John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel

John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel, 4th Baron Maltravers KG (14 February 1408  12 June 1435) was an English nobleman and military commander during the later phases of the Hundred Years' War. His father, John Fitzalan, 3rd Baron Maltravers, fought a long battle to lay claim to the Arundel earldom, a battle that was not finally resolved until after the father's death, when John Fitzalan the son was finally confirmed in the title in 1433.

The Earl of Arundel
7th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan's funeral effigy in Arundel Castle
Tenure14331435
Other titlesBaron Maltravers
Duke of Touraine
Known forMilitary service in the Hundred Years' War
Years active14301435
Born14 February 1408
Lytchett Matravers, Dorset
Died12 June 1435(1435-06-12) (aged 27)
Beauvais, France
Cause of deathWounded in battle
BuriedArundel Castle, Sussex
50°51′22″N 0°33′13″W
NationalityEnglish
ResidenceArundel Castle
Wars and battlesHundred Years' War
• Siege of Compiègne
Battle of Gerbevoy
Spouse(s)Constance Fanhope
Maud Lovell
IssueHumphrey Fitzalan, 8th Earl
ParentsJohn Fitzalan, 6th Earl
Eleanor Berkeley

Already before this, in 1430, Fitzalan had departed for France, where he held a series of important command positions. He served under John, Duke of Bedford, the uncle of the eight-year-old King Henry VI. Fitzalan was involved in recovering fortresses in the Île-de-France region, and in suppressing local rebellions. His military career ended, however, at the Battle of Gerbevoy in 1435. Refusing to retreat in the face of superior forces, Arundel was shot in the foot and captured. His leg was later amputated, and he died shortly afterwards from the injury. His final resting place was a matter of dispute until the mid-nineteenth century, when his tomb at Arundel Castle was revealed to contain a skeleton missing one leg.

Arundel was considered a great soldier by his contemporaries. He had been a successful commander in France, in a period of decline for the English, and his death was a great loss to his country. He was succeeded by his son Humphrey, who did not live to adulthood. The title of Earl of Arundel then went to John's younger brother, William.

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