Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1553 creation)
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Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 - September 18, 1556) was the only son of Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter and his second wife Gertrude Blount. His maternal grandparents were William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy and his third wife Ines de Benegas.
Edward was a paternal second cousin to (among others) James V of Scotland, Margaret Douglas, Mary I of England, Elizabeth I of England, Edward VI of England, Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln, Lady Frances Brandon and Lady Eleanor Brandon.
The first decade of his life was relatively peaceful. His father was a prominent figure in the court of his own first cousin Henry VIII of England. His mother enjoyed the friendship of Catherine of Aragon even after her removal from court and throne.
However in early November, 1538 all three Courtenays were arrested and incarcerated in the Tower of London. His father was accused of conspiring with the self-exiled Reginald Cardinal Pole to lead a Roman Catholic uprising in the so-called Exeter Conspiracy. On January 9, 1539, Henry Courtenay was executed. Both Edward and his mother were attainted and unable to inherit his titles and lands.
His mother was released in 1540 and maintained a friendship with Princess Mary Tudor for the rest of her life. But as a great-grandson of Edward IV of England and likely heir of the House of York, Edward was apparently considered too much of a threat to be released. In 1547, Henry VIII died and was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate son Edward VI. The new King declared a general amnesty but his incarcerated cousin Edward Courtenay was among the few exceptions.
While still incarcerated Edward translated Benefizio di Cristo ("The Benefit of Christ's Death") to the English language. The manuscript was dedicated to Anne Stanhope, wife of the influential Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset but the Cambridge University Library contains a copy autographed by Edward VI himself. Devon may have intended this work to be his reconciliation gift to his royal cousin. Whatever benefits the translation may have brought him, release from the Tower of London was not among them.
Edward VI himself died on July 6, 1553. His designated heir Lady Jane Grey rose briefly to the throne but Mary Tudor amassed a support of 20,000 men at Framlingham Castle and marched to London to claim the throne for herself. Jane was deposed and Mary was declared Queen regnant on July 19, 1553. Gertrude Blount was still her close friend and secured the release of her son on August 3 of the same year. Edward Courtenay was released after 15 years of incarceration in the Tower.
He soon became a favorite of his royal cousin who greatly benefited the young man. Mary created him Earl of Devon on September 3 and Knight of the Bath on September 29. On October 1, Mary was coronated and the new Earl of Devon carried the Sword of State in the ceremony. On October 10, Edward was acknowledged as the proper heir to the lands and titles of his father. With the prominent exception of not being allowed to succeed as Marquess of Exeter.
On January 2, 1554 arrived the new ambassadors of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor arrived in the Kingdom of England and Devon was assigned to receive them. He also served as a special commissioner in the trial of Robert Dudley, brother-in-law of Jane Grey.
In addition to everything else Mary showed considerable affection for her young cousin. Stephen Gardiner reportedly encouraged Devon to consider himself a likely suitor for her. Devon already considered himself to be the future husband and consort of the Queen regnant. His new household was organized as a minor court and several courtiers already knelt before him. However Mary rejected him in favor of her maternal first cousin, once removed Philip II of Spain.
Devon still entertained hopes for the throne and turned his attentions to her younger half-sister Elizabeth. She was the Heir Apparent to her childless sister and was likely to succeed. The union of Mary and Philip was extremely unpopular with the English and several voices for Elizabeth and Devon as their replacements were already present. Even William Paget, 1st Baron Paget had openly admitted his support for this marriage.
But then came Wyatt's rebellion. Thomas Wyatt the younger was among those Protestants fearing Catholic persecution under Mary and Philip. He rose in rebellion to prevent this marriage and declared his intentions to place Mary herself under his charge. The rebellion rose in late January, 1554 but was already crushed by early March. There were rumors that Devon had not only negotiated with Wyatt but was preparing similar revolts in Devonshire and Cornwall.
Devon and Elizabeth were implicated as responsible for the rebellion and were both incarcerated at the Tower of London while awaiting trial. Devon was moved to Fotheringhay in May. On Holy Saturday, Simon Renard the ambassador of Spain approached Mary with a reminder that the continued survival of the two "great persons" posed a threat to both her and Prince Philip. Informing the Queen that he would not recommend the arrival of Philip until Devon and Elizabeth were put on trial and that every necessary step had been taken to secure his safety. In other words, Renard informed her that Philip would not set foot on English ground until both prisoners were executed or otherwise rendered harmless.
Mary agreed to hasten the trials but the collection of evidence had not been completed. There were plenty of rumors implicating Devon and Elizabeth with the failed rebellion but no solid evidence that either of them took part in organizing it. Neither of them ever marched with the rebels and both were non-combatants for its duration. Mary and Philip were married on July 25, 1554.
No conviction could be secured for the prisoners. Elizabeth was at first placed under house arrest in the care of Sir Henry Bedingfield. She was released and allowed to return to court by the end of the year. At Easter, 1555, Devon was also released and exiled to Continental Europe. He is next heard of in November of the same year. He wrote a letter from Brussels where he pleaded permission to return to England if only to pay his respects to Mary and his mother. The two women were still close friends but Devon had lost the trust of his former protector. His request was denied.
He was still the Earl of Devon and retained his rights and property, but not the right to set foot in England. Both Mary and Elizabeth refused to have anything more to do with him. Elizabeth also considered him partly responsible for her incarceration and reportedly despised any mention of him. By this point Devon had lost his chances at marrying either one of the two women.
He spend the following year traveling through France and the Italian peninsula. His final destination was Padua where he suddenly died. The exact circumstances of his death are not known. Peter Vannes, representative of Mary to the Republic of Venice, wrote his Queen a report but the man was not a direct witness or a physician. According to his account Devon was engaged in falconry for recreational reasons. He and his falcons were in the countryside and away from any building when caught in a violent storm. He failed to protect himself from the elements and refused to change his wet clothing even after returning home. Several days later Devon was burning in fever which lasted to his final hours. He was reportedly unable to open his mouth even to receive sacrament.
There were suspicions that Devon had been poisoned and later theorists suggested the man had died of syphilis but both suggestions remain unconfirmed. He was unwed and childless at the time of his death. His estates were divided among the male-line descendants of his fifth-generation ancestor Sir Hugh Courtenay. Hugh was a younger brother of Edward de Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon (1357 - 1419).
