Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His reputation as a military leader was so formidable that he was nicknamed 'the devil Warwick' by the French. In 1348 he became one of the founders and the third Knight of the Order of the Garter. Thomas was undoubtably a brave warrior in battle and proved to be a strong military leader. For example the 14th century Anonimalle Chronicle states that when news arrived of “the devil Warwick” landing at Calais, the Duke of Burgundy, whose forces were camped nearby, made a hasty retreat under cover of darkness to avoid an encounter with 'the devil Warwick'. He fought in Scotland as Captain of the army against the Scots in 1337 at the age of 24. He also fought in the Hundred Years Wars with France, commanding the English victory at the Battle of Crecy in 1346.
Warwick was Marshall of England from 1343/4 until 1369, and was one of the commanders at the great English victories at Crécy and Poitiers. Thomas de Beauchamp fought in all the French wars of King Edward III; he commanded the centre at the Battle of Crecy. He was trusted to be guardian of the sixteen-year-old Black Prince. Beauchamp fought at Poitiers in 1356 and at the Siege of Calais. He began the rebuilding of the Collegiate Church of Saint Mary in Warwick supposedly using money received from the ransom of the archbishop of Sens who he captured at Poitiers, but that is an over-simplification. He died of plague in Calais on 13 November 1369 and was entombed along with his wife Katherine, countess of Warwick, in the chancel of St Mary's Warwick.
Guy de Beauchamp ; married Philippa de Ferrers, daughter of Henry de Ferrers, 2nd Lord Ferrers of Groby, and Isabel de Verdun, by whom he had two daughters: Elizabeth, and Katherine, who became a nun. His daughters were, by entail, excluded from their grandfather's inheritance.
Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick, married Margaret Ferrers, daughter of William Ferrers, 3rd Lord of Groby, and Margaret de Ufford, by whom he had issue, including Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick.
Isabel de Beauchamp ; married firstly John le Strange, 5th Baron Strange, and secondly, William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk. Upon the latter's death, she became a nun. She died childless.
Margaret de Beauchamp; married first Guy de Montfort. This marriage was childless. After his death in 1261, she became a nun until 1269.
Elizabeth de Beauchamp; married Thomas de Ufford KG.
Beauchamp's wife Katherine died on 4 August 1369. Beauchamp died three months later, on 13 November 1369, of the Black Death and was buried alongside his wife at St. Mary's Church, Warwick, Warwickshire.
