Cardinal Beaufort

This is a study of one of the leading figures in the rise and decline of the Lancastrian kingship in the first half of the 15th century. Henry Beaufort was the first residential cardinal in the English church and held the sees of Lincoln and Winchester for almost 50 years. Chancellor of England and a leading councillor to three kings, he was instrumental, Harriss argues, in the establishment of the Lancastrian dynasty under Henry IV, the bid for the French Crown by Henry V and the defence of Lancastrian France in the minority of Henry VI. Reputed the richest prelate in Christendom, his loans to the crown gave him control over royal finance and policy and bred rivalry with Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. For 20 years, he sought European recognition for the Lancastrian Dual Monarchy and a peace which would safeguard its conquests. In this he failed, and the author sees his career as epitomizing the predicament of a nation which saw its prestige decline and its unity dissolve under the burden of military ambition. The work is intended to be of value to scholars and students of late medieval British history, particularly those interested in political, constitutional, ecclesiastical and military aspects.Table of ContentThe emergence of the Beauforts; the challenge to the dynasty, 1403-1407; the Prince's faction, 1408-1413; in the service of Henry V, 1413-1417; disgrace and restoration, 1417-1422; the establishment of conciliar government, 1422-1424; the first quarrel with Gloucester, 1424-1425; Bedford's intervention, 1426-1427; crisis and crusade, 1427-1429; the coronation expedition, 1429-1432; Gloucester's second attack, 1432; Bedford, Beaufort and Burgundy - the last phase, 1433-1435; the anti-Burgundian reaction and the ending of the minority, 1435-1436; finance and the French war, 1436-1439; politics and the pursuit of peace, 1436-1439; waning influence, 1439-1442; the last throw, 1442-1444; retirement, 1444-1446; last will and final judgement. Appendices: 1 - Henry Beaufort's loans to the Crown; 2 - lands in the possession of the Beauforts; 3 - the sources of Beaufort's wealth. List of sources. Index.