The Earl of Warwick

Richard Beauchamp, 13th earl of Wawic was English landowner, soldier and diplomat who served the English kings Henry IV (r. 1399-1413), Henry V (r. 1413-1422), and Henry VI (r. 1422-1461). Already great landowner by inheritance and his service to the king Warwick further enlarged his estates by successive marriages to two heiresses.

Richard was renowned for his military skills, he fought for Henry IV against Sir Henry Percy (“Hotspur”) in the Battle of Shrewsbury (July 21, 1403). Among other military campaigns he fought for Henry IV against Sir Henry Percy (“Hotspur”) in the Battle of Shrewsbury (July 21, 1403) and assisted in the suppression of Owain Glyn Dŵr’s rebellion (1400-1415) in Wales. For serving as one of Henry V’s principal lieutenants in the conquest of Normandy and Picardy (1417–22), as a reward, he received the French county of Aumale (1419).

Richard also increased his fortune by marring Elizabeth Berkeley, but as the couple did not produce a male heir he remarried, this time to the wealthy widow Isabel Despencer. He developed local economy of Warwick and made the River Avon navigable.

Richard Beauchamp’s inheritance, supplemented by the fortunes from his two wives, gave him an annual income of over £5,000 a year. His wealth is estimated at £100,000, over 3% of the national income of the day. In 2010 that would be £33.6bn.