William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon
William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1475 – 9 June 1511).
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[edit] Origins
He was the son of Sir Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon by Elizabeth Courtenay, daughter of Sir Philip Courtenay (b. 1445) of Molland, 2nd son of Sir Philip Courtenay (d. 1463) of Powderham by Elizabeth Hungerford, daughter of Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford (d. 1449). William's parents were thus distant cousins, sharing a common descent from Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (d. 1377).
[edit] Career
Made a Knight Bachelor on 25 November 1487, William was a supporter of Henry VII. The occasion was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. He was a supporter of Henry VII, and Captain in the royal army. He assisted his father in the defeat of the pretender Perkin Warbeck at Battle of Blackheath in 1497, which secured finally the Tudor Succession.
[edit] Attainder
However William fell out of favour. Henry VII (1485–1509) discovered that he had joined in the conspiracy to crown Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (d. 1513), the last Yorkist claimant. For his complicity he was attainted and imprisoned in the Tower of London in February 1504, and so made incapable of inheritance.
[edit] Pardoned and restored
Released from prison by Henry VIII(1509–1547), Courtenay was pardoned and restored to his rights and privileges, as a sword bearer at the coronation on 24 June 1509. It is a matter of debate as to whether he lived long enough to have been formally restored in his honours.[1] Certain sources however maintain that assumed the full titles and lands of the earldom on 10 May 1511, after jousting in a full tournament with the king and his cousin Sir Thomas Knyvett and Sir William Nevill.
[edit] Death and burial
He died a month later on 9 June 1511 of pleurisy and was buried by a royal warrant at Blackfriars.
[edit] Marriage and progeny
He married Catherine of York the sixth daughter of King Edward IV by Elizabeth Woodville. William and Catherine had three children:
- Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (c. 1496 – 9 January 1539) married (1) Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle and (2) Gertrude Blount
- Edward Courtenay (c. 1497–1502)
- Lady Margaret Courtenay (c. 1499 – before 1526) married Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester.
[edit] Sources
- G E Cockayne, Complete Peerage new ed. (1910–59)
- Great Britain, and Richard Bligh. New Reports of Cases Heard in the House of Lords, On Appeals and Writs of Error. London: Saunders and Benning, 1829. googlebooks Retrieved January 26, 2008
- thepeerage.com Accessed January 26, 2008
- familysearch.org Accessed January 26, 2008
[edit] References
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.354 states he did not live long enough to have received restoration of his honours
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Earl of Devon 4th creation 1469 |
Succeeded by Henry Courtenay |
