The now-extinct title of
Earl of Richmond was created many times in the
Peerage of
England. The earldom of
Richmond was initially held by various
Breton nobles associated with the
Ducal crown of Brittany; sometimes the holder was the Breton Duke himself, including one member of the cadet branch of the French
Capetian dynasty. The historical ties between the Ducal crown of Brittany and this English Earldom were maintained ceremonially by the Breton dukes even after England ceased to recognize the Breton Dukes as Earls of England and those dukes rendered homage to the King of France, rather than the English crown. It was then held either by members of the English royal families of Plantagenet and Tudor, or English nobles closely associated with the English crown. It was eventually merged into the English crown during the reign of Henry VII and has been recreated as a
Dukedom.