Thomas Beaufort, styled 1st

Count of Perche The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between Normandy and Maine. It was held by an independent line of counts until 1226. One of these, Geoffroy V, would have been a leader of the Fourth Crusade had he not died before the assembled f ...

(c. 1405 – 3 October 1431) was a member of the

Beaufort family The House of Beaufort is an English noble and quasi-royal family, which originated in the fourteenth century as the legitimated issue of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (the third surviving son of King Edward III), whose eldest legitimate ...

and an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

commander during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

. He was the third son of

John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, (c. 1373 – 16 March 1410) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt ( ...

and his wife,

Margaret Holland Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

Career

With his elder brother,

Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset (''probably'' 26 November 1401 – 25 November 1418) was an English nobleman who died aged 17 at the Siege of Rouen in France during the Hundred Years' War, fighting for the Lancastrian cause. As he died unmar ...

, Thomas joined in

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

's 1419 campaigns in France. In 1421, he accompanied the king's younger brother

Thomas of Lancaster Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Derby, ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Lincoln and ''jure uxoris'' 5th Earl of Salisbury (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman. A member of the House of Pl ...

to the fighting in

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...

. Lancaster was killed at the

Battle of Baugé The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and a Franco- Scots army on 22 March 1421 at Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War. The English army was led by the king's brother Thomas, ...

while John Beaufort, the new Earl of Somerset (following the death of

at the Siege of Rouen) and Thomas were captured. Thomas was eventually released around 1427 in a prisoner exchange negotiated by his uncle,

Cardinal Beaufort Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...

. As an able male member of the Beaufort family, Thomas rejoined the fighting almost immediately. He was granted the title

in December 1427, his title being more a claim to land, rather than a recognized title since it was already held by the French Duke

John II of Alençon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. This was part of a continuing attempt by Cardinal Beaufort to carve out estates for his nephews from conquered French land. During the 1430 royal coronation expedition of Henry VI, Thomas was granted a retinue of 128 soldiers and 460 archers. He commanded soldiers at a battle at La Charité-sur-Loire in late 1430 and died 3 October 1431 at the siege of Louviers, three weeks before the city's fall.Harriss, G.L. Cardinal Beaufort: A Study of Lancastrian Ascendancy and Decline. Oxford: Clarendon, 1988.

Arms

As the legitimised great-grandson of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

he bore his arms altered by a ''bordure gorbony argent and azure''.

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perche, Thomas Beaufort, Count Of 1405 births 1431 deaths Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche People of the Hundred Years' War