John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey

John de Warenne (1231 – c. 29 September 1304), 7th Earl of Surrey or Warenne, was prominent during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. During his long life he fought in the Second Barons' War and in Edward I's wars in Scotland. He was the son of William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Maud Marshal. His mother was the daughter of William Marshal and widow of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk. Thus Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk, was his elde... more

John de Warenne (1231 – c. 29 September 1304), 7th Earl of Surrey or Warenne, was prominent during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. During his long life he fought in the Second Barons' War and in Edward I's wars in Scotland. He was the son of William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Maud Marshal. His mother was the daughter of William Marshal and widow of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk. Thus Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk, was his elder half-brother. Warenne was a boy when his father died, and for the rest of his minority Peter of Savoy was the guardian of his estates. In 1247 he married Henry III's half-sister Alice le Brun de Lusignan. This marriage was to create resentment amongst the English nobility, who did not like seeing a wealthy English nobleman marrying a penniless outsider. During the following years Warenne was closely associated with the court faction centering on his in-laws. In 1254 he accompanied the king's son Edward (the future Edward I) on Edward's... less