Walter Blount (soldier) facts for kids

Sir Walter Blount (born around 1348, died July 21, 1403) was a brave soldier. He was a strong supporter of John of Gaunt, who was a very powerful duke and the son of King Edward III. Later, Sir Walter also supported John of Gaunt's son, Henry Bolingbroke. Henry Bolingbroke later became King Henry IV. Sir Walter helped him in his fight to become king and in battles against his enemies.

At the Battle of Shrewsbury, Sir Walter was the king's special flag-bearer. This meant he carried the royal flag into battle. During the fight, he was mistaken for the king and was killed.

Sir Walter Blount is also a character in William Shakespeare's play Henry IV, part 1. In the play, he shows great loyalty and courage.

Early Life of Sir Walter

Walter Blount was the third son of Sir John Blount. His mother was Iseult Mountjoy. Walter was a child when his father died in 1358. His older brother, Richard, was 13 at the time.

In 1367, Blount joined an important trip led by Edward, the Black Prince. This trip aimed to put Peter of Castile back on the throne of Leon and Castile in Spain. The trip ended after the Battle of Nájera in 1367. Peter briefly got his throne back, but the English alliance broke apart. Blount then returned to England.

By 1372, Blount became part of the household of John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt was a very important duke. Around 1374, Walter married Sancha de Ayala. Sancha's father was a high official in Toledo, Spain. Sancha came to England in 1371. She was a lady-in-waiting to Constance. Constance was the daughter of Peter of Castile, and John of Gaunt married her in 1372.

His Land and Property

In 1374, Sir Walter Blount's brother, John, gave Walter some land. This land was in Derbyshire and had belonged to their mother, Iseult Mountjoy. In 1381, Walter bought even more land. These new estates were very large and were in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Hertfordshire.

Return to Spain

Blount likely went back to Castile (Spain) in 1386. He had been given permission in 1377 to go with Duke John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt wanted to claim the throne of Leon and Castile because of his marriage to Constance. However, the trip did not start until 1386. On April 17, 1393, Blount and others were chosen to make a lasting peace agreement with the King of Castile.

In 1398, Duke John of Gaunt gave Blount and his wife a yearly payment. This was to thank them for their hard work serving him. Blount was also one of the people who managed John of Gaunt's will after the duke died in early 1399. Blount received a small gift from the will.

Later Life and Death

Sir Walter Blount represented Derbyshire in Henry IV's first parliament. This meeting took place on October 6, 1399. When the Percys, a powerful family, started a rebellion, Blount supported the King.

At the Battle of Shrewsbury on July 21, 1403, Sir Walter was the king's standard-bearer. This meant he carried the king's special flag. During the main part of the battle, the rebel leader, Henry Percy, tried to attack the King directly. In the fight, Blount was killed by Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas. Douglas was a very powerful and feared Scottish nobleman. He was with Percy's group after being captured earlier.

Later stories say that Blount was wearing armor that looked like King Henry IV's armor. Douglas supposedly mistook Blount for the king.

Sir Walter Blount was buried in the church of St. Mary 'of Newark' in Leicester. His wife, Sancha, lived until 1418. In 1406, she started a hospital called hospital of St. Leonards. It was located in Derbyshire.

Sir Walter in Shakespeare's Play

Shakespeare gives Blount, whom he calls Sir Walter Blunt, an important role in his play Henry IV. Both Hotspur and King Henry IV praise Sir Walter's fighting skills and brave character in the play. In the play, Sir Walter pretends to be the King on purpose. He does this to draw the enemy's attack onto himself and protect the real King. However, Falstaff, another character, finds Blount's body and jokes that "honor" is useless.

Sir Walter's Children

Sir Walter Blount's will, made on December 16, 1401, mentioned his wife, Sancha. It also named his sons John, Thomas, and James. His daughters, Constance and Anne Griffith, were also named.

Sir John Blount was a governor of Calais at one point. He was also trapped in a castle in Aquitaine by a large French army. He defeated them with only a small group of soldiers. He became a knight of the Garter in 1413. He was also present at the siege of Rouen in 1418. Sir John died without any sons.

Sir Thomas Blount was the Treasurer of Calais during Henry VI's wars in France. In 1422, he started a special church service at Newark to remember his father and mother. Sir Thomas had a son named Sir Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy.

James Blount was the ancestor of other Blount families in Herefordshire.

Constance Blount married John de Sutton V. They were the parents of John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley.

Anne Blount married Thomas Griffith.