John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (recognizable by his Talbot dog), presents his book as a gift from Queen Margaret in the presence of King Henry VI. of England and the Court Society (British Library, Royal 15 E VI f. 2v)

The death of John Talbot at the Battle of Castillon (contemporary illustration)

Coat of arms of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury KG (* 1384 in Blechmore , Shropshire , England ; † July 17, 1453 in Castillon-la-Bataille , Gironde department , France ) was an important English general of the Hundred Years War .

Life

Talbot was born in 1384, the second son of Richard, 4th Baron Talbot, and Ankaret Strange, 7th Baroness Strange of Blackmere.

From 1404 to 1413 he served with his older brother Gilbert in the war in Wales against Owain Glyndŵr . His support for the House of York (see Wars of the Roses ) resulted in Henry V's move to the Tower of London in 1413 . From 1414 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for five years and put down rebellions there. He then served again for five years in France before he was briefly Lord Lieutenant of Ireland again in 1425.

From 1427 Talbot fought again in the English army in France, later even as the king's general. In France, he distinguished himself during the siege of Orléans and was captured at the Battle of Patay in 1429 . He remained in captivity for four years, but was then exchanged for Jean Poton de Xaintrailles .

Talbot was considered an aggressive and daring military leader who mostly had to fight against a numerically superior enemy. The units he commanded were deployed wherever the need was greatest and conquered various French cities, such as Harfleur in 1440 . Quite a few therefore called him the English Achilles .

In 1449, Talbot suffered a decisive defeat near Rouen and, as the guarantor of the surrender, turned hostage. In 1452 he was appointed governor of Guienne , which the French King Charles VII held. After the fighting flared up again, he led the English troops in south-west France, the only larger area still under English rule. In addition to Bordeaux , he initially conquered a number of cities. Talbot fell on July 17, 1453, like his son Thomas, in the Battle of Castillon , which was the final decisive defeat of the English in the Hundred Years' War.

Family and title

On March 2, 1406, Talbot married Maud Nevill, heir to the 5th Baron Furnivall. He had four children with her:

1. John , who later became the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury,
2. Thomas,
3. Christopher,
4. Joan.

Since 1409, when his father-in-law died, he took his wife's seat in the House of Lords (Peer jure uxoris) as Baron Furnivall . Although she was a baroness in her own right, as a woman she was not entitled to take a seat in the House of Lords.

In 1421, when his niece died, he received the titles of Baron Talbot and Baron Strange of Blackmere . Three years later he was accepted into the Order of the Garter.

On September 6, 1425, Talbot married Margaret Beauchamp , daughter of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick , after his first wife Maud died on May 31, 1422. He had six children with his second wife:

1. John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle
2. Humphrey Talbot
3. Lewis Talbot of Penyard
4. Joan Talbot
5. Elizabeth Talbot
6. Eleanor Talbot , morganatically married King Edward IV.

Henry VI. Talbot appointed Earl of Shrewsbury in 1442 , Marshal of France in 1445 and the next year hereditary Lord High Steward of Ireland ( Seneschal of the Kingdom) and Earl of Waterford and Earl of Wexford .

A descendant co-founded the English car brand Talbot .

literature

• Encyclopædia Britannica from 1911.

Web links

Commons : John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/TALBOT.htm

predecessor	Office	successor
Office newly created	Lord High Steward of Ireland 1446-1453	John Talbot
New title created	Earl of Shrewsbury 1442-1453	John Talbot
New title created	Earl of Waterford 1446-1453	John Talbot
Thomas Nevill	Baron Furnivall (de iure uxoris) 1407-1453	John Talbot
Ankaret Talbot	Baron Talbot Baron Strange of Blackmere 1421-1453	John Talbot