John de Ferrers, 4th Baron Ferrers of Chartley

John de Ferrers, 4th Baron Ferrers of Chartley (c. 1331 – 3 April 1367) was the son of Robert de Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley and a woman named Margaret.[1]

John de Ferrers was born in Southhoe, Huntingdonshire. He inherited the title of Baron Ferrers of Chartley upon his father's death in 1350 but was never summoned to parliament.

Despite his youth, John fought in Gascony for Edward III in 1345 and married Elizabeth de Stafford (1342 – 7 August 1375) - widow of Fulk le Strange (Baron Strange) and daughter of Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford and Margaret de Audley, a daughter of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester.

The couple had one son, Robert de Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Chartley.

John de Ferrers, 4th Baron Ferrers of Chartley died on 3 April 1367 at the Battle of Nájera in Castile.

The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Castile with his half-brother Count Henry of Trastámara who aspired to the throne; the war involved Castile in the Hundred Years' War. Castilian naval power, far superior to that of France or England, encouraged the two polities to take sides in the civil war, to gain control over the Castilian fleet.
King Peter of Castile was supported by England, Aquitaine, Majorca, Navarra and the best European mercenaries hired by the Black Prince. His rival, Count Henry, was aided by a majority of the nobility and the Christian military organizations in Castile. While neither the Kingdom of France nor the Crown of Aragon gave him official assistance, he had on his side many Aragonese Soldiers and the French free companies loyal to his lieutenant the Breton knight and French commander Bertrand du Guesclin. Although the battle ended with a resounding defeat for Henry, it had disastrous consequences for King Peter, the Prince of Wales and England.

Sir Robert de Ferrers [i], Lord of Chartley, Knight, b 25 Mar 1309, Chartley Castle, Staffordshire, England, d 28 Aug 1350. He md:

[1] Margaret 21 Nov 1324, Caldecott, Northamptonshire, England.

Child of Robert de Ferrers and Margaret was:

Sir John de Ferrers [j] b abt 10 Aug 1331, prob Northamptonshire, England, d 3 Apr 1367. He md Elizabeth de Stafford abt 1356, daughter of Sir Ralph de Stafford, Earl of Stafford, Knight of the Garter, and Margaret de Audley.

Child or Sir John de Ferrers and Elizabeth de Stafford was:

Sir Robert de Ferrers [k], Lord of Chartley, Knight, b 31 Oct 1357 or 1359, prob Staffordshire, England, d abt 12 Mar 1413/14. He md Margaret le Despenser abt 1390, daughter of Sir Edward le Despenser and Elizabeth de Burghersh.

Child of Sir Robert de Ferrers and Margaret le Despenser was:

Philippa de Ferrers b abt 1398, prob Northamptonshire, d 3 Nov 1415. She md Sir Thomas Greene abt 1412, son of Sir Thomas Greene, Knight, and Mary Talbot.

See also

Earl of Stafford
Earl of Gloucester
Earl of Hereford
Earl of Derby

Battle of Nájera (Navarrete)
Part of the Castilian Civil War

Source: The Battle of Nájera from a fifteenth-century manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles. (15th century Jean Froissart's Chronicles (Bib. Nat. Fr., FR 2643, fol. 312v). The English and Peter of Castile are on the left. < Wikimedia Commons, public domain >

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References

1. Douglas Richardson; Kimball G. Everingham (2005). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Coloncial And Medieval Families. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-8063-1759-5.