Prince: Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, 1373-1415

It's a memorable part of the play Henry V.  The King has just given his St. Crispin's Day speech and his cousin, Edward of Norwich, Duke of York, kneels to beg the honor of leading the English vanguard into action at Agincourt.  The King grants it and poor but lucky Edward goes off to immortality.  In fact, Shakespeare made use of Edward of York's character in two places, but we'll get there in due time.

Edward, 1373-1415, was the oldest son of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York and son of Edward III.  Most Plantagenet princes had two designations, the place where they were born, and their ducal titles.  On this basis, some have asserted that Edward bore the designation of Norwich, though that was likely a later addition to distinguish him from that other Edward of York, the future Edward IV.  Edward, of Norwich that is, would hold important posts in the reign of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V.  Thus, by the time he came to his fate on the field Agincourt, he was a seasoned courtier, statesman and soldier of many years standing.

Under Richard II, his first cousin, he was Lord Admiral of England and a member of the King's Council.  He would later hold other positions such as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Constable of the Tower, and Keeper of the Channel Islands.  He was also created Duke of Aumale, part of the family's French possessions.  Edward remained loyal to Richard during the turbulent final portion of his reign, even leaving with him on a campaign to Ireland just as Henry of Bolingbroke landed in England at the head of an invasion fleet in 1399.  However close Edward felt personally toward Richard, self-preservation for himself and his family was paramount and he deserted to Bolingbroke's standard.  He was one of those who went to Flint Castle to prevail upon Richard II to abdicate.

Under the new Henry IV, yet another first cousin through John of Gaunt, Edward's situation was dicey at first.  Many still suspected him because of his long loyalty to Richard II.  For a time, he was stripped of his offices and imprisoned in Windsor Castle.  Henry IV finally relented and restored Edward to his seat on the Council and his position as Keeper of the Channel Islands.  He was eventually made Keeper of North Wales and Lieutenant of Aquitaine.  In 1402, Edmund of Langley died and Edward succeeded his father as Duke of York.  Trouble brewed in 1405, when Edward was implicated in a conspiracy with Welsh leader Owen Glendower and members of the Mortimer family and the Earl of Northumberland to wrest power from Henry IV and divide the kingdom up amongst this group of plotters.  Edward was imprisoned again, but back within Henry IV's favor months later.  He was lucky.  He could have been accused of treason and been yet another prince in a tower.  During the later parts of Henry IV's reign, Edward kept himself in France and stayed out of trouble.  He was master of Henry IV's hunting hounds and translated a French treatise on hunting, adding his own material, which later became known as The Master of Game.

Henry IV died in 1413 and his son, Henry V succeeded to the throne.  In France, Edward was part of the negotiations for the marriage between Henry V and Catherine of Valois.  As tensions with France escalated, Edward's younger brother, Richard of Conisborough was implicated in yet another plot against the King, the Southampton Plot.  Edward was implicated but departed for France just as his brother was arrested and later beheaded.  He was at the Siege of Harfleur before leading the English vanguard to the fateful meeting at Agincourt, where he was, in fact, the leader of the English right wing.  During the battle, Henry V had to go to the aid of his younger brother, Humphrey of Gloucester, another interesting character, and was at risk of being killed by one of the French commanders, Joan of Arc's supporter, the Duke of Alencon.  Edward of York put himself in Alencon's way to protect the King and sustained a head injury from which he died.  With the battle won and Edward having died a hero, the King could not deprive the Yorks of their property, though the next heir in line was Richard of Conisborough's son, the father of the future Edward IV and Richard III.  Young Richard succeeded to his uncle's title and became, through his granddaughter Elizabeth of York, the ancestor of every English King since Henry VIII.

Edward was married twice, once to a Portuguese princess, Beatrice, and secondly to Philippa, the daughter of John, Baron de Mohun.  Neither of these marriages produced children.  Edward's body was brought back and buried in the church at Fotheringhay, which still stands even though the namesake castle no longer exists.  A monument to Edward of York dates from the Elizabethan era.  Meanwhile, in addition to his heroism in Henry V, Shakespeare also used Edward's character in Richard II as the Duke of Aumale.