John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Beaufort,_Marquess_of_Dorset

John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset, Earl of Dorset (c. 1455 – 4 May 1471) was a member of the Beaufort family during the Wars of the Roses.

He was the third son of Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset and his wife, Lady Eleanor Beauchamp, daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick. When his eldest brother, Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, died in 1464, John became the marquess of Dorset and earl of Dorset, courtesy titles granted to the Beaufort heir-apparent. It was never recognized by the Yorkist king Edward IV of England and from 1461, Dorset lived a life in exile in first Burgundy and then France. He returned early in 1471 with his brother when the Lancastrian king, Henry VI of England, reclaimed the throne. Within months, Henry had been driven from the throne again and the Lancastrians were on the run.

Dorset died at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 while fighting for the Lancastrian army beside his elder brother, Edmund Beaufort the so-called 4th Duke of Somerset. His brother was beheaded two days later after seeking refuge in the nearby abbey. Dorset was probably only sixteen years old when he died. He left behind no issue and was never married. With the death of his brother, Edmund, the male line of the Beaufort family ended.