Thomas of Woodstock , 1st Duke of Gloucester Thomas of Woodstock , 1st Duke of Gloucester , 1st Earl of Buckingham , 1st Earl of Essex , Duke of Aumale , ( 7 January 1355 – 8 or 9 September 1397 ) was the thirteenth and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault . He was the fifth of the five sons of Edward III who survived to adulthood . Early life . Thomas was born after two short - lived sons , one of whom had also been baptised Thomas . He was born at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire . He married Eleanor de Bohun in 1376 and inherited the title Earl of Essex from his father - in - law , Humphrey de Bohun , 7th Earl of Hereford . The younger sister of Woodstock ' s wife , Mary de Bohun , was subsequently married to Henry " Bolingbroke , " who eventually became Henry IV of England . At the age of 22 , in 1377 , Woodstock was created Earl of Buckingham . In 1385 he received the title Duke of Aumale and at about the same time was created Duke of Gloucester . Campaign in Brittany . Thomas of Woodstock commanded one of the largest campaigns of the period . This followed the Breton War of Succession , when English forces had supported John V , Duke of Brittany , against his rival for the Dukedom Charles of Blois , who was supported by France . At the head of an English army , John was victorious , but the French had continued to undermine his position , and he was later forced into exile in England . He returned in 1379 , supported by Breton barons who feared the annexation of Brittany by France . An English army was sent under Woodstock to support his position . Due to concerns about the safety of a longer shipping route to Brittany itself , the army was ferried to the English continental stronghold of Calais in July 1380 . As Woodstock marched his 5 , 000 men east of Paris they were confronted by the Duke of Burgundy ' s army at Troyes , but the French had learned from Crécy and Poitiers not to offer a pitched battle to the English , so the two armies eventually marched away . French defensive operations were then thrown into disarray by the death of Charles V a few days later . Woodstock ' s chevauchée continued westwards largely unopposed , and in November 1380 he laid siege to Nantes and its vital bridge over the Loire towards Aquitaine . However , he found himself unable to form an effective stranglehold and urgent plans were put in place for Sir Thomas Felton to bring 2 , 000 reinforcements from England . By January , though , it had become apparent that the Duke of Brittany was reconciled to the new French King and , with the alliance collapsing and dysentery ravaging his men , Woodstock abandoned the siege and accepted a 50 , 000 franc pay - off from the Duke of Brittany . Dispute with King Richard II . Thomas of Woodstock was the leader of the Lords Appellant , a group of powerful nobles whose ambition to wrest power from Thomas ' s nephew , King Richard II of England , culminated in a successful rebellion in 1388 , which significantly weakened the king ' s power . Richard II managed to dispose of the Lords Appellant in 1397 , and Thomas was imprisoned in Calais to await trial for treason . During that time he was murdered , probably by a group of men led by Thomas de Mowbray , 1st Duke of Norfolk , and Nicholas Colfox , presumably on behalf of Richard II . This caused an outcry among the nobility of England that is considered by many to have added to Richard ' s unpopularity . Issue . Together Eleanor and Thomas had five children : As he was attainted as a traitor , his dukedom of Gloucester was forfeit . The title Earl of Buckingham was inherited by his son , who however died only two years later in 1399 . Thomas of Woodstock ' s eldest daughter , Anne , married into the powerful Stafford family , who were Earls of Stafford . Her son , Humphrey Stafford was created Duke of Buckingham in 1444 and also inherited part of the de Bohun estates . The other part of these estates — including the Earldom of Hereford , which had belonged to Mary de Bohun and had then become incorporated into the holdings of the House of Lancaster — became a matter of contention in the latter 15th century . The House of Lancaster had ruled England as kings from 1399 to 1461 . When Henry VI was deposed by Edward IV of the House of York , Edward appropriated that half into the Crown property . Humphrey ' s grandson Henry Stafford , 2nd Duke of Buckingham , however claimed those lands should have devolved to him instead . Unsuccessful under Edward , he was awarded these lands by Richard III , pending approval of Parliament . This was probably one of the Buckingham ' s motives in supporting Richard ' s accession . Anne later married William Bourchier , 1st Count of Eu . Titles , styles , honours and arms . Arms . As Duke of Gloucester , Thomas had use of the coat of arms of the kingdom , differenced by a " bordure argent " .