The title Duke of Exeter was created several times in England in the later Middle Ages. Exeter is the main town of Devon. It was first created for John Holland, the half-brother of King Richard II in 1397. That title was rescinded upon Henry IV's accession to the throne two years later. The title was then granted to the former's half-brother, Thomas Beaufort, 1st Earl of Dorset by his nephew Henry V. Following Beaufort's death without heirs in 1426, the title was restored to the Holland family, which held it until the 3rd Duke was attainted in 1461 as a Lancastrian, dying in 1475.
Dukes of Exeter, first creation (1397)
Coat of arms of the Dukes of Exeter of the Holland family
Arms: The arms of England (quarterly: first and fourth, azure, three fleurs-de-lis; second and third, gules, three lions passant or), within a border gobony azure and ermine.[1]
Crest: A portcullis or, nailed azure, chains of the first.
Dukes of Exeter, third creation (1444)
Sometimes numbered 2nd and 3rd dukes in reference to the 1397 creation
John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, 1st in this creation (1395–1447), son of the 1st Duke of the 1397 creation, was restored to his father's honours after service to his cousin, the Lancastrian king, Henry V
