| John of Gaunt | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Lancaster | |
 A portrait commissioned c. 1593 by SirEdward Hoby forQueenborough Castle, Kent, probably modelled on Gaunt's tomb effigy inOld St Paul's Cathedral.[1] Histabard shows theroyal arms of Castile and León impaling hisdifferenced Plantagenet arms, while on the shield Castile and León is shown as an inescutcheon of pretence, representing his claim to that kingdom by right of marriage toConstance of Castile. | |
| Duke of Aquitaine (as John II) | |
| Reign | 2 March 1390 –3 February 1399 |
| Predecessor | Richard II |
| King of Castile (claimant) | |
| Claimed | 29 January 1372 – 8 July 1388 |
| Predecessor | Henry II |
| Successor | John I |
| Born | 6 March 1340 Saint Bavo's Abbey,Ghent,Flanders |
| Died | 3 February 1399 (aged 58) Leicester Castle,Leicestershire,England |
| Burial | 15 March 1399 St Paul's Cathedral,London, remains now lost |
| Spouses | |
| Issue more... | |
| House |
|
| Father | Edward III of England |
| Mother | Philippa of Hainault |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | .svg) Kingdom of England |
| Service | 1367–1388 |
| Conflicts |
|
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English prince,[2] military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of KingEdward III, and the father of KingHenry IV. Because of Gaunt's royal origin, advantageous marriages and some generous land grants, he was one of the richest men of his era and an influential figure during the reigns of both his father and his nephew,Richard II.[3][4] As Duke of Lancaster, he is the founder of the royalHouse of Lancaster, whose members would ascend the throne after his death. His birthplace,Ghent in Flanders, then known in English asGaunt, was the origin of his name.
John's early career was spent in France and Spain fighting in theHundred Years' War. He made an abortive attempt to enforce a claim to theCrown of Castile that came through his second wife,Constance of Castile, and for a time styled himself as King of Castile. WhenEdward the Black Prince, Gaunt's elder brother and heir-apparent to the ageing Edward III, became incapacitated owing to poor health, Gaunt assumed control of many government functions and rose to become one of the most powerful political figures in England. He was faced with military difficulties abroad and political divisions at home, and disagreements as to how to deal with these crises led to tensions between Gaunt, theEnglish Parliament and the ruling class, making him an unpopular figure for a time. He helped forge the 1386Anglo-Portuguese alliance, secured through the marriage of his daughterPhilippa toJohn I of Portugal, which endured for centuries.[5][6]
John exercised great influence over theEnglish throne during the minority of King Richard II (Edward the Black Prince's son) and the ensuing periods of political strife. He mediated between the king and a group of rebellious nobles, which included Gaunt's own son and heir-apparent, Henry Bolingbroke.[2] Following Gaunt's death in 1399, the Lancastrian estates and titles were declaredforfeit tothe Crown, and the now disinherited son, Bolingbroke, was branded a traitor and ordered into exile.[7] Henry did not stay in exile; he raised an army to reclaim his inheritance and depose Richard. He reigned as King Henry IV (1399–1413), the first of the descendants of John of Gaunt to hold the English throne.
John cultivated an extensive network of retainers, known as theLancastrianaffinity, which became the cornerstone of his political power and was later inherited by his eldest surviving son, Henry, the future King Henry IV.[8][9] AllEnglish monarchs from Henry IV onwards are descended from John of Gaunt. His direct male line, theHouse of Lancaster, ruledEngland from 1399 until theWars of the Roses. Gaunt is also generally believed to have fathered five children outside marriage: one early in life by alady-in-waiting tohis mother;[citation needed] the others, surnamedBeaufort, byKatherine Swynford, his long-term mistress and third wife. They were later legitimised by royal andpapal decrees, but this did not affect Henry IV's bar to their having a place in the line of succession. Through his daughterJoan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, he was an ancestor of theYorkist kingsEdward IV,Edward V andRichard III. Through his great-granddaughterLady Margaret Beaufort he was also an ancestor ofHenry VII, who married Edward IV's daughterElizabeth of York, and all subsequent monarchs are descendants of their marriage. Two of John's daughters married into continental royal houses (those of Portugal and Castile). Through them, many royal families of Europe can trace lineage to him.
