John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford
Encyclopedia
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (c. 12 March 1312 – 24 January 1360) was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford
in 1331, after his uncle died without issue. John de Vere was a trusted captain of Edward III
in the king's wars in Scotland and France, and took part in both the Battle of Crécy
and the Battle of Poitiers
. He died campaigning in France in 1360. Throughout his career he was closely associated with William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
, who was his brother-in-law.
John de Vere was the only son of Alfonso de Vere, and Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Foliot. Alfonso was a younger son of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford
, and brother of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
. When the younger Earl Robert's son died without issue in 1329, the earl obtained licence from the king to entail
his estates on his nephew, John. It was in this way that John de Vere, when his uncle died 17 April 1331, became Earl of Oxford. He had made homage and received livery by 17 May.
In 1336 he married Maud de Badlesmere
, who was the second of the four daughters of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
, of Badlesmere
in Kent
and Margaret de Clare
. Maud was a co-heiress of her brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere
. When Giles died in 1338, this brought a significant part of the Badlesmere inheritance into de Vere's hands. The marriage also forged a strong bond with William Bohun, Earl of Northampton
, who had married Badlesmere's third daughter, Elizabeth de Badlesmere
and thus became Oxford's brother-in-law. The two campaigned together, sat on the same commissions and died the same year.
. He took part in the Roxburgh
campaign of 1334–5, and in the summer campaign of 1335. Later in the decade, England's military efforts turned towards France, with the beginning of the Hundred Years' War
. In March 1340, de Vere served in Flanders
, and was therefore out of the country during Edward's disputes with Archbishop John de Stratford
. Oxford was not forced to take sides in the conflict, and has been described as a "political neutral".
After a period in England, de Vere returned to the Continent in 1342, where he served with Northampton, who had been made lieutenant of Brittany
. They both took part in the Battle of Morlaix
that year. The next year the two earls were sent to Scotland to relieve Lochmaben
Castle, and in 1345 they were again campaigning in Brittany. Tradition has it that, returning to England, their ships were forced ashore by bad weather, and the party was robbed of their possessions by the locals. In the summer of 1346 de Vere was campaigning with the king in Normandy
, and took part in the Battle of Crécy
. According to the chronicler Froissart
, de Vere was fighting with the Black Prince
, and was among the captains who sent a request to Edward III for reinforcements when the king famously answered 'Let the boy win his spurs'. Oxford was also at the Siege of Calais, but reportedly fell ill in 1348, and did not take part in any major campaigning until 1355.
In 1355 he was again in the company of the Black Prince, and took part in the prince's great raid in Languedoc
. 19 September 1356, at the Battle of Poitiers
, Oxford was in command of the vanguard
together with the earl of Warwick
. de Vere's attack on the flank of the French cavalry
, with a group of archers, did much to secure the English victory. His last campaign was Edward III's Rheims campaign in 1359–60. Here he died, probably during the raid into Burgundy, on 23 or 24 January 1360. He was buried in the de Vere family's burial place Colne Priory in Essex.
, but died before his father, in 1350. Also another son, Robert, died in his father's lifetime. The oldest remaining son was then Thomas
, born around 1336–7, who succeeded his father in 1360. Thomas's son Robert
succeeded at his father's death, but with Robert's forfeiture in 1392, the earldom was given to Robert's uncle Aubrey
– the seventh earl's fourth son. The eldest daughter, Margaret, married three times, while of the second, Matilda, little is known.
John de Vere, in the family tradition of the "fighting de Veres", was active in almost all major military engagements in the years from 1340 to 1360. On the Roxburgh campaign he brought a retinue of twenty-eight men-at-arms
and twelve mounted archers
. In Brittany in 1342, the retinue had grown to forty men-at-arms, one banneret
, nine knight
s, twenty-nine esquire
s, and thirty mounted archers. His retinue was of a diverse composition, and also included foreign mercenaries
. At one point, in the Battle of Poitiers, John Hawkwood
, who was later to make his fortune as a condottiero
in Italy, also served with de Vere. Yet in spite of this, de Vere never distinguished himself particularly as a military commander. Neither did he receive a great amount of royal patronage, and was never made a member of the Order of the Garter
. This was largely a consequence of the de Vere family's relatively modest resources among the English peerage. As an example can be mentioned that in the late 1340, £349 were owed to Oxford in arrears
for his services, yet at the same time the king owed Northampton two debts of £782 and £1237. This obstacle of resources and status John de Vere was unable to overcome either by marriage or warfare.
Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford. Robert the younger took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III in Wales, Scotland and France. He was married to Margaret Mortimer,...
. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
in 1331, after his uncle died without issue. John de Vere was a trusted captain of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in the king's wars in Scotland and France, and took part in both the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
and the Battle of Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
. He died campaigning in France in 1360. Throughout his career he was closely associated with William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG was an English nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:He was the fifth son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. He had a twin brother, Edward...
, who was his brother-in-law.
Family background and marriage
Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford.-Life and career:Robert was born around 1240. He was among the followers of Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War, and was with Simon's son, Hugh, when Edward I of England attacked Kenilworth...
, and brother of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford. Robert the younger took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III in Wales, Scotland and France. He was married to Margaret Mortimer,...
. When the younger Earl Robert's son died without issue in 1329, the earl obtained licence from the king to entail
Fee tail
At common law, fee tail or entail is an estate of inheritance in real property which cannot be sold, devised by will, or otherwise alienated by the owner, but which passes by operation of law to the owner's heirs upon his death...
his estates on his nephew, John. It was in this way that John de Vere, when his uncle died 17 April 1331, became Earl of Oxford. He had made homage and received livery by 17 May.
In 1336 he married Maud de Badlesmere
Maud de Badlesmere
Maud de Badlesmere, Countess of Oxford was an English noblewoman, and the wife of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. She, along with her three sisters, was a co-heiress of her only brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere, who had no male issue.At the age of 11 she was imprisoned in the...
, who was the second of the four daughters of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere , English nobleman, was the son and heir of Gunselm de Badlesmere , and fought in the English army both in France and Scotland during the later years of the reign of Edward I of England.-Life:In 1307 he became governor of Bristol Castle. Edward II...
, of Badlesmere
Badlesmere, Kent
Badlesmere is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England, about five miles south of Faversham. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 111....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Margaret de Clare
Margaret de Clare, Lady Badlesmere
Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere was a Norman-Irish noblewoman, suo jure heiress, and the wife of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere....
. Maud was a co-heiress of her brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere
Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere
Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere was an English nobleman, the son and heir of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere by Margaret de Clare of Inchinquin and Youghal.-Family inheritance:...
. When Giles died in 1338, this brought a significant part of the Badlesmere inheritance into de Vere's hands. The marriage also forged a strong bond with William Bohun, Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG was an English nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:He was the fifth son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. He had a twin brother, Edward...
, who had married Badlesmere's third daughter, Elizabeth de Badlesmere
Elizabeth de Badlesmere
Elizabeth de Badlesmere, Countess of Northampton was the wife of two English noblemen, Sir Edmund Mortimer and William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton...
and thus became Oxford's brother-in-law. The two campaigned together, sat on the same commissions and died the same year.
Career
De Vere's military career began with service on Edward III's Scottish campaigns, in the 1330s Second War of Scottish IndependenceSecond War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence was the second cluster of a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries....
. He took part in the Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...
campaign of 1334–5, and in the summer campaign of 1335. Later in the decade, England's military efforts turned towards France, with the beginning of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. In March 1340, de Vere served in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, and was therefore out of the country during Edward's disputes with Archbishop John de Stratford
John de Stratford
John de Stratford was Archbishop of Canterbury and Treasurer and Chancellor of England.-Life:John was born at Stratford-on-Avon and educated at Merton College, Oxford, afterwards entering the service of Edward II....
. Oxford was not forced to take sides in the conflict, and has been described as a "political neutral".
After a period in England, de Vere returned to the Continent in 1342, where he served with Northampton, who had been made lieutenant of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. They both took part in the Battle of Morlaix
Battle of Morlaix
The Battle of Morlaix was a battle fought in Morlaix on 30 September 1342 between England and France. The English besieged the town, but a French relief force arrived, forcing the English to flee into the woods. The French force then withdrew...
that year. The next year the two earls were sent to Scotland to relieve Lochmaben
Lochmaben
Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway.-Notable people:*Angus Douglas - Scottish internationalist footballer...
