John was the son of eldest son of
William de Vesci and Agnes de Ferrers. He succeeded to his father's titles and estates upon his father's death in
Gascony, France in 1253. These included the barony of
Alnwick in
Northumberland, England, a large property in Northumberland, and considerable estates in
Yorkshire, including
Malton. Due to his being under age, his father had conferred the wardship of John's estates on
Peter II, Count of Savoy, a foreign kinsman of
Eleanor of Provence, Henry III of England’s wife. Peter would control the barony for ten years. John sided with
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester during the barons' rebellion against
King Henry III, known as the
Second Barons' War 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. 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 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. 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 indicate that a Scottish fleet made landfall at
Ronaldsway, on 7 October. The
Chronicle of Lanercost records that John de Vesci and other Scottish magnates arrayed their forces on
St Michael's Isle, 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. John married, through the influence of Peter, 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
Isabella de Beaumont in 1280, and was granted by Edward (now King
Edward I of England) lands in Northumberland and
Kent, including
Eltham. He became the king's secretary and counsellor, and was sent in February 1282 with
Antony Bek to
Aragon to negotiate a marriage between
Alfonso, son of King
Peter III of Aragon, and Edward's daughter
Eleanor, which resulted in the signing of the contract as proxy at
Huesca. 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. John was given as a hostage by King Edward I to King
Alfonso III of Aragon 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, as a strong friend of the king and queen, procuring the advancement of her brothers
Henry de Beaumont, claimant to the earldom of Buchan, and
Lewis de Beaumont, later
Bishop of Durham despite allegations of illiteracy. ==Citations==