| House of Beaufort | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Armorial of Beaufort |
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| Country | Kingdom of England | ||
| Parent house | House of Plantagenet (legitimised) | ||
| Titles | |||
| Founder | John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset | ||
| Current head | David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort | ||
| Founding year | 1373 | ||
| Ethnicity | English, French (see details) | ||
| Cadet branches |
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The House of Beaufort descended from John Beaufort (1371-1410) the legitimized son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. Although officially barred from inheiriting the throne the Beauforts played an important role in the dynastic struggles of the fifteenth century as powerful nobles with close ties to the royal family, especially the House of Lancaster.
Henry VII traced his claim to the English crown through his descent from Margaret Beaufort, his mother, who was a granddaughter of John Beaufort, and great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (see above).
The Beaufort family in the male line is today represented by the Duke of Beaufort, a descendant of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset through his illegitimate son Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester.
Notable Beauforts included:
- John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (c. 1371–1410).
- Henry Beaufort, 2nd Earl of Somerset (c. 1401–1418).
- John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. 1404–1444).
- Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443–1509), mother of King Henry VII of England
- Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland (c. 1404–1445)
- Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche (c. 1405–1431)
- Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset (c. 1406–1455).
- Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1436–1464).
- Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Stafford (c. 1427–1474)
- Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset (c. 1438–1471).
- John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset (c. 1455–1471)
- Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Devon (1409–1449)
- Henry Cardinal Beaufort (c. 1375-1447), Bishop of Winchester
- Thomas Beaufort (c. 1377–1426), Duke of Exeter
- Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland (c. 1379–1440)
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