of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle and Muriel Howard. Her maternal grandparents were Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney.
Elizabeth was heir to her father but had previously entered a marriage contract with Charles Brandon
who had been created Viscount Lisle in her right in 1513. Elizabeth had refused to marry him when she came of age. She instead married Henry Courtenay.
He married secondly Gertrude Blount (c. 1499 - 1502 – 5 September 1558). She was a daughter of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
and his first wife Elisabeth Say. They were parents to two children, Henry who died young and Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 – 18 September 1556).
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, PC
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
(c. 1496 – 9 January 1539) was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon was the son of Sir Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Elizabeth Courtenay....
and Catherine of York
Catherine of York
Catherine or Katherine of York was the ninth child and sixth daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. From birth to death, she was daughter to Edward IV, sister to Edward V, niece to Richard III, sister-in-law to Henry VII and aunt to Henry VIII.-Early life:She was born in Eltham...
, and grandson of King Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay
Margaret Courtenay
Margaret Courtenay was the only daughter of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York. Her maternal grandparents were Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville....
. Their maternal first cousins included among others Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. As he predeceased his father, Arthur never became king...
, Margaret, queen consort of Scotland
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, Henry VIII of England
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...
, Elizabeth Tudor, Mary, queen consort of France
Mary Tudor (queen consort of France)
Mary Tudor was the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England and queen consort of France through her marriage to Louis XII. The latter was more than 30 years her senior. Following his death, which occurred less than two months after her coronation as his third wife, she married Charles Brandon,...
, Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset
Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset
Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset was the sixth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York.Edmund's elder siblings were Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret, queen consort of Scotland, Henry VIII of England, Elizabeth and Mary, Queen consort of France...
and Katherine Tudor, Princess of England.
Early life
At the time of his birth his paternal grandfather Edward CourtenayEdward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1485 creation)
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon KG was an English peer and member of the House of Lords.A loyalist of the House of Tudor, he fought alongside Henry VII at Bosworth and had been one of his original companions in France. There he went to pay homage to the future King of the Lancastrian affinity...
was still the Earl of Devon
Earl of Devon
The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the Peerage of England, and was possessed first by the de Redvers family, and later by the Courtenays...
and his father was his eldest son and heir. But in 1504, William Courtenay was accused of maintaining correspondence with Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, 6th Earl of Suffolk , Duke of Suffolk, was a son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and his wife Elizabeth of York.-Family:...
, the leading Yorkist
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
claimant to the throne, and Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
had him incarcerated in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. Henry had lost his chances at inheriting the Earldom of Devon.
Henry VII died on 22 April 1509 and Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon on 28 May 1509. Henry VIII had succeeded to the throne and released William Courtenay from the Tower. On 24 June 1509, William took part in the coronation of Henry VIII. He carried the sword for his royal nephew. He enjoyed some favor with Henry VIII who created him Earl of Devon on 10 May 1511. However William died on 9 June 1511. Henry Courtenay was his heir.
Earl of Devon
The attainder had not been fully removed but Henry was allowed to succeed his father as the Earl of Devon. In 1512, the attainder was fully removed and Henry was acknowledged as the proper heir of his paternal grandfather and inheritor of his lands and rights. His first cousin Henry VIII was at the time involved in the War of the League of CambraiWar of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars...
against Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
. The new Earl of Devon experienced his first battles in 1513 as second captain of a man of war
Man of war
The man-of-war was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship from the 16th to the 19th century. The term often refers to a ship armed with cannon and propelled primarily by sails, as opposed to a galley which is propelled primarily by oars...
.
He seems to have gained the further favor of his royal cousin during the 1510s.
He became a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in May 1520. He accompanied Henry VIII for his meeting with Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
on the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
(June 7 – 24 June 1520). And became one of the debauched and athletic friends on the King's hunting trips with Charles Brandon.
In 1521, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
was executed on charges of treason. The Earl of Devon replaced him as a Knight of the Garter on 9 June and received part of his lands and properties as a gift from Henry VIII. He was granted the administrations of the vacant Duchies of Exeter
Duke of Exeter
The title Duke of Exeter was created several times in England in the later Middle Ages, when Exeter was the main town of Devon. It was first created for John Holland, the half-brother of King Richard II in 1397. That title was rescinded upon Henry IV's accession to the throne two years later, and...
, Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
and Cornwall
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
over the following two years. In April he was made Keeper of Burling Park, Kent during which period he reached his great height of power in the King's inner council, this may have been when he met the Boleyn family. He continued in hereditary traditional offices of the Courtenays as Warden of the Stannaries and the King's Steward in the Duchy of Cornwall from April 1523.
But it was on the occasion as Constable of the Royal Castle of Windsor that he was elevated to the Marquissate of Exeter at the heart of government.
Marquess of Exeter
The Earl of Devon was created Marquess of ExeterMarquess of Exeter
Marquess of Exeter is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1525 for Henry Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon...
on 18 June 1525. At the time Francis I of France had lost the Battle of Pavia
Battle of Pavia
The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve...
and was under the captivity of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
. Henry VIII was allied with his nephew-by-marriage but sent the new Marquess of Exeter to secure an agreement with Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy was a French noble, Duchess regnant of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, the mother of King Francis I of France...
and promise the assistance of Henry VIII in negotiations for the return of Francis.
