John Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Knayth (1290-30 May 1347) was an English peer.
Biography[]
Darcy was from Knaith in Linconshire, and in 1319 he was made High Sherriff of Nottingham, Derbyshire, and the Royal Forests as a trusted peer of Edward II of England. From 1337 to 1340 he was a chamberlain of Edward III of England, but gained fame in 1342 for leading an expedition to Flanders during the Hundred Years War. From 1345 to 1346 he was the Constable of the Tower of London, but took part in a number of wars against the Scots and French and in 1346 took part in the Battle of Crecy.
Death[]
Darcy, as an ally of Edward the Black Prince, was a follower of the Knights Templar. While he was the head of the Tower of London he had imprisoned several members of the Assassins Order in jails and executed them, so Assassin Louis de Grandpre planned to assassinate him. In 1347 Darcy was sent to England to announce the victory at Crecy in Parliament. As he was heading back to his ship to embark for France, Grandpre ambushed him and stabbed him in the chest with a hidden blade. In his last words he confessed that his executions of Assassins were because of murder, and he was not a real follower of the Templars, but more of a puppet. Grandpre responded by telling him that there was no excuse for butchering the Hashshashin, and he died in his arms.