Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
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Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (June 5, 1341 – August 1, 1402) was a younger son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, the fourth of the five sons of the Royal couple who lived to adulthood. He was the founder of the House of York, but it was through the marriage of his younger son, Richard, that the Yorkist faction in the Wars of the Roses made its claim on the throne.
Like so many medieval princes, Edmund gained his identifying nickname from his birthplace: Kings Langley in Hertfordshire. At the age of twenty-one, he was created Earl of Cambridge. In 1384, Edmund was created Duke of York.
His first wife, Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York, was a daughter of Pedro "the Cruel" of Castile and María de Padilla. They had two sons, Edward (killed in action at the Battle of Agincourt) and Richard, Earl of Cambridge (executed for treason by Henry V), as well as a daughter, Constance (an ancestor of queen Anne Neville).
After Isabella's death in 1392, Edmund married Joan de Holland, his second cousin (she was a daughter of Joan of Kent; Joan of Kent and Edmund were both descendants of Edward I). Langley and Joan produced no children.
Although marriages within the royal family and between royal families are the rule, it is interesting to note Edmund's marital ties to his older brother, John of Gaunt. Edmund's first wife was the sister of John of Gaunt's wife, and Edmund's second wife was the sister of John of Gaunt's daughter-in-law.
[edit] Death
Edmund of Langley died in his birthplace, and was buried there, in the church of the mendicant friars. His dukedom passed to his eldest son, Edward.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by: Sir Thomas Reines |
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1376–1381 |
Succeeded by: Sir Robert Assheton |
Preceded by: The Lord Beaumont |
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1396–1398 |
Succeeded by: The Marquess of Dorset |
Peerage of England | ||
Preceded by: New Creation |
Earl of Cambridge 1362–1402 |
Succeeded by: Edward of Norwich |
Preceded by: New Creation |
Duke of York 1384–1402 |
George VI (1920-1936) · George V (1865-1910) · Prince Frederick (1784-1827) · Prince Edward Augustus (1760-1767) · Ernest Augustus (1716-1728) · James II (1633/1644-1685) · Charles I (1605-1625) · Henry VIII (1494-1509) · Richard of Shrewsbury (1474-1483) · Edward IV (1460-1461) · Richard Plantagenet (1415-1460) · Edward of Norwich (1402–1415) · Edmund of Langley (1384–1402)