Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, 6th Baron Audley, was born 2 March 1378 to Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford (1336-1386) and Philippa de Beauchamp (bef1344-1386) and died 22 July 1403 Battle of Shrewsbury of Battle Wounds.
Biography
Edmond Stafford inherited the Earldom at the age of 17, the third of three out of four brothers to inherit the title. His eldest brother, Sir Ralph, died before inheriting the title and his two elder brothers died without issue.
He was made a Knight of the Bath, along with his younger brother Hugh, at the coronation of Henry IV and a Knight of the Garter in 1403.
He was killed by the Scotsman, Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas while fighting with the royalist forces of King Henry IV at the Battle of Shrewsbury on 22 July 1403. He was buried at the Church of the Austin Friars in Stafford.
He is featured in the Shakespeare play, Henry IV.
Family of Edmond Stafford
He married Anne of Gloucester as her second husband under special license, as she was the widow of his brother Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford who had died prior to the consummation of his marriage at the age of 18. Edmund and his brothers were ward of the Gloucester family. Anne was the granddaughter of King Edward III by his son Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester and Eleanor de Bohun.
Children
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1402-1460) | 1402 | 10 June 1460 Northampton, England | Anne Neville (1414-1480) |
Anne Stafford (1403-1432) | 1403 | 20 September 1432 | Edmund Mortimer (1391-1425) John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter (1396-1447) |
Philippa Stafford |
Footnotes (including sources)
‡ General |