Thomas Fauconberg
| Thomas Neville | |
|---|---|
| Viscount Fauconberg | |
| Born | 1429 |
| Died | 22 September 1471 (aged 42) Middleham Castle, Yorkshire |
| Noble family | House of Neville |
| Father | William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent |
Thomas Fauconberg or Thomas Neville, sometimes called Thomas the Bastard, or the Bastard of Fauconberg (1429 – 22 September 1471), was the natural son of William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, who was a leading commander in the Hundred Years' War and on the Yorkist side in the Wars of the Roses.
In his youth Thomas was a notable sailor, receiving the freedom of the City of London in 1454 for his work in eliminating pirates from the English Channel and the North Sea. In this he was closely associated with his father's relatives: Lord Fauconberg's elder brother, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury was a commissioner for the keeping of the seas in 1453-5, and in 1455 Salisbury's eldest son Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick was entrusted with sole responsibility for the keeping of the seas, a post he effectively retained for the rest of his life.
The Nevilles were the most important supporters of Richard of York, and were instrumental in helping his son gain the throne as Edward IV in 1461, assistance for which Lord Fauconberg was rewarded with the title of Earl of Kent. He died in 1463, leaving no legitimate offspring. In the late 1460s, Thomas continued to back his cousin the Earl of Warwick when tensions arose between Warwick and Edward IV. When Warwick rebelled and was forced into exile in 1470, Thomas joined him with several armed ships. While Warwick was in France negotiating an alliance with the Lancastrian leader Margaret of Anjou, Thomas took command of his cousin’s ships and raided English shipping.
In 1471 Thomas was back at sea for the Lancastrians, serving under Warwick in defence of the government of Henry VI, who had regained the throne with the Nevilles' help in 1470. He was directed to patrol the Channel between Dover and Calais to intercept Edward IV, who had fled to Burgundy. Edward avoided the Lancastrian fleet and landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire. Warwick ordered the Bastard to return from the sea and raise the county of Kent, where Warwick enjoyed great popularity with the discontented inhabitants. However, before these reinforcements could intervene, Edward occupied London, taking Henry VI prisoner, and defeated and killed Warwick in the Battle of Barnet on 14 April.
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