Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
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Thomas Holland 2nd Earl of Kent, 3rd Baron Holand KG
(1350/1354 – 25 April 1397) was an English
nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England
.
He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan of Kent. His mother was a daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
and Margaret Wake
. Edmund was in turn a son of Edward I of England
and his second Queen consort
Marguerite of France
, and thus a younger half-brother of Edward II of England
.
His father died in 1360, and later that year, on 28 December, Thomas became Baron Holand
. His mother was still Countess of Kent in her own right.
. He fought in various campaigns over the following years, and was made a Knight of the Garter in 1375.
Richard II became king in 1377, and soon Holland acquired great influence over his younger half-brother, which he used for his own enrichment. In 1381, he was created Earl of Kent.
.
Holland died at Arundel Castle, Sussex, England on 25 April 1397.
(daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
) on 10 April 1364. They had eight children:
Through the marriages of his daughters, he became the ancestor of many of the prominent figures in the Wars of the Roses
, including Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Warwick the Kingmaker. He was also an ancestor of queen consort Catherine Parr
, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII
.
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...
(1350/1354 – 25 April 1397) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
.
Family and early Life
Thomas Holland (or de Holand) was born in Upholand, Lancashire in 1350 or 1354 (sources differ on his birth year).He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan of Kent. His mother was a daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent was a member of the English Royal Family.-Early life:He was born at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, the son of Edward I Longshanks, King of England and his second wife, Margaret of France. He was 62 years younger than his father, who died when Edmund of Woodstock...
and Margaret Wake
Margaret Wake, 3rd Baroness Wake of Liddell
Margaret Wake was the wife of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent.-Biography:She was the daughter of John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell, and was descended directly from Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd. Her mother was Joan de Fiennes, making her a cousin of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of...
. Edmund was in turn a son of Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
and his second Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Marguerite of France
Marguerite of France (born 1282)
Margaret of France , a daughter of Philip III of France and Maria of Brabant, was Queen of England as the second wife of King Edward I, who was her father's first cousin.-Early life:...
, and thus a younger half-brother of Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
.
His father died in 1360, and later that year, on 28 December, Thomas became Baron Holand
Baron Holand
Baron Holand is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created twice, in 1314 and 1353. The first creation was extinguished by attainder and the second is in abeyance.-Barons Holand, First Creation :*Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand...
. His mother was still Countess of Kent in her own right.
Military career
At sixteen, in 1366, Holland was appointed captain of the English forces in AquitaineAquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. He fought in various campaigns over the following years, and was made a Knight of the Garter in 1375.
Richard II became king in 1377, and soon Holland acquired great influence over his younger half-brother, which he used for his own enrichment. In 1381, he was created Earl of Kent.
Later years and death
Prior to his death, Holland was appointed Governor of Carisbrooke CastleCarisbrooke Castle
Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke, near Newport, Isle of Wight, England. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.-Early history:...
.
Holland died at Arundel Castle, Sussex, England on 25 April 1397.
Marriage and issue
Holland married Alice FitzAlanAlice FitzAlan (1350-1416)
Alice Holland, Countess of Kent , formerly Lady Alice FitzAlan, was an English noblewoman, a daughter of the 10th Earl of Arundel, and the wife of the 2nd Earl of Kent, the half-brother of King Richard II. She was the maternal grandmother of Anne Mortimer, thus an ancestor of King Edward IV and...
(daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
) on 10 April 1364. They had eight children:
- Alianore Holland, married first Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March and second Edward Charleton, 5th Baron CherletonEdward Charleton, 5th Baron CherletonEdward Charleton , 5th Baron Cherleton, KG , 5th and last Lord Charlton of Powys, was the younger son of John Charlton, the third baron, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Lord Stafford....
- Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of SurreyThomas Holland, 1st Duke of SurreyThomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, 3rd Earl of Kent, 4th Baron Holland, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.-Early life and family:...
, who succeeded him - Joan HollandJoan HollandJoan Holland was the third daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, and Alice FitzAlan. She married four times. Her first husband was a duke, and the following three were barons...
, married Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of YorkEdmund of Langley, 1st Duke of YorkEdmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, 1st Earl of Cambridge, KG was a younger son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, the fourth of the five sons who lived to adulthood, of this Royal couple. Like so many medieval princes, Edmund gained his identifying nickname from his... - John Holland
- Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of KentEdmund Holland, 4th Earl of KentEdmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, 5th Baron Holand, KG was the Earl of Kent in ca. 1400 – ca. 1407. He was the 106th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1403....
, had a child by Constance of YorkConstance of YorkConstance of York, Countess of Gloucester was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York and his wife Isabella of Castile, daughter of Pedro of Castile and Maria de Padilla. On about 7 November 1379, Constance married Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester , who was eventually... - Margaret HollandMargaret HollandMargaret Holland, Countess of Somerset was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, who was the son of Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent"...
, married first John Beaufort, 1st Earl of SomersetJohn Beaufort, 1st Earl of SomersetJohn Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, KG was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife...
and second Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of ClarenceThomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of ClarenceThomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, KG , also known as Thomas Plantagenet, was the second son of King Henry IV of England and his first wife, Mary de Bohun. He was born before 25 November 1387 as on that date his father's accounts note a payment made to a woman described as his nurse... - Elizabeth Holland, married Sir John Neville (eldest son of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmoreland)
- Eleanor Holland married Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of SalisburyThomas Montacute, 4th Earl of SalisburyThomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...
- Bridget Holland, who became a nun
Through the marriages of his daughters, he became the ancestor of many of the prominent figures in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, including Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
and Warwick the Kingmaker. He was also an ancestor of queen consort Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
, the sixth and final wife 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...
.