JOHN HASTINGS, second Earl of Pembroke (1347-1375), was only son of
Laurence Hastings, first earl, and Agnes, daughter of
Roger Mortimer, earl of March. His father died in 1348, while he was little more than
a year old, and during his minority his estates were managed by his mother.
In 1369 he was admitted into the order of the Garter, in succession to the Earl of Warwick. In the same year he
accompanied the Earl of Cambridge into France with an armed force destined to reinforce
the Black Prince in Aquitaine. They landed at Saint Malo and proceeded to the capture of
Bourdeille, and then to that of the Roche-sur-Yon, where he was knighted.1 He seems to have declined to serve
under Sir John Chandos, but being defeated by the French at Purnon, near Poitiers, he was glad to send to Chandos for
assistance.
After having made a raid into the province of Anjou he rejoined the Black Prince at Cognac, and proceeded with him to
the siege and capture of Limoges. Having returned to England he was named, 20 April 1372, lieutenant of the king's forces
in Aquitaine, and about that time proceeded to that destination with a fleet laden with forces and supplies. In attempting
to relieve the siege of La Rochelle he encountered a Spanish fleet before that town, composed of ships heavier than his own.
After a fight which lasted two days he was entirely defeated and taken prisoner 23 June. He was removed to Saint André
in Spain, where he remained a prisoner, and was subjected to much ill-treatment for about three years.
At length Henry of Castille, wishing to have back the territory of Soria, which he had given to Duguesclin, offered to deliver
up Pembroke to Duguesclin in return for the territory. Duguesclin estimated the amount of Pembroke's ransom at 120,000 francs,
of which sum it was stipulated he was to receive fifty thousand at the time of the prisoner's release, and the remainder six
weeks after his arrival in England. But Pembroke died on the road between Paris and Calais 16 April 1375; Walsingham mentions
a story that he had been poisoned by the Spaniards.2 This led to a long dispute, which was ultimately settled by
the king of France granting fifty thousand francs to Duguesclin for all claim that he had in the matter.
Pembroke was known as a protector of Froissart, who frequently mentions him. In his 'Buisson de Jonèce' he refers to
him as 'de Pemebruc, voir, en a moult bien fait son devoir.' He married (1) Margaret, fourth daughter of
Edward III, and (2), in 1368, Anne, daughter of Sir Walter Manney, on account of whose
consanguinity with his first wife he was obliged, prior to the marriage, to obtain a dispensation from the pope. By his second
wife he had a son John (1372-1389), who succeeded him as third earl of Pembroke, who was killed in a tournament 30 Dec. 1389,
when his earldom became extinct, while the succession to the barony was disputed.
1. Chandos Herald, La Vie de Prince Noir, 4612-36.
2. Walsingham, Historia Anglicana, i. 319.
Excerpted from:
Fotheringham, J. G. "Laurence Hastings."
Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. XXV. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee, eds.
New York: Macmillan and Co., 1891. 131-2.
Other Local Resources:
Books for further study:
Rogers, Clifford J. The Wars of Edward III: Sources and Interpretations.
Boydell Press, 2000.
Seward, Desmond. The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453.
Penguin, 1999.
Waugh, Scott L. England in the Reign of Edward III.
Cambridge University Press, 2007.
John Hastings on the Web:
to Hundred Years' War
to King Edward III
to Luminarium Encyclopedia
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