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. 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. On 6 August 1385, Edmund was created Duke of York.[1] 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.
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.
His first wife, Isabella of Castile, was a daughter of Pedro "the Cruel" of Castile and María de Padilla. They married at Wallingford in 1372.
They had two sons and a daughter:
- Edward (killed in action at the Battle of Agincourt)
- Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (executed for treason by Henry V)
- Constance (an ancestor of queen Anne Neville)
After Isabella's death in 1392, Edmund married Joan de Holland, his second cousin (she was a granddaughter of Joan of Kent; Joan of Kent and Edmund were both descendants of Edward I). Langley and Joan produced no children.
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.
- Peggy K. Liss, "Isabel the Queen," New York: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 165
- James Reston, Jr. "Dogs of God," New York: Doubleday, p. 18.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 1385–1402 |
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HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York Edmund of Langley (1385–1402) · Edward of Norwich (1402–1415) · Richard Plantagenet (1415-1460) · Edward of York (1460-1461) · Richard of Shrewsbury (1474-1483) · Henry (1494-1509) · Charles (1605-1625) · James (1633/1644-1685) · Ernest Augustus (1716-1728) · Edward Augustus (1760-1767) · Frederick (1784-1827) · George (1865-1910) · Albert (1920-1936) |