Edmund Crouchback

Edmund Crouchback was born on 16 January 1245 as a member of the Plantagenet Dynasty and became the founder of the House of Lancaster. He was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence, and the younger brother of King Edward I of England. In his early years, Edmund was involved in the "Sicilian business", where his father accepted a papal offer granting him the Kingdom of Sicily, but the plan fell through due to financial constraints.

Edmund became Earl of Leicester, Lancaster, and Derby after the Second Barons' War, receiving lands and titles from the defeated barons. He was a loyal supporter of his brother Edward, accompanying him on a crusade to the Holy Land. His epithet "Crouchback" originated from the cross he wore on his garments during the crusade. Edmund's second marriage to Blanche of Artois, arranged by his aunt Margaret of Provence, led him to govern Champagne as count palatine in the name of his stepdaughter Joan.

Edmund Crouchback died on 5 June 1296 in Bayonne from illness and was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1301. His titles and lands were succeeded by his son, Thomas of Lancaster.