Henry, 3rd earl of Lancaster

Henry, 3rd earl of Lancaster was an English nobleman of royal blood. He was grandson of Henry III (r. 1216-1272), second son of Edmund 1st Earl of Lancaster, and the brother of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster.

Henry’s brother Thomas rebelled against Edward II (r. 1307-1327), he was convicted of treason, executed and had his lands and titles forfeited in 1322. Henry did not participate in his brother's rebellion and was allowed possession of another of the family titles, the earldom of Leicester (1324). In 1326 Henry joined forces with opponents of Edward II, and he captured Edward II at Neath Abbey and detained him at Kenilworth. In 1327 he was made chief of the Council of Regency, and was reinstated to much of the Lancastrian inheritance and allowed the title of Earl of Lancaster.

In his later life Henry became blind and had retired from public life. At the time of his death he was worth £25,000, about 1% of net national income of £2.5m in 1345. In 2010 he would be worth about £11bn.