John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter

Who was John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter?

John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter KG, also 1st Earl of Huntingdon, was an English nobleman, primarily remembered for helping cause the downfall of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester and then for conspiring against Henry IV.

He was the third son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan "The Fair Maid of Kent", daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, a son of King Edward I. His mother later married her cousin Edward, the Black Prince. So, Holland was a half-brother of King Richard II, to whom he remained loyal for the rest of his life.