John de Vesci, sometimes spelt Vescy, was a prominent 13th-century noble. He was the eldest son of William de Vesci and Agnes de Ferrers. He married firstly Agnes de Saluzzo and secondly

Isabella de Beaumont Isabella de Beaumont (died 1334), was a prominent noblewoman allied to Isabella of France during the reign of Edward II of England. Reign of Edward I and marriage Isabella de Beaumont was the daughter of Sir Louis de Brienne and Agnés d ...

. John died c. 1289. He succeeded to his father's titles and estates upon his father's death in

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

, France in 1253. These included the barony of

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bo ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...

, England, a large property in Northumberland, and considerable estates in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, including Malton. Due to his being under age, King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry as ...

conferred the wardship of John's estates on Peter de Sabandia, a foreign kinsman of

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253. A ...

, Henry III’s wife, which caused great offence to the de Vesci family. John sided with

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led th ...

during the barons' rebellion against King Henry III, known as the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in Kingdom of England, England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of Henry III of Engla ...

of 1263–64. He was summoned to the great parliament of January 1265, the first directly elected parliament in medieval Europe. During the battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265 he was wounded and taken prisoner. Released sometime afterwards he admitted to compound for his estates after the

Dictum of Kenilworth The Dictum of Kenilworth, issued on 31 October 1266, was a pronouncement designed to reconcile the rebels of the Second Barons' War with the royal government of England. After the baronial victory at the Battle of Lewes in 1264, Simon de Montfo ...

. During 1267, he participated with some of the northern barons in another rising, however Prince 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 his crusade to Palestine between 1271 and 1272. He was one of the two barons who, according to the legend, led

Eleanor of Castile Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony. The marriage was known to be particularly close, and ...

from the presence of her husband Edward, when he was operated upon for his poisoned wound. In 1273 he was made governor of

Scarborough Castle Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The site of the castle, encompassing the Iron Age settlement, Roman signal station, an A ...

. In 1275, John was part of an expedition against Guðrøðr Magnússon, who was leading an uprising on Mann, in an attempt to establish himself as king. The '' Chronicle of Mann'' and ''

Chronicle of Lanercost The ''Lanercost Chronicle'' is a northern English history covering the years 1201 to 1346. It covers the Wars of Scottish Independence, but it is also highly digressive and as such provides insights into English life in the thirteenth century as we ...

'' indicate that a Scottish fleet made landfall at Ronaldsway, on 7 October. Anderson 1922: pp. 672–673. See also: Maxwell 1913: p. 11. See also: Munch; Goss 1874: pp. 110–111. The ''Chronicle of Lanercost'' records that John de Vesci and other Scottish magnates arrayed their forces on

St Michael's Isle St Michael's Isle ( gv, Ellan Noo Mael or ), more commonly referred to as Fort Island, is an island in Malew parish in the Isle of Man, noted for its attractive ruins. It covers an area of , is about long from west to east, and is connected t ...

, and sent forth an embassy offering Guðrøðr and his followers peace. Guðrøðr refused, and the following morning, before sunrise, both chronicles indicate that Guðrøðr's forces were utterly defeated during the battle of Ronaldsway. According to the ''Chronicle of Mann'', 537 rebels were slain by the Scots. Munch; Goss 1874: pp. 110–111. John served in Wales in 1277. He married firstly Agnes de Saluzzo, daughter of Manfredo III, Marquis de Saluzzo and Beatrice de Savoy, before 1262. However, Agnes died very shortly afterwards. He married secondly

sometime afterwards and was granted by Edward (now King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Duchy of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and D ...

) lands in Northumberland and

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, including

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The thre ...

. He became the king's secretary and counsellor, and was sent in February 1282 with Antony Bek to

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to so ...

to negotiate a marriage between Alfonso, son of King Peter III of Aragon, and Edward's daughter

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

, which resulted in the signing of the contract as proxy at

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, al ...

. He served in Wales in 1282. In June 1285 he was sent with two others to negotiate the marriage between Edward's daughter Elizabeth and John, son of

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

. John was given as a hostage by King Edward I to King

Alfonso III of Aragon Alfonso III (4 November 1265, in Valencia – 18 June 1291), called the Liberal (''el Liberal'') or the Free (also "the Frank," from ''el Franc''), was the king of Aragon and Valencia, count of Roussillon, Cerdanya and Barcelona (as ) from ...

in 1288. He died in 1289, without issue, and was buried at Alnwick Abbey. His heart was buried in 1290 with the hearts of Queen Eleanor and her eldest son, Alfonso, in the Dominican priory at Blackfriars in London. His brother William succeeded to his estates and his widow Isabella played a notable part in the reign of King

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

, as a strong friend of the king and queen, procuring the advancement of her brothers

Henry de Beaumont Henry de Beaumont (before 1280 – 10 March 1340), ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Buchan and ''suo jure'' 1st Baron Beaumont, was a key figure in the Anglo-Scots wars of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, known as the Wars of Scottish Inde ...

, claimant to the earldom of Buchan, and

Lewis de Beaumont Lewis de Beaumont ( ; died 1333) was Bishop of Durham during the last half of the First War of Scottish Independence. Ancestry Lewis was born before 1270, son of Louis de Brienne and Agnès de Beaumont-au-Maine and grandson of John of Brienne, K ...

, later

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durha ...

despite allegations of illiteracy.

Citations

;Footnotes

References

;Primary sources *. *. *. *. *. ;Secondary sources *. *. *. *. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vesci, John 1289 deaths 13th-century Scottish people Year of birth unknown John