son. After his return to England John became involved in the Scottish Wars. He was probably at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. He was certainly at the Siege of Caerlaverock in 1300. The nobles who joined Edward I at the Siege of Caerlaverock, including John of Brittany, were commemorated in the Roll of Caerlaverock which named each noble and described their banner. In this roll, the banner and description of John of Brittany immediately follows that of his uncle King Edward I. His father, the Duke of Brittany, died in 1305, and was succeeded as duke by John's elder brother, Arthur. The following year Edward I invested John with his father's other title, Earl of Richmond. In addition Edward I appointed him Guardian of Scotland, a position which was confirmed upon the accession of Edward II in 1307. Service to Edward II The English court viewed John of Brittany as a trusted diplomat. He was a skilled negotiator, and his French connections were a useful asset. By 1307 he was also one of the kingdom's oldest earls. As the relationship between Edward II and his nobility deteriorated, Richmond remained loyal to the king; in 1309 he went on an embassy to Pope Clement V on behalf of Edward's favourite Piers Gaveston. John was allegedly Gaveston's close personal friend, and did not share the antagonistic attitudes held by certain other earls. Lord Ordainers By 1310 the relationship between Edward II and his earls had deteriorated to the point where a committee of earls took control of government from the king. The earls disobeyed a royal order not to carry arms to parliament, and in full military attire presented a demand to the king for the appointment of a commission of reform. At the heart of the deteriorating situation was the peers' opinion of Edward II's relationship with Piers Gaveston, and his reputedly outrageous behaviour. On 16 March 1310, the king agreed to the appointment of Ordainers, who were to be in charge of the reform of the royal household. John of Brittany was one of eight earls appointed to this committee of 21, referred to as the Lords Ordainers. He was among the Ordainers considered loyal to Edward II and was also by this time one of the older remaining earls. John then travelled to France for diplomatic negotiations, before returning to England. Gaveston was exiled by the Ordainers but