Edmund Gray, 1st Earl of Kent

Edmund was also related by mother to an influential Holland clan. Edmund also was the great-great-grandson of the English king Edward III , which provided Edmund with a prominent position among the English nobility.

Until 1440, Edmund was in service in Guyenne . On October 9, 1440, he was knighted.

Edmund's father, sir John Gray, died in 1439 - before his father, Reginald Gray , 3rd Baron Gray of Rathine. Therefore, after the death of his grandfather in 1440, it was Edmund who became his heir, who, in addition to the baronial title of possession in Denbyshire with Ratin Castle , also became a commission agent in Bedfordshire .

In 1443, Edmund was made a member of the Privy Council .

As a second cousin of King Henry VI , Edmund was originally a staunch supporter of the Lancaster during their struggle with the Yorks , resulting in the war of the Scarlet and White Roses. In 1449, the people of Edmund killed William Tresham, a supporter of the Duke of York .

In 1457, Edmund Gray was falsely accused of treason, but in December 1459 he was able to justify himself at a meeting of Parliament, after which the charge was dropped. However, already the following year, Edmund, who commanded the right flank of the army of King Henry VI at the Battle of Northampton , helped the Duke Edward of York to get inside the fortifications of the Lancaster army, after which he and his people joined him. This betrayal demoralized the Lancastrians, and they could not organize resistance. Several warlords of the Lancastrians died, and King Henry VI himself was captured by Edward of York, who later became king of England under the name of Edward IV.

Edmund Gray was richly rewarded for his betrayal. He received Amthill Manor and became a member of the Royal Council. In the years 1463-1464, Edmund was Lord High Treasurer of England. On May 30, 1465, the title of Earl of Kent, which was worn by relatives of his mother, was revived for him. He was also appointed Chief Justice of Merionet County in Wales. In addition, Edmund's second son, George , later married Anne Woodville , the sister of Queen Elizabeth Woodville , the wife of Edward IV.

From 1470, Edmund was a middleman in Kent , and from 1471 a middleman in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire .

After the death of Edward IV on July 7, 1483, Edmund Gray participated in the coronation of Richard III , on which he carried a second sword. In 1484, Richard confirmed all awards to Edmund Gray.

After Henry VII became king of England in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth , Edmund retained his position. In 1487, Henry VII also confirmed all awards to Edmund Gray.

Edmund Gray died on May 22, 1490 . Since his eldest son, Anthony, died childless before his father, his second son, George, inherited all the possessions and titles.

Wife: Catherine Percy (May 18, 1423–1499), daughter of Henry Percy , 2nd Earl of Northumberland , and Eleanor Neville. Children:

• Ser Anthony Gray (c. 1443 - May 15 / November 27, 1480), Lord Gray of Rathine
• George Gray (d. December 16/25 1503), 2nd Earl of Kent and 5th Baron Gray of Rathine from 1490
• John Gray
• Elizabeth Gray (c. 1448 - July 18, 1472); husband: sir Robert de Greystock (d. June 17, 1483)
• Ann Gray ; husband: John Gray (d. April 3, 1499), 8th Baron Gray of Wilton
• (?) Tesi Gray ; husband: John Gays of Elmore

• Cokayne George E. The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant / edited by HA Doubleday, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden. - 2nd Edition. - London: The St. Catherine Press, 1929. - Vol. VII. - P. 164.
• Gray, Edmund // Dictionary of National Biography . - London: Smith, Elder & Co, 1885-1900.
• Ustinov V.G. The Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses. - M .: AST: Astrel, Guardian, 2007 .-- 637 p. - (Historical Library). - 1,500 copies - ISBN 978-5-17-042765-9 .

• Gray (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Stirnet. Date of treatment August 10, 2011. Archived on May 14, 2012.
• Gray family (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Tudor Place. Date of treatment August 10, 2011. Archived on August 4, 2011.
• Edmund Gray, 1st Earl of Kent (unopened) (link not available) . thePeerage.com. Date of treatment August 10, 2011. Archived on August 5, 2011.