Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York

English Royalty
House of Plantagenet

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Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (June 5, 1341 – August 1, 1402) was a younger son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, the fourth of the five sons of the Royal couple who lived to adulthood. He was the founder of the House of York, but it was through the marriage of his younger son, Richard, that the Yorkist faction in the Wars of the Roses made its claim on the throne.

Like so many medieval princes, Edmund gained his identifying nickname from his birthplace: Kings Langley in Hertfordshire. At the age of twenty-one, he was created Earl of Cambridge. In 1384, Edmund was created Duke of York.

His first wife, Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York, was a daughter of Pedro "the Cruel" of Castile and María de Padilla. They had two sons, Edward (killed in action at the Battle of Agincourt) and Richard, Earl of Cambridge (executed for treason by Henry V), as well as a daughter, Constance (an ancestor of queen Anne Neville).

After Isabella's death in 1392, Edmund married Joan de Holland, his second cousin (she was a daughter of Joan of Kent; Joan of Kent and Edmund were both descendents of Edward I). Langley and Joan produced no children.

Although marriages within the royal family and between royal families are the rule, it is interesting to note Edmund's marital ties to his older brother, John of Gaunt. Edmund's first wife was the sister of John of Gaunt's wife, and Edmund's second wife was the sister of John of Gaunt's daughter-in-law.

Death

Edmund of Langley died in his birthplace, and was buried there, in the church of the mendicant friars. His dukedom passed to his eldest son, Edward.

Preceded by: Sir Thomas Reines	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1376–1381	Succeeded by: Sir Robert Assheton
Preceded by: The Lord Beaumont	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1396–1398	Succeeded by: The Marquess of Dorset

Preceded by: New Creation	Earl of Cambridge 1362–1402	Succeeded by: Edward
Preceded by: New Creation	Duke of York 1384–1402