Edmund Beaufort 4th Duke of Somerset (d1471)

Edmund Beaufort was the second of three sons of Edmund Beaufort 2nd Duke of Somerset and his wife Eleanor Beauchamp. He was born c1438 and was executed following the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Edmund claimed inheritance of his brother‘s Dukedom following Henry’s execution at Hexham in 1464. He remained loyal to the Lancastrian cause in exile and became a major political and military player as a result of the readeption of King Henry VI. Edmund was executed in Tewkesbury following him being seized in the Abbey following the Battle in May 1471. He was the last Beaufort Duke of Somerset, though the family itself continued to have a prominent role. 

Note: The Dukedom of Somerset was recreated for Edmund’s father, so in technical terms he was the 3rd Duke of the 2nd creation. He is popularly known as the 4th Duke, albeit inaccurately, hence the use of that title for search engine purposes. 

Edmund Beaufort in the early Wars of the Roses

Edmund took little part in the clashes of the early phases of the War of the Roses. As tension mounted between the rival factions he was given the task of commanding the defence of the Isle of Wight by his brother, Henry. This took place in 1460, and led to his capture by retainers of the Earl of Warwick in the same year. Edmund Beaufort was subsequently held as a prisoner of the Yorkists, firstly in Carisbrooke Castle, and then within the Tower of London, for a period of roughly two years. This meant that he was not present at any of the major battles of the period 1460-61.

Release of Edmund Beaufort in 1463

When his brother, Henry 3rd Duke of Somerset, and other Lancastrians yielded to the Yorkists in 1463, Edmund was released from captivity. This formed part of the wider rapproachment policy adopted by King Edward IV as the Lancastrian enclave in the North East appeared to have disintegrated. Edmund seems to have not attempted to reconcile himself with the Yorkist regime, taking himself to Scotland to the court of Margaret of Anjou and Prince Edward.

To France…

Following the execution of Henry 3rd Duke of Somerset in the aftermath of the Battle of Hexham, Edmund, along with many other leading Lancastrians, made his way to France. He is known to have been in Paris by October 1464, and with Queen Margaret at Koeur near St Mihiel-en-Bar by the end of the year. In eile, Edmund now began to refer to himself as the Duke of Somerset. This was despite the Yorkist’s posthumous attainder of his brother, in which inheritance of the Dukedom was ended. His position, however, was of importance to the Lancastrians in exile and to himself, and the Lancastrian Court, he was the Duke of Somerset.

Edmund Beaufort gains Military experience

Whilst in exile, Edmund formed a bond with Charles of Charolais, later known as Charles the Bold Duke of Burgundy. Edmund and several other prominent Lancastrians fought in Charles’ armies in 1465, at Montlhéry, and later in Charles’ campaign on Liege. These gave the exiled noble military experience, and political connections with the soon to be Duke of Burgundy. The timing of these ties is also of note: the Yorkists strengthened ties to Burgundy through the marriage of Margaret of York to Charles a year later, and the Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence’s revolt against King Edward IV was soon after this, all whilst Lancastrians were being hosted by both the French and Burgundian Courts.

Edmund Duke of Somerset and his military support from the Burgundian Court

In 1468 and 1469 Edmund Beaufort was a regular at the Court of Charles the Bold. He participated in Council meetings, and was present at diplomatic events. This may seem odd given the Duke of Burgundy’s recent marriage to Margaret of York. However, Charles himself had Lancastrian lineage, and he was well aware of unrest within England which may impact on the stability of continental Europe, in particular his lands in the Low Countries. To safeguard his own lands, Charles the Bold was willing, in 1469 and early 1470, to fund the Duke of Somerset in preparation of a Lancastrian fleet and invasion in support of restoring King Henry VI. This included plans for a fleet under the Danzig based seaman, Paul Beneke, with harbour space provided by Charles the Bold at Veere.

Political and Diplomatic Changes and Edmund, 4th Duke of Somerset

The turmoil within England in 1469-70 led to dramatic changes in the political and diplomatic scenario within France and Burgundy. These impacted upon the Duke of Somerset. In August of 1470 the Anger Agreement between Queen Margaret and the Earl of Warwick transformed the structure of alliances. The resulting readeption of King Henry VI was managed without the military involvement of the Duke of Somerset. And the King’s restoration placed Edmund, and the Duke of Exeter, in a situation where the Queen was now tied to the King of France but they were heavily in receipt of patronage from the Duke of Burgundy: the pair of whom had been at war and whom were quite possibly going to fighting one another again very imminently. Edmund was also still resentful of the Earl of Warwick for his part in the deaths of his father and brother. This, and the potential for the Duke of Clarence to also displace the Lancastrian Duke’s in terms of precedence made the scenario rather delicate.

