John Oldcastle
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2022) ) |
John Oldcastle | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1370 |
Died | 14 December 1417 St Giles's Fields, London, England |
Nationality | English |
Sir John Oldcastle (died 14 December 1417) was an
Being a friend of Henry V, he long escaped prosecution for heresy. When convicted, he escaped from the Tower of London and then led a rebellion against the King. Eventually, he was captured and executed in London. He formed the basis for William Shakespeare's character John Falstaff, who was originally called John Oldcastle.
Family
Oldcastle's date of birth is unknown, although dubious and possibly apocryphal sources place it variously at 1360 or 1378, although 1370 is most likely closer to the truth.[1]
His parents were Richard and Isabel Oldcastle of Almeley, Herefordshire. His grandfather, also called John Oldcastle, was Herefordshire's MP during the latter part of the reign of King Richard II.[citation needed]
Early life
Oldcastle is first mentioned in two separate documents in 1400, first as a plaintiff in a suit regarding the advowson of Almeley church, and again as serving as a knight under Lord Grey of Codnor in a military expedition to Scotland.[1]
Over the next few years, Oldcastle held notable positions in the Welsh campaigns of King
Oldcastle represented Herefordshire as a "knight of the shire" in the parliament of 1404, later serving as a justice of the peace, and was High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1406–07.[2]
In 1408, he married Joan, the heiress of Cobham — his third marriage, and her fourth. This resulted in a significant improvement of his fortune and status, as the Cobhams were "one of the most notable families of Kent".[3] The marriage brought Oldcastle a number of manors in Kent, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, as well as Cooling Castle, and from 1409 until his accusation in 1413 he was summoned to parliament as Lord Cobham.[4]
At some point in his military career, Oldcastle became a trusted supporter of Henry, Prince of Wales, later to become King Henry V, who regarded Sir John as "one of his most trustworthy soldiers".[5]
Oldcastle was a member of the expedition which the young Henry sent to France in 1411 in a successful campaign to assist the
Lollardy
But his friendship with the new
When Oldcastle fled from Windsor Castle to his own castle at Cooling, Henry at last consented to a prosecution. Oldcastle refused to obey the archbishop's repeated citations, and it was only under a Royal Writ that he at last appeared before the ecclesiastical court on 23 September 1413.
In a confession of his faith, Oldcastle declared his belief in the
Open rebellion
Oldcastle now put himself at the head of a widespread Lollard conspiracy. Despite the
Oldcastle escaped into deepest northwest Herefordshire, and for nearly four years avoided capture.
He is believed to have been privy to the Southampton Plot in July 1415, when he stirred some movement in the Welsh Marches. On the failure of the scheme he went again into hiding.[citation needed]
Capture and death
In November 1417 his hiding-place was at last discovered and he was captured by
The principal agents in the capture were four of the tenants of
Oldcastle who was "sore wounded ere he would be taken", was brought to London in a horse-litter. The reward for his capture was awarded to Baron Cherleton, but he died before receiving it, though a portion was paid to his widow in 1422.
On 14 December he was formally condemned, on the record of his previous conviction, and that same day was hanged in
Literary portrayals
His heretical opinions and early friendship with
Although Shakespeare's drunken,
Bibliography
The record of Oldcastle's trial is printed in
For notes on Oldcastle's early career, consult
Notes
- ^ a b Waugh 1905, p. 436.
- ^ a b Waugh 1905, p. 437.
- ^ Waugh 1905, pp. 437–438.
- ^ Waugh 1905, p. 438.
- ^ a b Waugh 1905, p. 445.
- ^ Riley 1868, p. 641.
- ^ Seward, pp. 42–45.
- ISBN 978-0-7083-1383-1.
- ^ Calendar of Close Rolls, 1419–22, p. 196
- ^ E H. Thompson (1890). From the Thames to the Trosachs: Impressions of Travel in England and Scotland. Cranston and Stowe. p. 14.
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Oldcastle, Sir John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 66. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Cooper, Stephen (2010), The Real Falstaff, Sir John Fastolf and the Hundred Years War, Pen & Sword.
- Riley, Henry Thomas (1868), Memorials of London and London Life, a series of Extracts from the City Archives, 1276–1419.
- Desmond Seward, Henry V as Warlord, London: Sidgwick & Jacskon, 1987.
- Waugh, WT (1905), "Sir John Oldcastle", The English Historical Review, 20 (79): 434–56, .
External links
- The proclamation offering a reward for the capture of Sir John Oldcastle, UK: The National Archives.
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. XVII (9th ed.). 1884. .
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
.
- A rough translation of much of the Latin trial record.