John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset
(1404-1444), Magnate and soldierSitter in 1 portrait
John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, was an English noble and military commander. He was the second son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and succeeded his elder brother Henry to become the 3rd Earl of Somerset in 1418. Beaufort fought in Henry V's 1419 campaigns in France. In 1421, he accompanied the king's younger brother Thomas of Lancaster to the fighting in Anjou. Thomas was killed at the Battle of Baugé and Somerset was captured. He remained imprisoned for seventeen years, and after being ransomed, became one of the leading English commanders in France. In 1443, he was created Duke of Somerset and Earl of Kendal.
John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset
published by John Thane
line engraving, published 1794
NPG D23894
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.