Castle, and in 1345 they were again campaigning in Brittany. Tradition has it that, returning to England, their ships were forced ashore by bad weather, and the party was robbed of their possessions by the locals. In the summer of 1346 de Vere was campaigning with the king in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, and took part in the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
. According to the chronicler Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
, de Vere was fighting with the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, and was among the captains who sent a request to Edward III for reinforcements when the king famously answered 'Let the boy win his spurs'. Oxford was also at the Siege of Calais, but reportedly fell ill in 1348, and did not take part in any major campaigning until 1355.
In 1355 he was again in the company of the Black Prince, and took part in the prince's great raid in Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. 19 September 1356, at the Battle of Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
, Oxford was in command of the vanguard
Tactical formation
A tactical formation is the arrangement or deployment of moving military forces such as infantry, cavalry, AFVs, military aircraft, or naval vessels...
together with the earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War...
. de Vere's attack on the flank of the French cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, with a group of archers, did much to secure the English victory. His last campaign was Edward III's Rheims campaign in 1359–60. Here he died, probably during the raid into Burgundy, on 23 or 24 January 1360. He was buried in the de Vere family's burial place Colne Priory in Essex.
Descendants and assessment
Maud de Vere died in 1366. The couple had four sons and two daughters. The eldest son, John, married the daughter of Hugh Courtenay, Earl of DevonHugh de Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon
Sir Hugh de Courtenay was the 2nd Earl of Devon in England, born probably in Devon. His parents were Hugh, the 1st Courtenay Earl of Devon by Agnes de St John, daughter of Sir John St John of Basing. He was destined to become a great soldier in the Hundred years war in service of King Edward III...
, but died before his father, in 1350. Also another son, Robert, died in his father's lifetime. The oldest remaining son was then Thomas
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. Thomas took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward III. At some point before 1350, he married Maud de Ufford, daughter and heir of Sir Ralph de Ufford and Maud of Lancaster...
, born around 1336–7, who succeeded his father in 1360. Thomas's son Robert
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, and 9th Earl of Oxford KG was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England.-Royal favour:...
succeeded at his father's death, but with Robert's forfeiture in 1392, the earldom was given to Robert's uncle Aubrey
Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere....
– the seventh earl's fourth son. The eldest daughter, Margaret, married three times, while of the second, Matilda, little is known.
John de Vere, in the family tradition of the "fighting de Veres", was active in almost all major military engagements in the years from 1340 to 1360. On the Roxburgh campaign he brought a retinue of twenty-eight men-at-arms
Man-at-arms
Man-at-arms was a term used from the High Medieval to Renaissance periods to describe a soldier, almost always a professional warrior in the sense of being well-trained in the use of arms, who served as a fully armoured heavy cavalryman...
and twelve mounted archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
. In Brittany in 1342, the retinue had grown to forty men-at-arms, one banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
, nine knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s, twenty-nine esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
s, and thirty mounted archers. His retinue was of a diverse composition, and also included foreign mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. At one point, in the Battle of Poitiers, John Hawkwood
John Hawkwood
Sir John Hawkwood was an English mercenary or condottiero who was active in 14th century Italy. The French chronicler Jean Froissart knew him as Jean Haccoude and Italians as Giovanni Acuto...
, who was later to make his fortune as a condottiero
Condottieri
thumb|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late Middle Ages...
in Italy, also served with de Vere. Yet in spite of this, de Vere never distinguished himself particularly as a military commander. Neither did he receive a great amount of royal patronage, and was never made a member of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. This was largely a consequence of the de Vere family's relatively modest resources among the English peerage. As an example can be mentioned that in the late 1340, £349 were owed to Oxford in arrears
Arrears
Arrears is a legal term for the part of a debt that is overdue after missing one or more required payments. The amount of the arrears is the amount accrued from the date on which the first missed payment was due...
for his services, yet at the same time the king owed Northampton two debts of £782 and £1237. This obstacle of resources and status John de Vere was unable to overcome either by marriage or warfare.