The Genealogy of Edward Stafford
Edward III = Philippa of Hainault
|
Edward of Woodstock Lionel of Antwerp John of Gaunt Edmund of Langley Thomas of Woodstock
'the Black Prince' duke of Clarence duke of Lancaster duke of York duke of Gloucester
= 1 = Eleanor de Bohun*
= 2
= 3
(there were other children who did not survive or affect the Crown)
* Eleanor carried the split inheritance of the High Constableship, inextricably mixed with the Crown
Edward III = Philippa of Hainault
|
Edward of Woodstock Lionel of Antwerp John of Gaunt Edmund of Langley Thomas of Woodstock
'the Black Prince' duke of Clarence duke of Lancaster duke of York duke of Gloucester
= 1 = Eleanor de Bohun*
= 2
= 3
(there were other children who did not survive or affect the Crown)
* Eleanor carried the split inheritance of the High Constableship, inextricably mixed with the Crown
| | | |
Richard II Philippa = Edmund Mortimer Edward Richard= Anne Mortimer Anne= Edmund
no heir earl of March no heir earl of Cambridge(A) earl of Stafford
John= 1 Blanche of Lancaster John= 2 Constance of Castille John= 3 Catherine Swynford
| no heir |
Henry IV=Mary de Bohun* John Beaufort Henry Beaufort Thomas Beaufort
marquis of Dorset
(the Beaufort children were conceived in double adultery, always an absolute bar to the Crown; further, Henry IV's act of Parliament by which they were legitimated, specifically reinforced the bar to any succession to the Crown)
* Mary carried the other share of the de Bohun inheritance, split with Eleanor
Richard II Philippa = Edmund Mortimer Edward Richard= Anne Mortimer Anne= Edmund
no heir earl of March no heir earl of Cambridge(A) earl of Stafford
John= 1 Blanche of Lancaster John= 2 Constance of Castille John= 3 Catherine Swynford
| no heir |
Henry IV=Mary de Bohun* John Beaufort Henry Beaufort Thomas Beaufort
marquis of Dorset
(the Beaufort children were conceived in double adultery, always an absolute bar to the Crown; further, Henry IV's act of Parliament by which they were legitimated, specifically reinforced the bar to any succession to the Crown)
* Mary carried the other share of the de Bohun inheritance, split with Eleanor
Philippa=Edmund Henry IV=Mary de Bohun
| |
Roger Henry V= Catherine de Valois =Owen Tudor
| | |
Anne=Richard earl of Cambridge (A) Henry VI= Margaret of Anjou Edmund=MargaretBeaufort Jasper
|
Edward Prince of Wales
no heir
(Henry IV usurped the Crown from Richard II, this may have illegitimated his reign, the lapsed claim from Lionel passed to the House of York by the marriage at (A) leapfrogging the usurping House of Lancaster)
(Catherine's 2nd marriage was secret and illegal, nevertheless Henry VI legitimated his half-brothers, giving them lands and titles. Margaret Beaufort(B) was the granddaughter of John Beaufort)
The House of York
Anne=Richard
|
Richard
duke of York
|
Edward IV=Elizabeth Woodville Edmund George Richard III Margaret
| | |
Edward Richard Elizabeth=Henry VII Edward Edward
'The Princes in the Tower' earl of Warwick
disappeared executed died
The Beauforts
John Beaufort
marquis of Dorset
|
John Beaufort
duke of Somerset
|
Margaret Beaufort=Edmund Tudor(1)
|
Henry VII
Margaret Beaufort=Sir Henry Stafford(2)
Margaret Beaufort=Thomas Stanley(3)
The Dukes of Buckingham
Anne=Edmund
earl of Stafford
|
Humphrey
duke of Buckingham
|
Humphrey Sir Henry Stafford
| no heir
Henry=Katherine Woodville
duke of Buckingham
|
Edward Elizabeth Henry Anne
Anne=Richard
|
Richard
duke of York
|
Edward IV=Elizabeth Woodville Edmund George Richard III Margaret
| | |
Edward Richard Elizabeth=Henry VII Edward Edward
'The Princes in the Tower' earl of Warwick
disappeared executed died
The Beauforts
John Beaufort
marquis of Dorset
|
John Beaufort
duke of Somerset
|
Margaret Beaufort=Edmund Tudor(1)
|
Henry VII
Margaret Beaufort=Sir Henry Stafford(2)
Margaret Beaufort=Thomas Stanley(3)
The Dukes of Buckingham
Anne=Edmund
earl of Stafford
|
Humphrey
duke of Buckingham
|
Humphrey Sir Henry Stafford
| no heir
Henry=Katherine Woodville
duke of Buckingham
|
Edward Elizabeth Henry Anne
No genealogy of the English royal family, through so many turbulent generations, can be more than a summary; to include all the minor branches would lead to impossible confusion, as would all the names, titles and dates.