April 1471: Edmund Duke of Somerset alters the fortunes of War

In February 1471 France engaged Burgundy in war. It was supported by the Earl of Warwick, who effectively controlled the readeption governance of England. These events angered Edmund Beaufort. So much so, that when Edward IV approached London from the north, the Duke of Somerset opted to disregard the Earl of Warwick’s plans. Instead of holding London with allies such as the Earl of Devon, he marched out of the City. This left London open for the Yorkists to enter and meant that the Earl of Warwick’s plan to face Edward with the full force of available Lancastrian and Warwick forces was not put into action.

Instead the Duke of Somerset chose firstly to march to Salisbury, and from their to the South West where he would join with the Queen and Prince Edward as they landed with their army. This decision is held by some to be the reason why Edward IV was able to take London, and defeat the Earl of Warwick’s army at Barnet.

The Battle of Twekesbury

Following the defeat and death of the Earl of Warwick by Edward IV’s army at Barnet, the Duke of Somerset took a lead in the planning of the Lancastrian forces. Now at the side of the Queen and Prince in the South West, he and other magnates loyal to the Lanccastrian cause recruited heavily in the area. The aim of the Lancastrians was to create as strong an army as possible in a short time to overcome the forces of Edward IV, which had inevitably been weakened through the battle at Barnet. This saw the Lancastrian force move through the West Country, with an overall intention of meeting with men arrayed by Jasper Tudor Earl of Pembroke in South Wales.

Edward IV was alert to the movements of the Lancastrian army. This led to an engagement at Tewkesbury before the Duke of Somerset could lead the Queen’s army across the Avon and toward the relative safety of the forces of the Earl of Pembroke. Tewkesbury saw Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset take command. Though accounts vary in relation to why, the outcome was a clear and decisive victory for the army of Edward IV and the Yorkists.

Some accounts note the military genius of King Edward IV as the primary reason for the defeat of Beaufort’s force. Others note the way in which the carefully made plans of the Duke of Somerset were not carried out by either his own command, or other captains, on the battlefield. Legend has it that during the battle, Edmund slew John Lord Wenlock, a senior Lancastrian, for having not followed his orders.

Like his elder brother, mistakes were made in underestimating the speed, guile, and ruthless nature of Edward IV on campaign. This carried onto the battlefield, where Edmund Beaufort broke from a carefully prepared defensive position and left his force vulnerable to assault by battles commanded by King Edward IV and that of the duke of Gloucester. Edmund, realising that the battle was lost, sought refuge in Tewkesbury Abbey. He and other nobles may have hoped for traditional rights of Sanctuary within the Abbey church. They were to be disappointed, after two days they were forced out of the Abbey church and the last of the male Beaufort line was briefly tried, then executed, by the town cross in the centre of Tewkesbury.

Moorhouse, Dan. Betrayal in the Wars of the Roses (Part One).

Post Battle: Sanctuary and Execution

The Founders Book of Tewkesbury Abbey summarises the events that took place as a result of the Battle of Tewkesbury:

At Tewkesbury fyelde.

Theis are the names of the noble men that were slaine at Tewkesbury fylde:

The lord Edward, prince of King Henry, in the fyeld of Gaston besides Tewkesbury slaine, & buryed in the mydst of the covent in the monastery there, upon who God have mercy.

Lord Edmund, late duke of Somerset, taken & beheaded & buryed before an image of St James Apostle at an alter in the sayd monastery church on the northe parte.

Luxford, Julian (ed). The Founders Book: A Medieval History of Tewkesbury Abbey. Shaun Tyas, Donington (2021).

Recommended Links

Jones, Michael K. “Beaufort, Edmund, styled third duke of Somerset (c. 1438–1471), magnate.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  May 21, 2009. Oxford University Press.

Susan Higginbotham – Biography of the Duke

Jones, Micheal K. Edward IV and the Beaufort Family: Conciliation in Early Yorkist Politics [pdf]. Via Richard III Society.