The title Duke of Exeter was created several times in England in the later Middle Ages.
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
is the main town of
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
. 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 That title was rescinded upon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. The title was then granted to the former's half-brother,
Thomas Beaufort, 1st Earl of Dorset by his nephew
Henry V. Following Beaufort's death without heirs in 1426, the title was restored to the Holland family, which held it until the 3rd Duke was attainted in 1461 as a
Lancastrian, dying in 1475.
Dukes of Exeter, first creation (1397)
*
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, 1st Earl of Huntingdon ( 1352 – 16 January 1400) of Dartington Hall in Devon, was a half-brother of King Richard II (1377–1399), to whom he remained strongly loyal. He is primarily remembered for being suspe ...
(1352–1400), half-brother of
Richard II, was executed for treason against his half-brother's cousin and rival
Henry IV Bolingbroke, at which point his honours were deprived.
Coat of arms
*Arms: The arms of
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
(gules, three lions passant or), within a border
azure, charged with
fleur-de-lis
The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...
of the second.
*Crest: The royal lion on a
chapeau, gorged with a
collar azure, charged with fleurs-de-lis, and
ducally crowned.
Dukes of Exeter, second creation (1416)
*
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (c. 1377–1426), third legitimated son of
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (himself the third son of
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
), died without issue, thus the dukedom was extinct.
Coat of arms
*Arms: The arms of England (quarterly: first and fourth, azure, three fleurs-de-lis; second and third, gules, three lions passant
or), within a border
gobony azure and ermine.
*Crest: A
portcullis
A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
...
or, nailed azure, chains of the first.
Dukes of Exeter, third creation (1444)
:Sometimes numbered 2nd and 3rd dukes in reference to the 1397 creation
*
John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, 1st in this creation (1395–1447), son of the 1st Duke of the 1397 creation, was restored to his father's honours after service to his cousin, the
Lancastrian king,
Henry V
*
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, 2nd in this creation (1430–1475), son of preceding, titles forfeited 1461
Coat of arms
As the first creation above.
See also
*
Marquess 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. For mor ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exeter
Extinct dukedoms in the Peerage of England
Forfeited dukedoms in the Peerage of England
Noble titles created in 1397
Noble titles created in 1416
Noble titles created in 1444