Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland

rdf:langString Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland

rdf:langString The Earl of Holland

rdf:langString The Earl of Holland

rdf:langString Henry Beaumont 1610–1614, Francis Leigh 1614–1621

rdf:langString The Earl of Banbury 1628–1632

rdf:langString The Earl of Dorset 1628–1642

rdf:langString Wars of the Three Kingdoms

rdf:langString Anglo-French War (1627–1629)

rdf:langString Eighty Years War

rdf:langString First Battle of Newbury; Battle of St Neots (1648)

rdf:langString Siege of Jülich (1610);

rdf:langString Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré;

rdf:langString War of the Jülich Succession

rdf:langString Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, circa 1640

rdf:langString Frances ; Richard ; Henry ; Isabella ; Susannah ; Diana ; Charles ; Cope ; Mary

rdf:langString English

rdf:langString Soldier and courtier

rdf:langString Governor of Windsor Castle and Landguard Fort

rdf:langString Penelope Devereux

rdf:langString June 1614

rdf:langString April 1614

rdf:langString Member of Parliament for Leicester

rdf:langString south of the Trent

rdf:langString Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland KG KB PC (baptised 15 August 1590, died 9 March 1649), was an English courtier and politician executed by Parliament after being captured fighting for the Royalists during the Second English Civil War. Younger brother of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, a Puritan activist and commander of the Parliamentarian navy during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Henry was better known as an "extravagant, decorative, quarrelsome and highly successful courtier". A close friend of Charles I and his favourite the Duke of Buckingham, Rich performed various diplomatic errands, including negotiations for Charles' marriage to Henrietta Maria of France in 1625. He took part in the unsuccessful attack on Saint-Martin-de-Ré in 1627 and held a number of important positions at court during the 1630s. When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, Rich remained in London rather than joining the Royalists but like other moderates became disillusioned with the war. He defected in July 1643 after failing to persuade his cousin and commander-in-chief of the Parliamentarian army Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex to negotiate peace terms. When Charles agreed a truce with the Catholic Confederation in September 1643, Rich returned to London and narrowly escaped being tried for treason. After peace talks between Charles and Parliament broke down in late 1647, he fought for the Royalists in the Second English Civil War and was captured in July 1648. Having escaped trial previously, he was executed in March 1649, although Rich claimed he had always been faithful to Parliament and never changed the 'principles that ever I professed". This was a view shared by many Parliamentarian moderates, particularly after the Execution of Charles I in January 1649.