John de Vesci | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of John de Vesci | |
| Buried | Alnwick Abbey |
| Noble family | de Vesci |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes de Saluzzo Isabella de Beaumont |
| Father | William de Vesci |
| Mother | Agnes de Ferrers |
John de Vesci,(d.1289) sometimes spelt Vescy, was a prominent 13th-century noble. He was the eldest son ofWilliam de Vesci and Agnes de Ferrers. He married firstly Agnes de Saluzzo and secondlyIsabella de Beaumont.
John was the son of eldest son ofWilliam de Vesci[1] and Agnes de Ferrers.[2] He succeeded to his father's titles and estates upon his father's death inGascony, France in 1253. These included the barony ofAlnwick inNorthumberland, England, a large property in Northumberland, and considerable estates inYorkshire, includingMalton. Due to his being under age, his father had conferred the wardship of John's estates onPeter II, Count of Savoy, a foreign kinsman ofEleanor of Provence, Henry III of England’s wife.[1] Peter would control the barony for ten years.[1]
John sided withSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester during the barons' rebellion againstKing Henry III, known as theSecond Barons' War of 1263–64. He was summoned to the great parliament of January 1265, the first directly elected parliament in medieval Europe. During thebattle of Evesham on 4 August 1265 he was wounded and taken prisoner. Released sometime afterwards he admitted to compound for his estates after theDictum of Kenilworth.
During 1267, he participated with some of the northern barons in another rising, howeverPrince Edward went north with an army and John was forced to submit. After being treated well by Edward, he became a devoted friend. John went with Edward on hiscrusade to Palestine between 1271 and 1272. He was one of the two barons who, according to the legend, ledEleanor of Castile from the presence of her husband Edward, when he was operated upon for his poisoned wound.
In 1273 he was made governor ofScarborough Castle. In 1275, John was part of an expedition againstGuðrøðr Magnússon, who was leading anuprising on Mann, in an attempt to establish himself as king.[3] TheChronicle of Mann andChronicle of Lanercost indicate that a Scottish fleet made landfall atRonaldsway, on 7 October.[4] TheChronicle of Lanercost records that John de Vesci and other Scottish magnates arrayed their forces onSt Michael's Isle, and sent forth an embassy offering Guðrøðr and his followers peace. Guðrøðr refused,[5] and the following morning, before sunrise, both chronicles indicate that Guðrøðr's forces were utterly defeated during thebattle of Ronaldsway.[4] According to theChronicle of Mann, 537 rebels were slain by the Scots.[6]
John married, through the influence of Peter, firstly Agnes de Saluzzo,[1][7] daughter ofManfredo III, Marquis de Saluzzo[8] andBeatrice de Savoy, before 1262. However, Agnes died very shortly afterwards. He marriedIsabella de Beaumont in 1280,[7] and was granted by Edward (now KingEdward I of England) lands in Northumberland andKent, includingEltham.
He became the king's secretary and counsellor, and was sent in February 1282 withAntony Bek toAragon to negotiate a marriage betweenAlfonso, son of KingPeter III of Aragon, and Edward's daughterEleanor, which resulted in the signing of the contract as proxy atHuesca. He served in Wales in 1282. In June 1285 he was sent with two others to negotiate the marriage between Edward's daughterElizabeth andJohn, son ofFloris V, Count of Holland.
John was given as a hostage by King Edward I to KingAlfonso III of Aragon in 1288. He died in 1289,[9] without issue, and was buried atAlnwick Abbey. His heart was buried in 1290 with the hearts of Queen Eleanor and her eldest son,Alfonso, in the Dominican priory atBlackfriars in London. His brother William succeeded to his estates and his widow Isabella played a notable part in the reign of KingEdward II of England, as a strong friend of the king and queen, procuring the advancement of her brothersHenry de Beaumont, claimant to the earldom of Buchan, andLewis de Beaumont, laterBishop of Durham despite allegations of illiteracy.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: "Vescy, John de".Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.