John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury was born in 1388, and was the second son of 4th Lord Talbot of Goodrich Castle and Lady Ankaret, 6th Baroness le Strange of Blakemere. John married in 1406 winning not only the hand of Maude Neville but also the title of Lord Furnivall, the first of many.
John spent his early career fighting the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndwr alongside his elder brother Gilbert. He also fought in the company of the future Henry V against Harry Hotspur and his English rebels at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, taking up his first command a year later and helping his brother regain Harlech Castle from Glyndwr in 1409.
In 1414, John was appointed Lord Justice and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, earning himself a reputation for ruthless governance. In 1420, John left Ireland to attend Henry V in France, accompanying the king during his triumphant entry into Paris. John had by now also inherited the titles and lands of the Talbot and Le Strange families, however he remained in France until Henry’s death in 1422 upon which time he was created a Knight of the Garter and returned to his post as Lord Justice of Ireland.
The provincial life was not for Lord Talbot however, dubbed ‘the English Achilles’ by the French, and following a strategic second marriage to Margaret Beauchamp, eldest daughter of the Earl of Warwick, he returned in 1427 to France to serve under the Duke of Bedford, throwing his full energy into the fight against the French and gaining such a fearsome reputation amongst his enemy that for years afterwards French mothers would scare their errant children with the cry that “The Talbot cometh, the Talbot cometh..!”
Talbot commanded troops at a number of sieges including Orleans, which was almost successful had it not been for the intervention of the Maid of Orleans, Joan d’Arc. In 1429, following the Siege of Patay, Talbot was captured and held prisoner, gaining his freedom some 4 years later in exchange for a French commander.
However, his thirst for glory was not diminished and having raised fresh troops in England he returned to France and engaged in a campaign of rapid, aggressive attacks culminating in the recapture of Harfleur and Talbot being appointed Marshall of France and 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.
In 1449, Talbot was once again taken hostage; this time he gained his release by promising never again to wear armour against the King of France. True to his word and now aged 62, Talbot retired to Ireland as Earl of Wexford and Waterford, but his retirement was brief and following a series of English defeats, Talbot was recalled across the channel as Lieutenant-general of Aquitaine. Despite retaking Bordeaux his successes were short-lived and in July 1453, following a rash decision to relieve the besieged town of Castillion, Talbot was hit in the thigh by a cannon-ball and died on the battlefield alongside one of his sons.
With Talbot’s death and the subsequent loss of Gascony, the English hopes for dominion in France withered and the Hundred Years War was brought to an end.
John spent his early career fighting the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndwr alongside his elder brother Gilbert. He also fought in the company of the future Henry V against Harry Hotspur and his English rebels at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, taking up his first command a year later and helping his brother regain Harlech Castle from Glyndwr in 1409.
In 1414, John was appointed Lord Justice and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, earning himself a reputation for ruthless governance. In 1420, John left Ireland to attend Henry V in France, accompanying the king during his triumphant entry into Paris. John had by now also inherited the titles and lands of the Talbot and Le Strange families, however he remained in France until Henry’s death in 1422 upon which time he was created a Knight of the Garter and returned to his post as Lord Justice of Ireland.
The provincial life was not for Lord Talbot however, dubbed ‘the English Achilles’ by the French, and following a strategic second marriage to Margaret Beauchamp, eldest daughter of the Earl of Warwick, he returned in 1427 to France to serve under the Duke of Bedford, throwing his full energy into the fight against the French and gaining such a fearsome reputation amongst his enemy that for years afterwards French mothers would scare their errant children with the cry that “The Talbot cometh, the Talbot cometh..!”
Talbot commanded troops at a number of sieges including Orleans, which was almost successful had it not been for the intervention of the Maid of Orleans, Joan d’Arc. In 1429, following the Siege of Patay, Talbot was captured and held prisoner, gaining his freedom some 4 years later in exchange for a French commander.
However, his thirst for glory was not diminished and having raised fresh troops in England he returned to France and engaged in a campaign of rapid, aggressive attacks culminating in the recapture of Harfleur and Talbot being appointed Marshall of France and 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.
In 1449, Talbot was once again taken hostage; this time he gained his release by promising never again to wear armour against the King of France. True to his word and now aged 62, Talbot retired to Ireland as Earl of Wexford and Waterford, but his retirement was brief and following a series of English defeats, Talbot was recalled across the channel as Lieutenant-general of Aquitaine. Despite retaking Bordeaux his successes were short-lived and in July 1453, following a rash decision to relieve the besieged town of Castillion, Talbot was hit in the thigh by a cannon-ball and died on the battlefield alongside one of his sons.
With Talbot’s death and the subsequent loss of Gascony, the English hopes for dominion in France withered and the Hundred Years War was brought to an end.
