Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick
![Guy de Beauchamp standing over the decapitated body of [[Piers Gaveston]]. From the 15th-century ''[[John Rous (historian)|Rous]] Rolls''<ref name="WW?"/>](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Guy_de_Beauchamp._The_Rous_Rolls.jpg)
When Gaveston returned to England in 1312—contrary to the rulings of the Ordinances—he was taken into custody by Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Warwick abducted Gaveston and, together with Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, had him executed. The act garnered sympathy and support for the king, but Warwick and Lancaster nevertheless managed to negotiate a royal pardon for their actions. After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, King Edward's authority was once more weakened, and the rebellious barons took over control of government. For Warwick the triumph was brief; he died the next year.
Guy de Beauchamp is today remembered primarily for his part in the killing of Gaveston, but by his contemporaries he was considered a man of exceptionally good judgement and learning. He owned what was for his time a large collection of books, and his advice was often sought by many of the other earls. Next to Lancaster, he was the wealthiest peer in the nation, and after his death his lands and title were inherited by his son, Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick. Provided by Wikipedia