Edward, son of Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter (maternal grandson of King Edward IV of England) and Gertrude Blount, was born about 1526. When the families of Pole and Courtenay fell under the wrath of King Henry VIII of England, owing to the attempts of Reginald Pole to sow treason in England, the boy Edward was sent to the Tower at the age of only twelve and remained there for fifteen years. He was only finally released at the accession of Queen Mary who showed him the greatest favour and gave him the Earldom of Devon. He was, in fact, the candidate of Bishop Gardiner and the Anglo-Catholic party for the hand of the Queen; but, when it became obvious that Mary was to marry the Prince of Spain, Courtenay entertained treasonable ideas of marrying Princess Elizabeth and raising an insurrection. Only one part of this plan, Wyatt's Revolt in Kent, actually bore fruit. Courtenay was sent back to the Tower and, in 1555, sent off to travel and 'improve his mind'. He went to Brussels, and thence to Italy, and died in Padua in 1556. He was an exceedingly handsome man but, having practically spent his life in prison, he knew nothing of the World and, on his first release, immediately plunged into debauchery, which killed him early. He was the last scion of the Plantagenet race who was really dangerous to the Tudor throne.