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.
Marriage
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:
After Isabella's death in 1392, Edmund married Joan de Holland, a 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.
Death
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.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Arms
As a son of the sovereign, Edmund bore the arms of the sovereign, differenced by a label argent, on each point three torteaux.[1]
References
- ^ Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family
- 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.
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