{{Use British English, date=April 2018 Otto de Grandson

Edward I of England was associated with a faction of nobles and knights who came from the County of Savoy, and were favoured in England. Savoy became linked to the Plantaganet monarchy of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

with the marriage of Edward I's parents

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 a ...

and Eleanor of Provence in 1236. Eleanor of Provence was the daughter of

Beatrice of Savoy Beatrice of Savoy (c. 1198 – c. 1267) was Countess consort of Provence by her marriage to Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence. She served as regent of her birth country Savoy during the absence of her brother in 1264. Early life She was th ...

. In 1252 Peter I, Count of Savoy introduced the son of Peter, Lord of Grandson to the English Court,

Otto de Grandson Otto de Grandson (c. 1238–1328), sometimes numbered Otto I to distinguish him from later members of his family with the same name, was the most prominent of the Savoyard knights in the service of King Edward I of England, to whom he was the cl ...

. The young Otto became a childhood friend of the young English Prince Edward, later to become King Edward I. In 1268 both prince and servant were knighted and in 1271 the latter accompanied his lord on the

Ninth Crusade Lord Edward's crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward, Duke of Gascony (future King Edward I of England) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was ...

, where he served at Acre that year. According to one source, it was Otto, not Eleanor of Castile, who sucked the poison from the wounded Edward after an attempted assassination. In 1272 Otto was appointed an executor in Acre. Returning to England, Otto accompanied Edward in the

Welsh Wars This is an incomplete list of the wars and battles between the Anglo-Saxons who later formed into the Kingdom of England and the Britons (the pre-existing Brythonic population of Britain south of the Antonine Wall who came to be known later by the ...

as his right-hand man, but also enlisted a whole retinue of fellow Savoyard knights in the service of the English crown. Knights from all over Savoy joined as household knights to King Edward I and were rewarded with key positions in the newly conquered Welsh lands.

Sir
Pierre de Champvent Pierre de Champvent (also Peter de Chauvant or Chauvent) († between September 1302 and March 29, 1303) was a noble originally from Savoy who made a career as a military and courtier in England. Origin and move to England Pierre de Champvent ...

Whilst prominent under

, when he had apparently been in royal favour, he lost importance at the beginning of the rule of his son and successor 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 Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

. However he took part in the campaigns to conquer Wales and eventually won the favour of Edward I. In the late 1280s, he was steward of the Household. He was personally invited to several parliaments by writ of summons, where he was responsible as steward for receiving petitions to the king. In 1292 he rose to Chamberlain of the Household. During the Welsh uprising from 1294 he was part of the king's entourage when he was briefly trapped in

Conwy Castle Conwy Castle ( cy, Castell Conwy; ) is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conw ...

by the rebels in early 1295. During the Franco-English War, he took part in the king's campaign in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in 1297.

Sir John de Bonvillars

Sir John de Bonvillars from Bonvillars close to Grandson, he was brother in law to Otto de Grandson. Knight of King Edward I's household and deputy Welsh Justicier to Otto from 1284 to 1287. On 2 April 1277 he was bearer of a letter to Otto who was besieging

Dolforwyn Castle Dolforwyn Castle ( cy, Castell Dolforwyn) is a Welsh medieval castle above the village of Abermule, Powys. The fortification was established by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd in the late 13th century. It is sited on a wooded ridge com ...

. Was at Chester in September 1277. Revisited Savoy in 1278, was at

Evian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evia ...

on 22 March. With Otto de Grandson in Wales in 1282 when latter was commanding forces based on Montgomery. In 1283 was sent to Wales, in 1284 he was described as Otto's Knight Companion. Oversaw the construction of

. First Constable of

Harlech Castle Harlech Castle ( cy, Castell Harlech; ) in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a Grade I listed medieval fortification built onto a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289 at t ...

from 1285 to his death by drowning (probably during the siege of

Dryslwyn Castle Dryslwyn Castle ( cy, Castell y Drysllwyn) is a native Welsh castle, sited on a rocky hill roughly halfway between Llandeilo and Carmarthen in Wales. It stands on high ground overlooking the Tywi Valley with extensive views. It was built in abo ...

in South Wales) between July and November 1287. Married to Agnes de Bevillard (likely sister of Otto de Grandson) who held on to the Constable of Harlech role until succeeded by Master James of Savoy in 1290. Harlech Castle 2017

Sir William de Cicon

From Vanclans, 24 kilometres north of

Pontarlier Pontarlier ( ; Latin: ''Ariolica'') is a commune and one of the two sub-prefectures of the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France near the Swiss border. History Pontarlier occupies the ancient Roman station o ...

in the Jura. Introduced to King Edwards service by Otto de Grandson. First mentioned 13 November 1276 when he comes to

with a message from Otto de Grandson to King Edward I. With the army in South Wales in 1277. Constable of

Rhuddlan Castle Rhuddlan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhuddlan; ) is a castle located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales. It was erected by Edward I in 1277, following the First Welsh War. Much of the work was overseen by master mason James of Saint George. Rhudd ...

between February 1282 and May 1284 including the period of the Siege of Rhuddlan. First Constable of

from its construction until his death in 1310 or 1311. Rhuddlan Castle 2017

Sir Gerard de St Laurent

Named for St Laurent of Jura. With King Edward I and Otto de Grandson on Crusade, in Acre from 1271 to 1272. One of King Edward I's inner circle. First Constable of

Flint Castle Flint Castle ( cy, Castell y Fflint) in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales. The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only o ...

from 1277 to 1281. Died in 1282 possibly in the Welsh attack on the Castle. Had been in

Chillon Chillon Castle (french: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives ac ...

during the 1260s. Flint Castle 2017

William de Grandison, 1st Baron Grandison William de Grandison (died 1335), was an English noble, and Deputy Justiciar of North Wales. William was a younger son of Pierre de Grandison and Agnes Neufchâtel. He was the younger brother of key ally and envoy, for King Edward I of Engla ...
, Sir Guillaume de Grandson

Brother of Otto de Grandson, he was in the service of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, who, on his behalf sent a letter to the king (when Guillaume's lands were seized, he being an alien), pointing out the undesirability of such seizures. He succeeded Sir John de Bonvillars as Deputy Justicier of Wales in 1288, serving as his brother's deputy until 1295. On 4 Nov 1288, he had letters of protection when remaining in Wales in order to fortify the castle of

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

. He supervised construction of the castle at

. He was summoned to Parliament from 6 Feb 1298/99 to Oct 1325, whereby he is held to have become Lord Grandison, he died in 1335. Caernarfon Castle 2017

Sir Stephen de Rognon

Brother of Sir William de Cicon, was knighted by King Edward I in Wales in 1284.Taylor, A.J. (1963) "Some notes on the Savoyards in North Wales, 1277-1300. With special reference to the Savoyard element in the construction of Harlech Castle". Genava 11: 290-291.

Summary

Along with

the Savoyard knights of King

fulfilled the roles of Justiciar of Wales, Deputy Justiciar of Wales, Constable of

, Constable of

and Constable of

References

Edward I of England