Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (1377-31 December 1426) was an English commander during the Hundred Years' War, Chancellor of England, and the uncle of King Henry V of England.
Biography[]
Thomas Beaufort was born at the Chateau de Beaufort, Anjou, France in 1377, the son of John of Gaunt and his mistress Katherine Swynford. After the accession of his half-brother Henry IV of England, he was made a Knight of the Garter, and he was made Constable of Ludlow in 1402, Admiral of the Fleet in 1403, Captain of Calais in 1407, and Admiral of the Northern and Western Seas in 1408. From 1410 to 1412, he served as Chancellor of England, and he was created Duke of Exeter in 1412. Under his nephew King Henry V, he was appointed Lieutenant of Aquitaine in 1413, Captain of Harfleur in 1415, Lieutenant of Normandy in 1416, and Duke of Exeter for life that same year. He dealt with problems in Scotland in 1417 before returning to Normandy, and he took part in the sieges of Evreux, Ivry, and Rouen. In 1421, he was captured at Bauge, during which his nephew, Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence was killed. He served on the governing council for King Henry VI of England after Henry V's death, and he died in 1426.