Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1245– 23 July 1321), ''The Wise'',

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely be ...

of Berkeley, of

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...

in Gloucestershire, England, was a peer,

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. His

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

, and that of each previous and subsequent head of his family, was coined by John Smyth of Nibley (d.1641), steward of the Berkeley estates, the biographer of the family and author of "Lives of the Berkeleys".

Origins

Thomas de Berkeley was born around 1245 at

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, the son of Sir

Maurice de Berkeley Sir Maurice de Berkeley "the Resolute" (c. 1218 – 4 April 1281), 5th (feudal) Baron de Berkeley, was an Anglo-Norman soldier and rebel, residing at Berkeley Castle in the English county of Gloucestershire. Life Maurice was born in about 1218 ...

, feudal baron of Berkeley, by his wife Isabel FitzRoy,G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, pages 127 & 128 a paternal granddaughter of King

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1199-1216) through his bastard son

Richard FitzRoy Richard FitzRoy (c. 1190 – June 1246) (''alias'' Richard de Chilham and Richard de DoverSanders, I.J. ''English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086–1327'', Oxford, 1960, p. 111, note 5) was the illegitimate son of King John of ...

Career

He fought in the

Battle of Evesham The Battle of Evesham (4 August 1265) was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by the future King Edward I, who led t ...

in 1265. He inherited the feudal baron of Berkeley in 1281 following the death of his father and on 28 June 1283 was created 1st

Baron Berkeley The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (1245–1321), 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 12 ...

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

of summons to Parliament by King Edward I (1272-1307). In June 1292 he was a commissioner to examine the claims to the crown of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He was on an embassy to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in January 1296 and held the office of Vice-Constable of England in 1297. He fought in the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (; ), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by Edward I of England, King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scottish people, Scots, led by William Wal ...

on 22 July 1298 and was present at the Siege of Caerlaverock, Scotland, in July 1300. He was on an embassy to

Pope Clement V Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...

in July 1307. He fought in the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

on 24 June 1314, where he was taken prisoner, and obliged to pay a large sum for his ransom.

Marriage and descendants

In 1267 Thomas de Berkeley married Joan de Ferrers (d. 1309), a daughter of

William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (c. 1193 – 28 March 1254) of Chartley Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and major landowner, unable through illness to take much part in national affairs. From his two marriages, he lef ...

, by his wife Margaret de Quincy, a daughter of

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester ( – 25 April 1264), (Roger de Quincy is a subarticle in his father's article.) His dates are given as 1195?-1265 at the beginning of the subarticle, but his death date is given as 25 April 1264 near ...

. By his wife he had the following children: *

Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1281 – 31 May 1326), ''The Magnanimous'', English feudal barony, feudal Berkeley family, baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. H ...

(April 1271 - 31 May 1326), eldest son and heir. *Thomas Berkeley of Coston, Leicestershire, ancestor of the Berkeleys of

Wymondham, Leicestershire Wymondham (pronounced, phonetically, ) is a village in the Borough of Melton in Leicestershire, England. It is part of a civil parish which also covers the nearby hamlet of Edmondthorpe. The parish has a population of 623, increasing to 632 a ...

. *John Berkeley (d. circa 1317). *

James Berkeley James Berkeley may refer to: * James Berkeley (bishop) (died 1327), medieval bishop of Exeter *James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1394–1463), "James the Just", English peer *James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley Vice-Admiral James Berkele ...

(d. 1327),

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

. *Alice Berkeley, married Sir Ralph Stourton. *Isabel Berkeley. *Margaret Berkeley, married

Thomas FitzGerald, 2nd Baron Desmond Thomas Fitzmaurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baron of Desmond (died 1298), was the son of Maurice FitzJohn FitzGerald and grandson of John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond, John FitzThomas FitzGerald from whom he inherited the title. Thomas succeeded to th ...

Death and succession

He died at Berkeley Castle on 23 July 1321 and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Thomas de 1st Baron Berkeley Berkeley, Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley, Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Year of birth uncertain 1 Berkeley, Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron People of the Wars of Scottish Independence

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Military personnel from Gloucestershire 14th-century English diplomats 13th-century English military personnel 14th-century English nobility English prisoners of war Ambassadors of England to France 13th-century English diplomats 13th-century English nobility 14th-century English military personnel