John de Warenne, 6th earl of Surrey

English noble
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Earl Warenne, Earl of Sussex
Quick Facts
Byname:
Earl Warenne
Also called:
(incorrectly) earl of Sussex
Born:
c. 1231
Died:
September 27, 1304, Kennington, Surrey, England

John de Warenne, 6th earl of Surrey (born c. 1231—died September 27, 1304, Kennington, Surrey, England) was an eminent English lord during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I of England.

John de Warenne was son and heir of the 5th earl, William de Warenne, and succeeded upon his father’s death in 1240. (He and his family claimed the earldom of Sussex but never held it de jure.) He married Alice de Lusignan, half sister of Henry III, and, except for a brief period in 1262–63, he strongly supported his friend the young lord Edward (afterward Edward I) during the Barons’ Wars. In 1264 he defended Rochester Castle against Simon de Montfort until relieved by Edward. They then repaired to Warenne’s town of Lewes, where the royal army was defeated (May 1264), and Warenne escaped to France. In 1265 he landed in Pembroke with Henry III’s half brother William de Valence and took part in the campaign that ended at the Battle of Evesham (August 4, 1265) with Montfort’s death.

The successful claim of Warenne’s son-in-law John de Balliol to the throne of Scotland gave Surrey a strong interest and a leading part in Scottish affairs. However, after the treaty between Scotland and France in 1295, Edward I invaded Scotland in 1296, and Warenne won the Battle of Dunbar. Edward I then appointed him keeper of the realm of Scotland, but in 1297 he was defeated by William Wallace at Stirling Bridge. He fought in Edward’s later campaigns in Scotland and took part in the victory at Falkirk (1298).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.