The Marquess of Exeter further served the interests of the King in the procceedings for the annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
. He was only second to the King at the Privy Council when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was charged with treason. He signed the documents for his prosecution. His signature is also present in the formal papers requesting the annulment from Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
. He served as a commissioner for the formal deposition of Catherine in 1533.
He was granted stewardship over several monasteries in 1535. Henry VIII was already preparing the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
and had placed his favoured cousin in a key position for this process. Exeter was also a commissioner in the trial of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
in 1536. She was the second wife of Henry VIII and had been accused of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
and high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
.
Exeter and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
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...
were sent into Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to face the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
, a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
uprising that broke out on 15 October 1536. Exeter was not able to achieve victory and had to retreat to Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire. He was however Lord High Steward
Lord High Steward
The position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...
during the trial of Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy , was an English statesman and rebel leader, who was executed for his part in an English rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace.-Origins:...
for treason on 15 May 1537.
Downfall and death
By the late 1530s, Exeter was an influential figure at court and was administering most of Western England in his own name and that of King Henry VIII. He also was however a political rival of Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
and the two men reportedly had little sympathy for each other.
However, his second wife Gertrude Blount
Gertrude Courtenay, Countess of Devon
Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter, née Gertrude Blount, was the wife of Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter and a lady at the court of Henry VIII of England...
was still a Roman Catholic. She had supported Elizabeth Barton
Elizabeth Barton
Sr. Elizabeth Barton was an English Catholic nun...
to her downfall. She continued to maintain correspondence with Catherine of Aragon to her death. Cromwell used these connections to point suspicion at Exeter's loyalties.
At St Keverne
St Keverne
St Keverne is a civil parish and village on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 started in St Keverne. The leader of the rebellion Michael An Gof was a blacksmith from St Keverne and is commemorated by a statue in the village...
on the Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
peninsula of Cornwall a painted banner
Banner
A banner is a flag or other piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or other message. Banner-making is an ancient craft.The word derives from late Latin bandum, a cloth out of which a flag is made...
was reportedly created that toured the local villages and called the population to revolt—the stated demand was to have Henry VIII name Exeter his Heir Apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
, thus disinheriting his own children.
Then Courtenay himself was found in correspondence with the self-exiled Cardinal Reginald Pole. Sir Geoffrey Pole
Geoffrey Pole
Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex was an English knight who supported the Catholic Church in England and Wales when Henry VIII of England was establishing the alternative Church of England with himself as leader....
, younger brother of the Cardinal, came to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the information that a Roman Catholic conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
was preparing a new uprising. Both Poles were accused of heading this conspiracy and Cromwell convinced Henry VIII that Exeter was part of it.
In early November 1538, Exeter, his wife and their son Edward Courtenay were all arrested and incarcerated at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. On 3 December 1538, Exeter was put on trial in Westminster Hall. There was little evidence for his involvement in the so-called Exeter Conspiracy
Exeter Conspiracy
The Exeter Conspiracy, 1538, was a supposed attempt to depose the reigning Henry VIII and replace him with a Yorkist, Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG who was 1st cousin to the King. An Act of Attainder was brought against the Marquess of Exeter and he was found guilty of treason by his...
.
Being a powerful landowner in the west country did not make him blind to the sufferings of his tenants. Many lay and clerical alike were turned out of their lands and homes by the dissolution, notably of Glastonbury Abbey, the largest ecclesiastical estate in England, and home of the legend of King Arthur's burial. The Marquess, Henry came to hate Vicar-General Cromwell and his Protestantism.
He joined the Catholic Poles in the Western Rebellion during 1538, and perhaps anticipating the end wrote a will on 25 September 1538. Captured as his support collapsed, he was taken in chains to the Tower. He was tried by his Peers only one of two Marquess in the kingdom, on 3 December 1538 in Westminster Hall. He was found guilty by his correspondence with Cardinal Pole from Rome. He was executed by decapitation with a sword on Tower Hill on 9 January 1539. The earldom of Devon became forfeit, and his lands in Cornwall annexed by the Duchy.
His wife and son were both attainted. His wife was, however, released in 1540 and maintained a friendship with Princess Mary Tudor
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
for the rest of her life. Their son was released on 3 August 1553 on the orders of Mary who was by then Queen Regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
.
Marriages and children
Henry Courtenay married first Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess LisleElizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle
Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle was an English noblewoman.Elizabeth was the daughter of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle and Muriel Howard. After the death of her stepfather, Sir Thomas Knyvet, in August 1512, Elizabeth was left an orphan and became the ward of Sir Charles Brandon, a favourite of...
(1505–1519). She was the only daughter of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle and Muriel Howard. Her maternal grandparents were Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney.
Elizabeth was heir to her father but had previously entered a marriage contract with Charles Brandon
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...
who had been created Viscount Lisle in her right in 1513. Elizabeth had refused to marry him when she came of age. She instead married Henry Courtenay.
He married secondly Gertrude Blount (c. 1499 - 1502 – 5 September 1558). She was a daughter of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
Sir William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy KG was an English scholar and patron of learning.William Blount was born circa 1478 in Barton Blount, Derbyshire, the eldest son of John Blount, 3rd Baron Mountjoy and Lora Berkeley...
and his first wife Elisabeth Say. They were parents to two children, Henry who died young and Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 – 18 September 1556).