Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset duchy, the title of Duke of Richmond was important as the earldom of Richmond had been held by his grandfather King Henry VII and by his great-grandfather Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. The earldom of Nottingham had been held by Richmond’s great uncle Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the second son of Edward IV. Seeing Henry’s obvious pride and affection for his sturdy little son, many of those who witnessed Richmond’s elevation must have wondered if this was what the King had in mind. To support his new status, Henry granted his young son an annuity of
Earl of Richmond facto 'earls of Richmond', though they were not so in the later strictly legal sense. Through the reign of King Henry I few earldoms had been created. King Stephen's reign was marked by the creation of several new earldoms. Stephen of Tréguier's son Alan (c. 1116–1146), was the first of these lords to be styled 'Earl of Richmond' in a strictly legal sense. King Stephen also created Alan 1st Earl of Cornwall although this title would be forfeit in 1141 after the Battle of Lincoln. Alan of Brittany is recorded as riding at King Stephen's side in the Battle of