Duke_of_Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Titular owner of the estates of the Duchy of Lancaster and head of the County Palatine of Lancaster

This article is about the title. For the ships, see Duke of Lancaster (ship). For the regiment of the British Army, see Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. For the estate, see Duchy of Lancaster.

The dukedom of Lancaster is a former English peerage, created three times in the Middle Ages, which finally merged in the Crown when Henry V succeeded to the throne in 1413. Despite the extinction of the dukedom the title has continued to be used to refer to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom in relation to the County Palatine of Lancaster and the Duchy of Lancaster, an estate held separately from the Crown Estate for the benefit of the sovereign.[1]

Quick Facts Dukedom of Lancaster, Creation date ...

History

See also: Earl of Lancaster

There were three creations of the dukedom of Lancaster during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The first creation was on 6 March 1351 for Henry of Grosmont, 4th Earl of Lancaster, a great-grandson of Henry III; he was also 4th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Derby, 1st Earl of Lincoln and Lord of Bowland. When he died in 1361 the peerage became extinct.

The second creation was on 13 November 1362, for John of Gaunt, 1st Earl of Richmond and third surviving son of King Edward III.[2] He became Henry of Grosmont's son-in-law through his marriage to Blanche of Lancaster, Henry's second daughter and eventual heir. When Gaunt died on 4 February 1399 the dukedom passed to his son, Henry of Bolingbroke, 1st duke of Hereford. Later that same year Bolingbroke usurped the throne of England from Richard II, becoming Henry IV, at which point the dukedom merged in the Crown.

Henry re-created the dukedom on 10 November 1399 for his eldest son Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales. In 1413 Monmouth ascended the throne as King Henry V and the dukedom merged in the crown again, where it has remained ever since.

Nevertheless, the title continues to be used to refer to the monarch in relation to Lancashire and the Duchy of Lancaster, the estate associated with the former dukedom. It was customary at formal dinners in the historic county boundaries of Lancashire and in Lancastrian regiments of the armed forces for the Loyal Toast to be announced as "The King, Duke of Lancaster". In addition, in Lancaster it is still common to hear the national anthem sung as "God save our gracious King, long live our noble Duke".[3][4] However, the legal basis for the sovereign to use the title has been disputed as the right to inheritance of the title only arises upon each creation, which is different than the crown's right to the duchy's estate after the merger. In particular, George V was given legal advice that it was “extremely unlikely” that he was the duke of Lancaster.[5]

First creation, 1351–1361

More information Portrait, Birth ...

Second creation, 1362–1399

More information Portrait, Birth ...

Third creation, 1399–1413

More information Portrait, Birth ...

Family tree

References

  1. [1]
    "HM The King, Duke of Lancaster". Duchy of Lancaster. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Duchy of Lancaster". Lancaster Castle. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  3. [3]
    "The Reverend John Williams". The Daily Telegraph. 24 December 2003.
  4. [4]
    Tulloch, Alexander (2013). The Little Book of Lancashire. Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7524-9746-4.
  5. [5]
    Hibbert, Christopher; Weinreb, Ben; Keay, John; Keay, Julia (9 September 2011). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-230-73878-2.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Duke_of_Lancaster, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.