John de Holand, 1st Duke of Exeter ★

1350s–1380s

Born around 1352, third son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, and Joan of Kent, and half-brother of Richard II. In 1385 he killed Ralph Stafford and lost his lands until he made peace with the Staffords in 1386. Married Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, in 1386 and was created Earl of Huntingdon in 1388.

1390s

Lord Great Chamberlain from 1389 and Admiral of the Fleet in the Western Seas; went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1394. Helped Richard II arrest Thomas of Woodstock in 1397 and was made Duke of Exeter on 29 September 1397, then lost every title when Henry IV took the throne in 1399.

1400s

Joined the Epiphany Rising to restore Richard II, was captured near Pleshey Castle, Essex, and executed on 16 January 1400.

Family Background

John Holland, born around 1352, was the third son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, and Joan of Kent, "the Fair Maid of Kent." His mother's later marriage to Edward the Black Prince made him half-brother to King Richard II, a connection that would shape his entire career.

A Violent Temper

During Richard II's 1385 Scottish expedition, an archer serving Ralph Stafford killed one of Holland's esquires; when Stafford came to apologize, Holland killed him on the spot once he recognized who he was. Richard ordered Holland's lands forfeited, and Joan of Kent reportedly died of grief over the feud between her sons before Holland reconciled with the Staffords in 1386 and recovered his estates.

Military and Political Rise

After marrying Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, in 1386, Holland served as constable of Gaunt's army on its Spanish expedition, and was created Earl of Huntingdon by act of Parliament on June 2, 1388. Further honors followed rapidly: Lord Great Chamberlain in 1389, Admiral of the Fleet in the Western Seas, and constable of Conway Castle in 1394 and Carlisle in 1395, interrupted by a 1394 pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Loyalty to Richard II

Holland remained fiercely loyal to his half-brother through the 1390s, marching with Richard in 1397 to arrest their uncle Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, and holding Arundel Castle at the king's order. Richard rewarded him with the dukedom of Exeter on September 29, 1397.

Downfall and Execution

Holland's fortunes collapsed when Henry Bolingbroke deposed Richard II in 1399 to become Henry IV, who stripped Holland of every title and reward Richard had granted him. In early 1400 Holland joined his nephew Thomas Holland and Thomas le Despencer in the Epiphany Rising, a plot to assassinate Henry IV and restore Richard to the throne. The conspiracy failed; Holland was captured near Pleshey Castle in Essex and executed on January 16, 1400, and buried at Pleshey's collegiate church, though his tomb was later destroyed for building materials.