Edward I b. 1239 d. 1307 - Longshanks - reign 1272-1307

A possible connection to Belchamp Walter. Sir John Botetourt was thought to be the illegitimate son of Edward I. There is no doubt that Sir John de Botetourt was involved with Edward I's exploits in Gloucestershire and Scotland.

At the time Sir John was recorded as born (1265) Prince Edward (Prince of Wales?) was 26 years old. His arranged marriage to Eleanor of Castile was in 1254, this would have meant that Eleanor was 11 when Sir John was born.

The likelyhood that Eleanor was Sir John's mother is slim.

When Sir John was born Edward was a young man with an 11 year old arranged bride. He went on the ???? crusade in ???? accompanied by Eleanor. Where the many offspring attributed to the union between Edward and Eleanor were born is pretty well establised. For example, Joan ( Joan of Acre) was born on that crusade in what is now Israel.

Prince Edward was on crusade in 1271/72. Henry III died in 1272 while Edward was on crusade aswas not coronated until his return. Joan of Acre must have been born within these dates (1272).

Edward and Eleanors daughter Elizabeth was betrothed to John of Holland 1285. Edward was 56 and Eleanor 44. This was 13 years after returned from the crusade (13 Edward I).
Elizabeth was Edward and Eleanor's 15th child born in 1282 (Wikipedia).

John de Botetourt would have been 17 when Elizabeth was born.

Wikipedia says:

Edward I invasion of Scotland - 1296

As "Hammer of the Scots" Edward I was very aggressive in his pursuit of conquering Scotland.

Eleanor of Castile

The Wikipedia page starts:

If Eleanor had her first child in 1254 it is presumed (from the Wikipedia text) that it was the result of the marriage to Edward. The Wikipedia page lists this first born as "still born".

By 1265, the recorded date of Sir John de Botetourt's birth, Eleanor would have been 24

Lord Edward's Crusade - 1270

Lord Edward's Crusade,[2] sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward, Duke of Gascony (later king as Edward I) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was the last of the Crusades to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre in 1291 brought an end to the permanent crusader presence there.

Edward I's second wife

The death of his beloved first wife, Eleanor of Castile, in 1290, left King Edward I of England grief-stricken. He was at the time at war with France and Scotland. He and Eleanor had only one surviving son, Edward, and so the king was anxious to remarry to have more sons. In summer of 1291, Edward betrothed his son to Blanche, half-sister to Margaret and Philip IV, in order to achieve peace with France. However, having been told of Blanche's renowned beauty, Edward decided to have his son's bride for his own and sent emissaries to France. Philip IV agreed to have Blanche marry Edward on the conditions that a truce would be concluded between the two countries, and that Edward would give up the province of Gascony.

Edward I's first children

Edward's marriage to Eleanor was in 1254. The question of his "fidelity" is not in question but he did have a lot of children, many of which did not survive for long. If John de Boutetourt was an illegitimate he could have "slipped in" without being fully acknowledged.

John Botetourt is recorded as being born in 1265, so he would have been 11 at the time of Edwards marriage to Eleanor. He went on crusade in 1270 (Ninth) and his daughter Joan of Acre was born 1272, in Acre (now in Israel).