Humphrey de Bohun ★

Born March 25, 1342 in England. He married After September 9, 1359, to Joan FitzAlan and worked as lord high constable. He died January 16, 1373.

Family Background

Humphrey de Bohun was born March 25, 1342, son of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, and Elizabeth de Badlesmere; through his paternal grandfather he descended from Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of Edward I, tying the Bohuns into the royal family.

Inheritance of Three Earldoms

When his childless uncle, also named Humphrey de Bohun, died around 1360–1361, the younger Humphrey inherited an extraordinary concentration of titles, holding the earldoms of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton simultaneously until his own death in 1373.

Lord High Constable

Humphrey served as Lord High Constable of England from 1361 to 1372, one of the great offices of the medieval English state; his eventual successor in the post was his own son-in-law, Thomas of Woodstock.

Military Service

Humphrey joined the 1365 sack of Alexandria, a crusading expedition that followed King Peter I of Cyprus's visit to England, one of the notable military ventures of his generation.

Marriage and Death

Humphrey married Joan FitzAlan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, and Eleanor of Lancaster, sometime after September 9, 1359. He died January 16, 1373, without a male heir, so his titles fell into abeyance while his vast estates divided between his surviving daughters: Eleanor de Bohun, who married Thomas of Woodstock, youngest son of Edward III, and Mary de Bohun, who married Henry Bolingbroke, the future King Henry IV.