Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Stanley, Thomas, 1st Earl of Derby
Parallel form(s) of name
- Thomas Stanley
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
c.1433-1504
History
Lord Stanley was an English nobleman and the third husband of Lady Margaret Beaufort. He married Lady Margaret in 1472, following the death of his first wife, Eleanor Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury.
A powerful magnate and politician, Stanley inherited a number of significant estates and offices, including the suzerain title King of Mann, by which he assumed certain authoritative powers and control over the Isle of Man. He was made 1st Earl of Derby by his stepson, Henry VII of England, in 1485, and also served as Lord High Constable of England (1483-1504) and High Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Over the course of his life, Stanley advanced his influence both within the English royal court and in the north-west of England, where he held vast estates in Cheshire and Lancashire. He died at Lathom in Lancashire in 1504.