Thomas Plantagenet, duke of Clarence

Thomas Plantagenet, duke of Clarence (born before Sept. 30, 1388, London—died March 22, 1421, Baugé, Anjou, Fr.) was the Duke of Clarence and the second son of Henry IV of England and aide to his elder brother, Henry V.

He twice visited Ireland, where he was nominally lord lieutenant, 1401–13. For a short time, in 1412, he replaced his elder brother, afterward King Henry V, as the chief figure in the government. Clarence favoured an alliance with the Orléanists and led an unsuccessful expedition to France in August 1412. But, after Henry V’s accession in 1413, the Duke served his brother faithfully and took part in the preparations for the French war. He was present at the siege of Harfleur but was invalided home before Agincourt and acted as regent in 1416. During the invasion of Normandy, in 1417, Clarence led the assault to Caen, and, after Henry V’s return to England in 1421, he remained in France as the King’s lieutenant. He was killed in Anjou while rashly attacking the French and their Scottish allies. At the time of his death he was heir to the throne. His marriage with Margaret Holand was childless, and his titles became extinct.