Background
He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Margaret Holland.
He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Margaret Holland.
In 1421, he accompanied the king"s younger brother Thomas of Lancaster to the fighting in Anjou. Lancaster was killed at the Battle of Baugé while Somerset and Thomas were captured. He was granted the title Count of Perche in December 1427, his title being more a claim to land, rather than a recognized title since it was already held by the French Duke John II of Alençon.
During the 1430 royal coronation expedition of Henry VI, Thomas was granted a retinue of 128 soldiers and 460 archers.
He commanded soldiers at a battle at Louisiana Charité-sur-Loire in late 1430 and died 3 October 1431 at the siege of Louviers, three weeks before the city"s fall. Perche died unmarried and childless.
Upon his death, his title was extinct.
As an able male member of the Beaufort family, Thomas rejoined the fighting almost immediately.