George Neville, Duke of Bedford
George Neville | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Bedford | |
| Born | 22 February 1465 |
| Died | 4 May 1483 |
| Noble family | Neville |
| Father | John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu |
| Mother | Isabel Ingoldisthorpe |
George Neville, Duke of Bedford (22 February 1465 – 4 May 1483)[1] was an English nobleman, a scion of the House of Neville. At birth, he was likely heir to great wealth, but due to the political failure of his father and uncle,[citation needed] he inherited very little.
He was the son of John Neville, Earl of Northumberland and a nephew of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. George's mother was Isabel Ingoldisthorpe, daughter and heiress of Sir Edmund Ingoldsthorpe and Joan Tiptoft.[1]
At birth, George was the likely or possible heir to considerable property. Most definite were the property of his father's earldom, his mother's Ingoldsthorpe estates, and the more modest jointure of his parents. The latter two were by themselves sufficient to support a baron.[1] He was also heir presumptive (after his father) to the Neville estates of his uncle Warwick. These were entailed to heirs male and the earl had only daughters. Finally, George was likely to inherit (after his mother and grandmother) a third share of the Tiptoft property held by his childless grand-uncle, John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, whose sister and heiress Joan was George's maternal grandmother. These inheritances altogether would yield over 4,000 pounds a year, comparable to the 4,500 pounds annual income of the Duke of Clarence.[1] When George was born, it was proposed that he should be betrothed to Anne Holland,[1] the Duchess of Exeter's daughter.[1] Had this happened, it is argued that he would have become the greatest nobleman of his generation.[1]
George Neville was made Duke of Bedford in 1470, as the intended husband of Elizabeth of York, to whom he had been betrothed since 1469 as part of Edward IV's strategy to control Warwick and Clarence.[1] The title had lain unused since John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford died on 14 September 1435, leaving no legitimate children.[2][3] However, his father and his uncle Warwick rebelled against King Edward IV the following year and were slain in battle,[4] causing the proposed marriage to be scrapped.[1] An act of attainder was never passed against them, but George received no inheritance from them or from his maternal ancestors. An act of Parliament in 1475 gave the Neville inheritance in the north of England to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, husband of one of Warwick's daughters.[5] George had a half-interest in the estates of his maternal grandfather, Sir Edmund Ingoldsthorpe, and his maternal grandmother, Joan Tiptoft.[6]
Shortly before he came of age in 1478 he was denied the title of duke by act of Parliament, ostensibly for lack of money to "support the name, estate or dignity" of a duke.[5][7] The title was subsequently given to the infant George of York, the third son of Edward IV.[1] He died in 1483 of natural causes.[8]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hicks, M.A. (2018). "What might have been: George Neville, Duke of Bedford 1465-83 — His identity and significance" (PDF). Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "John, duke of Bedford". Wars of the Roses. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ Castelli, Jorge H. "PLANTAGENET (1º D. Bedford)". Tudorplace.com. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "John Neville, Marquess of Mountagu". www.englishmonarchs.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ a b Ross 30
- ^ Ross 30 footnote
- ^ Mitford, Nancy, ed. (1986). Noblesse oblige: an enquiry into the identifiable characteristics of the English aristocracy. Atheneum paperbacks (1. Atheneum paperback ed.). New York: Atheneum Publ. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-689-70704-9.
- ^ "George Neville". Wars of the Roses. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
References
[edit]- Hicks, Michael (1986). "What Might Have Been: George Neville, Duke of Bedford, 1465–83: His Identity and Significance". The Ricardian. 96. reprinted in his book Richard III and his Rivals.
- Ross, Charles (1981). Richard III. Methuen. ISBN 0-413-29530-3.