John Deydras (died 1318), also known as John of Powderham, was a
pretender to the English throne during the reign of
Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
. He was executed by
hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...
and his body was burnt.
Background
By 1318,
Edward II of England was increasingly unpopular in England as a result of his style of government and his defeats while fighting
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
of Scotland.
[Doherty, p.61.] Opposition was growing to his rule, when a young clerk in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, John Deydras, also known as John of Powderham,
[Weir, p.117.] issued claims that he was in fact the rightful heir to the throne.
[
]
Deydras' claims and execution
Deydras arrived at Beaumont Palace
Beaumont Palace, built outside the north gate of Oxford, was intended by Henry I about 1130 to serve as a royal palace conveniently close to the royal hunting-lodge at Woodstock (now part of the park of Blenheim Palace). Its former presence is ...
in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in early 1318, and claimed it for his own. He was, he said, really the King of England, and observers noted that he closely resembled Edward, being tall and good-looking.[ Unlike the king, Deydras, however, was missing an ear. Deydras explained that as a baby, the royal servant charged to look after him had allowed him to be attacked by a sow while he was playing in the castle courtyard,][Doherty, p.60.] which had bitten off his ear.[ Knowing that she would have been severely punished by the ]King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, she had replaced him with a carter
Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to:
Geography United States
* Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Montana, a census-designated place
* Carter, ...
's baby, who had then grown up to become Edward II, while Deydras had been given to the carter to be brought up in poverty. This explained, said Deydras, Edward's style of government and his strange dislike of martial activities – notoriously, Edward enjoyed many rustic, lower class pursuits such as ditch digging and farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
.[ Deydras offered to fight Edward in single combat for the throne. Rumours began to spread across England.][
Deydras was finally arrested and brought to Edward at ]Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
. Deydras insulted the king, again offered to fight him in single combat and repeated his claims about Edward's parentage, resulting in a trial for sedition
Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
.[ Deydras confessed during the trial to having made up his story, blaming his pet cat which he said was the ]devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
in disguise, who had led him astray one day while he was walking across Christ Church Meadows.[ Found guilty, both he and his cat were ]hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
and Deydras' body burnt.[Weir, p. 118.]
Legacy
Today Deydras is believed to have been mentally ill; his story is not believed to have been true.[ Modern historians cite the case of Deydras as an example of the growing unhappiness with Edward II's rule during the period,][ and the protracted case appears to have deeply affected Isabella of France, Edward's wife, who felt humiliated by the event.][
]
See also
* Lambert Simnel – passed off as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick (25 February 1475 – 28 November 1499) was the son of Isabel Neville and George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both his uncle, ...
, in a Yorkist insurgency arranged by John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, to capture the throne from King Henry VII
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufo ...
* Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck ( 1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called "Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive, ...
– pretender to the throne by claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...
, the younger of the Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower refers to the apparent murder in England in the 1480s of the deposed King Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. These two brothers were the only sons of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville sur ...
* Mary Baynton
Mary Baynton (born approximately 1515) was a woman from England, who claimed to be the Mary I of England, Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII and his Wives of Henry VIII, first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She made the c ...
– claimed to be (the future) Queen Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
, eldest child of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
References
Bibliography
* Doherty, Paul. (2003) ''Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II.'' London: Robinson.
* Weir, Alison. (2006) ''Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England.'' London: Pimlico.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deydras, John
Pretenders to the English throne
Edward II of England
13th-century English people
14th-century English people
Witchcraft in England
1318 deaths
Year of birth unknown