Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick

Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick (21 March 1425 – 11 June 1446) was an English nobleman.

He was the son of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and Isabel le Despenser. In 1434, Henry married Cecille Neville, the eldest daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Alice Montagu, Countess of Salisbury.

He became 14th Earl of Warwick on his father's death in 1439. His boyhood friendship with King Henry VI and his father's military services placed him high in the King's favour, and he was loaded with titles. In 1444, he was made premier Earl of the realm, and on 14 April 1445, was created Duke of Warwick, preceded only by the Duke of Norfolk. This precedence was disputed by the Duke of Buckingham, whom it displaced. However, the issue was rendered moot by his death in June, at which time the dukedom expired for lack of heirs-male. He is said to have been crowned King of the Isle of Wight in 1444 by Henry VI, to place his playmate on a more equal standing with him.

On his death, the earldom was inherited by his two-year old daughter, Anne (4 February 1443/4 – 3 January 1448/9), suo jure Countess of Warwick. She, however, died three years later, and there was some question regarding who, if any, of her father's sisters (or their heirs) should succeed. In the end, his full sister Anne (who was married to Richard Neville, eldest son of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and brother to Beauchamp's widow) was declared the heir, due to the English common law principle that "possession by the brother makes the sister the heir", which denies relatives of the half-blood from inheriting when full-blood relatives are available to inherit. The three half-sisters from their father's first marriage contested this decision, but to no avail.

Ancestry

Family of Henry Beauchamp, Duke of Warwick

16. Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick 8. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick 17. Alice de Toeni 4. Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick 18. Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March 9. Katherine Mortimer 19. Joan de Geneville, Baroness Geneville 2. Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick 20. Henry Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby 10. William Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Groby 21. Isabel de Verdon 5. Margaret Ferrers 22. Robert Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk 11. Margaret Ufford 23. Margaret de Norwich 1. Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick 24. Edward le Despencer 12. Edward le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer 25. Anne Ferrers 6. Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester 26. Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh 13. Elizabeth de Burghersh 27. Cicely Weyland 3. Isabel le Despenser 28. Edward III of England 14. Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York 29. Philippa of Hainault 7. Constance of York 30. Peter of Castile 15. Isabella of Castile 31. María de Padilla