Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 16, 2023

John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1347–1375), was an English nobleman and soldier. At the age of one he became a ward of King Edward III. The King arranged for his daughter Margaret to marry Hastings. They married in 1359, but Margaret died two years later. The Hundred Years' War reignited in France, and in 1369 Pembroke journeyed to Aquitaine. There he took part in raids, sieges, and counter-measures against the French, with both notable successes and failures. In 1371 he was summoned to Parliament. There he was responsible for forcing the King's ecclesiastical ministers from power. In 1372 Pembroke returned to France with a small fleet. His arrival had been anticipated by the Castilian navy. Outnumbered and outgunned, he was forced to fight the Battle of La Rochelle, where he suffered a crushing defeat and was captured. After three years a large ransom was negotiated and in 1375 he was finally released. Returning to England through France, he was taken ill near Paris and died, aged 27.