Earl of Richmond and away from any attempts of the French crown to acquire it and the related properties. From 1414 to 1435 the earldom of Richmond was held by John Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford. In 1453 it was conferred on Edmund Tudor, half-brother to King Henry VI. When Edmund's son Henry ascended the throne as Henry VII in 1485, the earldom of Richmond merged in the crown, and for the next forty years there was no further grant of the title. After Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became King Henry VII of England, the title Duke of Richmond was created by the
Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk Michael de la Pole, 1st Baron de la Pole, later 1st Earl of Suffolk (c. 1330 – 5 September 1389) was an English financier and Lord Chancellor of England. He was the eldest son of Sir William de la Pole (d. 1366) and Catherine Norwich, daughter of Sir Walter Norwich. His younger brother was Edmund de la Pole. His father was a wool merchant from Hull who became a key figure during the reign of Edward III: after the collapse of the Bardi and Peruzzi families, he emerged as Edward's chief financier.