John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

Who was John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk?

Sir John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk KG Earl Marshal was an important player in the Wars of the Roses.

He was the son of John Mowbray, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and Lady Katherine Neville. He succeeded to the hereditary office of Earl Marshal in 1432, on the death of his father.

As he was under age at his father's death, he was placed under the protection of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and in 1436 accompanied Gloucester on an expedition to relieve Calais. In 1437–8 he served a year's term as warden of the east march and in 1438 he was one of the leaders of an expedition to strengthen the defences of Calais and Guînes.

At the beginning of the War of the Roses in 1450 he supported Richard, Duke of York, the leader of the Yorkist faction. However, in 1459, he swore allegiance to the Lancastrian Henry VI. He then quickly changed sides back to the Yorkists. This sort of treachery was by no means unusual during the Wars of the Roses.

In February 1461 he fought for the defeated Yorkists in the Second Battle of St Albans. In March 1461 he was one of those who asked the Duke’s son, The Earl of March, to become Edward IV, and later that month his intervention at the Battle of Towton was decisive. The battle took place in a snow storm between 80,000 men. Neither side could get an advantage until about midday Norfolk entered the battle on the Yorkist’s right flank. The Lancastrians then began to slowly fall back. As Earl Marshal, Mowbray then officiated at Edward IV’s coronation.