You can find my own research and the narrative story in Edward, in the chapter “The Kings of England” but I can’t resist a couple of notes here.
First let me recommend a stupendous book, Terry Jones’ “Who Murdered Chaucer?” It depicts the usurpation of Richard II by an increasingly depraved Henry IV under the influence of the demonic arch-bishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel. It is, of course, at complete variance to the established History, written, as always, by the victors.
Did the taint in John of Gaunt’s blood (by the way, it should be spelled ‘Ghent’) not only cost England’s French empire and establish his own bastard line on the throne, but also cause the greatest misdirection in English history? It is essentially certain, if you allow the conquest by William I as lawful, there has been no lawful king or queen of England since the killing of Richard III in 1485. It is obvious no Tudor had any claim to the throne, and it is an irony that forcing Edward IV’s daughter (who was actually in love with her uncle Richard) to marry Henry Tudor could also confer no legitimacy. Although Richard, duke of York, undoubtedly had a preeminent claim, Edward IV was not his biological son and so Elizabeth was no more a legitimate claimant than Henry Tudor himself. By the way, this is not only noted elsewhere on this site but was noted by B.B.C. in 2004.
Apart from the general corruption of government and court institutions, personal embezzlement and examples of moral turpitude implicit in illegitimate rule, there is a further point, perhaps two, fear and envy. Whenever any lawful member of the nobility raised his head from abject subservience, the Tudors would recognise their superior and cut off that head.
'Lawful’ is a term the powerful like to apply to themselves and Parliaments found it unwise to argue with he who claimed to be king, right up to Stuart times. Through all the generations in this genealogy it is strange the one branch of royalty that comes straight and lawfully from Edward III has been so thoroughly ignored; but, unlike so many of their cousins, the Staffords were more interested in Law than personal ambition.
The split claim to the hereditary High Constableship of England, which became known as 'the de Bohun Inheritance,’ is important for its link to the Holy Grail, as well becoming the mark of the true claim to the throne. For many generations the Constableship had been held by the de Bohun earls of Huntingdon, when the male line died out the claim to renew it passed to the last earl’s daughters, Eleanor and Mary. As both married princes, if anyone could claim both parts through the sisters it would fix not only the right to the Constableship but also the legal right to be king. In the reign of Henry VIII a special court awarded the Constableship to Edward Stafford, also confirming him as heir general to both Edward III and Henry VI; Henry VIII was furious.
More important than the Crown was the Holy Grail. It was claimed the Constableship was the conscience of England, and the holders of it were the guardians of the Grail in succession to Sir Percival, the Grail keeper in the legend of King Arthur. The succession was very like that of popes, holding the authority of St. Peter, except in the case of the Constableship and the Grail the succession was in blood.
There is a story that Humphrey, 1st duke of Buckingham, had a terrible argument with the Duke of Bedford, Henry V’s brother and regent of France. During the argument Bedford suffered a heart attack. It is said, in remorse, Buckingham buried Bedford’s heart at Kimbolton, the seat of the de Bohun earls of Huntingdon.
When Henry VIII executed Edward Stafford in 1521 he killed England’s Conscience, as he would go on to kill England’s Catholic connection to God in the Reformation.
Mike Voyce
