Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 1390 – 23 February 1447) was an English nobleman and the brother of King Henry V of England.
Biography[]
Humphrey was the fourth and youngest son of King Henry IV of England and Mary the Bohun and the brother of Henry V. He was the youngest in a powerful quadrumvirate of brothers, and he was known to be mettled, courageous, learned, and scholarly. In 1399, Humphrey and his brothers John and Thomas were knighted upon their father's accession to the throne, and Henry and Humphrey were at their father's bedside when he died in 1413. During Henry V's campaigns in France during the Hundred Years' War, Humphrey gained a reputation as a successful commander, and he was wounded at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He was rewarded with the titles Constable of Dover, Warden of the Cinque Ports, and King's Lieutenant. In 1422, he became Lord Protector to his young nephew, Henry VI of England, and he served as garrison commander of Calais, defending the city from French assault in 1436. He died in 1447 at the age of 56.