Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the peerage of England, most recently in 1572. The earldom was held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, from 1768 to 1988, until the dukedom became extinct.
Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the peerage of England, most recently in 1572. The earldom was held as a subsidiary title by the Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, from 1768 to 1988, until the dukedom became extinct.
The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancaster—from which the house was named—for his second son Edmund Crouchback in 1267. Edmund had already been created Earl of Leicester in 1265 and was granted the lands and privileges of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, after de Montfort's death and attainder at the end of the Second Barons' War. When Edmund's son Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, inherited his father-in-law's estates and title of Earl of Lincoln he became at a stroke the most powerful nobleman in England, with lands throughout the kingdom and the ability to raise vast private armies to wield power at national and local levels. This brought him—and Henry, his younger brother—into conflict with their cousin King Edward II, leading to Thomas's execution. Henry inherited Thomas's titles and he and his son, who was also called Henry, gave loyal service to Edward's son King Edward III.
The second house of Lancaster was descended from John of Gaunt, a Plantagenet prince, who married the heiress of the first house, Blanche of Lancaster. Edward III married all his sons to wealthy English heiresses rather than following his predecessors' practice of finding continental political marriages for royal princes. Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, had no male heir so Edward married his son John to Henry's heiress daughter and John's third cousin Blanche of Lancaster. This gave John the vast wealth of the House of Lancaster. Their son Henry usurped the throne in 1399, creating one of the factions in the Wars of the Roses. There was an intermittent dynastic struggle between the descendants of Edward III. In these wars, the term "Lancastrian" became a reference to members of the family and their supporters. The family provided England with three kings: Henry IV (r. 1399–1413), Henry V (r. 1413–1422), and Henry VI (r. 1422–1461 and 1470–1471).
A collar, also known as collar of an order, is an ornate chain, often made of gold and enamel, and set with precious stones, which is worn about the neck as a symbol of membership in various chivalric orders. It is a particular form of the livery collar, the grandest form of the widespread phenomenon of livery in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. Orders which have several grades often reserve the collar for the highest grade (usually called the Grand Cross). The links of the chain are usually composed of symbols of the order, and the badge (also called "decoration", "cross" or "jewel") of the order normally hangs down in front. Sometimes the badge is referred to by what is depicted on it; for instance, the badge that hangs from the chain of the Order of the Garter is referred to as "the George".
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman of the first House of Lancaster, a cadet branch of the royal Plantagenet dynasty. He held the titles of Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby from 1296 until his death in 1322, and also those of Earl of Lincoln and Salisbury jure uxoris from 1311 to 1322. As one of the most powerful barons in England, Thomas became a leading figure in the baronial opposition to his first cousin, King Edward II.