Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter

Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC (c. 1496 – 9 January 1539) was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.

He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay. Their maternal first cousins included among others Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret, queen consort of Scotland, Henry VIII of England, Elizabeth Tudor, Mary, queen consort of France, Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset and Katherine Tudor, Princess of England.

Early life

At the time of his birth his paternal grandfather Edward Courtenay was still the Earl of Devon and his father was his eldest son and heir. But in 1504, William Courtenay was accused of maintaining correspondence with Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, the leading Yorkist claimant to the throne, and Henry VII of England had him incarcerated in the Tower of London. Henry had lost his chances at inheriting the Earldom of Devon.

Henry VII died on 22 April 1509 and Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon on 28 May 1509. Henry VIII had succeeded to the throne and released William Courtenay from the Tower. On 24 June 1509, William took part in the coronation of Henry VIII. He carried the sword for his royal nephew. He enjoyed some favor with Henry VIII who created him Earl of Devon on 10 May 1511. However William died on 9 June 1511. Henry Courtenay was his heir.

Earl of Devon

The attainder had not been fully removed but Henry was allowed to succeed his father as the...
Read More