John Beaumont | |
|---|---|
| Viscount Beaumont | |
 Arms of Sir John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont, KG | |
| Other titles | 6th Baron Beaumont |
| Born | c. 1409 Folkingham Castle, Lincolnshire |
| Died | 10 July 1460 Northampton, Northamptonshire |
| Offices | Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord Great Chamberlain Lord High Constable |
| Noble family | House of Beaumont |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Phelip Katherine Neville, Duchess of Norfolk |
| Issue | William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont |
| Father | Henry, 5th Baron Beaumont |
| Mother | Elizabeth Willoughby of Eresby |
John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont KG KB (c. 1409 – 10 July 1460), was an English nobleman and magnate from Folkingham, Lincolnshire. He was a councillor to King Henry VI and was rewarded for his services, becoming a leading member of the East Anglian nobility. Beaumont held numerous offices for the crown, and was promoted up the peerage to become the first man with the rank of viscount. He also amassed immense personal wealth, acquired through inheritance, marriage, and royal patronage.
Beaumont was present for some of the most notable events of Henry VI's reign. He was present at the arrest of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1447, helped defend the king against Jack Cade's Rebellion in 1450, and helped suppress the rebellion of Richard, Duke of York in 1452. While York and his allies ended up fighting against the king, Beaumont remained loyal to the Lancastrian crown during the 1450s, which saw the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. His personal loyalty to Henry VI eventually cost him his life – he was killed, bodyguarding the king, at the Battle of Northampton in 1460. Beaumont's son, William Beaumont, continued the struggle against the Yorkists.