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Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| English Royalty |
|---|
| House of Plantagenet |
 Armorial of Plantagenet |
| Edward I |
| Joan, Countess of Gloucester |
| Alphonso, Earl of Chester |
| Edward II |
| Thomas, Earl of Norfolk |
| Edmund, Earl of Kent |
Edmund Plantagenet, or Edmund of Woodstock (August 5, 1301 – March 19, 1330) was Earl of Kent from July 28, 1321 (fourth creation).
He was born at Woodstock, Oxfordshire, the son of King Edward I of England by his second Queen consort Marguerite of France. He was 62 years younger than his father who died when Edmund of Woodstock was only seven. Reportedly, he enjoyed his father's favour. Woodstock was married to Margaret Wake, the daughter of Baron John Wake by Joan, sometime between October and December in 1325 at Blisworth in Northamptonshire.
He was from 1327 'after the execution and forfeiture of John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel' for the three remaining years of his life to hold the castle and honour of Arundel, although he was never formally invested with the titles appropriate to his barony. He was the father of Joan of Kent, through whom the earldom eventually passed into the Holland family.
Edmund was executed for treason, having supported his half-brother, the deposed King Edward II, by order of the 'Regents Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March and Queen Isabella of France', before the outer walls of Winchester Castle. It was said that he had conspired to rescue King Edward from prison. Such was public hostility to the execution that "he had to wait five hours for an executioner, because nobody wanted to do it", until a convicted murderer offered to do the deed in exchange for a pardon.
Woodstock was buried on March 31 at the Church of the Dominican Friars in Winchester.
Woodstock's execution was the beginning of the end for Mortimer's regency. Thereafter, in October of 1330, Edward III assumed the full powers of King with the support of Edmund's cousin, the powerful Earl of Lancaster. Mortimer was executed that same year for, inter alia, having assumed the royal powers. The children and widow of Edmund were treated as members of Edward III's royal household.
The children of Edmund Plantagenet by Margaret Wake, Baroness Wake of Lydell, were:
- Edmund Plantagenet, 2nd Earl of Kent About 1326 - Before 5 October 1331
- Margaret Plantagenet (b bfr 1327-d 1352). Married Arnaud-Amanieu VIII d'Albret, viscount of Tartas.
- Joan Plantagenet ("The Fair Maid of Kent") b 28 September 1328 - d 7 August 1385. Married Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Edward, the Black Prince son of Edward III
- John Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Kent 7 Apr 1330 - About 27 December 1352
| Preceded by Hugh le Despenser |
Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports 1321–1323 |
Succeeded by Sir John Peche |
| Preceded by (new creation) |
Earl of Kent 1321–1323 |
Succeeded by Edmund Plantagenet |