page_title: Savoyard knights in the service of Edward I
section_title: Sir John de Bonvillars
hierarchical_section_title: Savoyard knights in the service of Edward I / Sir John de Bonvillars
caption_attribution_description: English: Harlech Castle
context_page_description: The County of Savoy and the Plantaganet monarchy of England had been linked by the marriage of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence in 1236. Eleanor of Provence was the daughter of Beatrice of Savoy.
  In 1252 Peter I, Count of Savoy introduced the son of Peter, Lord of Grandson to the English Court, Otto de Grandson. The young Otto became a childhood friend of the young English Prince Edward, later to become King Edward I. In 1268 both prince and servant were knighted and in 1271 the latter accompanied his lord on the Ninth Crusade, where he served at Acre that year. According to one source, it was Otto, not Eleanor of Castile, who sucked the poison from the wounded Edward after an attempted assassination. In 1272 Otto was appointed an executor in Acre.
  Returning to England, Otto accompanied Edward in the Welsh Wars as his right-hand man, but also enlisted a whole retinue of fellow Savoyard knights in the service of the English crown. Knights from all over Savoy joined as household knights to King Edward I and were rewarded with key positions in the newly conquered Welsh lands.
context_section_description: Sir John de Bonvillars from Bonvillars close to Grandson, he was brother in law to Otto de Grandson. Knight of King Edward I’s household and deputy Welsh Justicier to Otto from 1284 to 1287. On 2 April 1277 he was bearer of a letter to Otto who was besieging Dolforwyn Castle. Was at Chester in September 1277. Revisited Savoy in 1278, was at Evian on 22 March. With Otto de Grandson in Wales in 1282 when latter was commanding forces based on Montgomery. In 1283 was sent to Wales, in 1284 he was described as Otto’s Knight Companion.
  Oversaw the construction of Conwy Castle. First Constable of Harlech Castle from 1285 to his death by drowning (probably during the siege of Dryslwyn in South Wales) between July and November 1287. Married to Agnes de Bevillard (likely sister of Otto de Grandson) who held on to the Constable of Harlech role until succeeded by Master James of Savoy in 1290.
caption: Harlech Castle.
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