NORFOLK, THOMAS OF BROTHERTON, EARL OF

born June 1, 1300, Brotherton, near Pontefract, Yorkshire, Eng. died August 1338 half brother of King Edward II of England and of Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent. He was created Earl of Norfolk in 1312 and was given vast lands in England, Wales, and Ireland; Edward II further distinguished him by creating him marshal of England. However, although he at first sided with the king, he was one of the first to join Queen Isabella when she landed in England in 1326 and was one of the group of nobles who brought about the deposition of Edward II. Thomas, more fortunate than the executed Edmund of Woodstock, however, provided no opportunity for the jealousy of the ruler Roger de Mortimer, and he survived to welcome Edward III's seizure of power, becoming a close ally of the young king.