Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter

Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, was one of the legitimised children of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. He served Henry IV and Henry V as naval commander, chancellor and senior military officer and became one of the most trusted members of the Lancastrian regime.

Beaufort fought in France, received custody of important prisoners and helped govern during Henry V’s campaigns. He died in 1426 without surviving legitimate children. Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter died in Greenwich.

Nathen Amin’s The House of Beaufort follows Thomas Beaufort as one of the legitimised children of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford whose careers tied the family to the Lancastrian monarchy. His military and court service under Henry IV and Henry V forms part of Amin’s explanation of how the Beauforts converted an initially irregular birth status into sustained political influence before the Wars of the Roses destroyed much of the male line.