John was the son ofEdward III of England andPhilippa of Hainault, and was born inGhent inFlanders, most likely atSaint Bavo's Abbey, in March 1340.[10] The name by which he has become best known,of Gaunt, was derived from an anglicised form of his birthplace, Ghent.[11] Its use was popularised byShakespeare in his playRichard II. However, during John's lifetime, he was not referred to as this after the age of three.[2] When he became unpopular later in life, a scurrilous rumour circulated, along withlampoons, claiming that he was actually the son of a Ghentbutcher.[12] This rumour, which infuriated him, might have been inspired by the fact that Edward III had not been present at his birth.[citation needed]
John's married his first wife,Blanche of Lancaster, in 1359 atReading Abbey as a part of the efforts of Edward III to arrange matches for his sons with wealthy heiresses. Upon the death of his father-in-law, theDuke of Lancaster, in 1361, John received half his lands, the title "Earl of Lancaster", and the distinction of being the greatest landowner inNorthern England as heir to thePalatinate of Lancaster. He also became the 14thBaron of Halton and 11thLord of Bowland. John inherited the rest of the Lancaster property when Blanche's sisterMaud, Countess of Leicester (married toWilliam V, Count of Hainaut), died without issue on 10 April 1362.
John received the title "Duke of Lancaster" from his father on 13 November 1362. By then well established, he owned at least thirty castles and estates across England and France and maintained ahousehold comparable in scale and organisation to that of a monarch. He owned land in almost every county in England, a patrimony that produced a net income of between £8,000 and £10,000 a year,[13] equivalent in 2023 to c.£170 – 213 million in income value, or £3.5 – 4.4 billion in relation to GDP.[14]
Because of his rank, John of Gaunt was one of England's principal military commanders in the 1370s and 1380s, though his enterprises were never rewarded with the kind of dazzling success that had made his elder brother Edward the Black Prince such a charismatic war leader.
On the resumption of war with France in 1369, John was sent toCalais withHumphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and a small English army with which he raided into northern France. On 23 August, he was confronted by a much larger French army underPhilip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Exercising his first command, John dared not attack such a superior force and the two armies faced each other across a marsh for several weeks until the English were reinforced by theThomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, at which the French withdrew without offering battle. John and Warwick then decided to strikeHarfleur, the base of the French fleet on theSeine. Further reinforced by German mercenaries, they marched on Harfleur, but were delayed by French guerilla operations while the town prepared for a siege. John invested the town for four days in October, but he was losing so many men todysentery andbubonic plague that he decided to abandon the siege and return to Calais. During this retreat, the army had to fight its way across theSomme at the ford of Blanchetaque against a French army led by Hugh de Châtillon, who was captured and sold to Edward III. By the middle of November, the survivors of the sickly army returned to Calais, where the Earl of Warwick died of the plague. Though it seemed an inglorious conclusion to the campaign, John had forced the French king,Charles V, to abandon his plans to invade England that autumn.[15]
In the summer of 1370, John was sent with a small army toAquitaine to reinforce his ailing elder brother, the Black Prince, and his younger brotherEdmund of Langley, Duke of York, Earl of Cambridge. With them, he participated in theSiege of Limoges (September 1370). He took charge of the siege operations and at one point engaged in hand-to-hand fighting in the undermining tunnels.[16] After this event, the Black Prince gave John thelieutenancy of Aquitaine and sailed for England, leaving John in charge. Though he attempted to defend the duchy against French encroachment for nearly a year, lack of resources and money meant he could do little but husband what small territory the English still controlled, and he resigned the command in September 1371 and returned to England.[17] Just before leaving Aquitaine, he married theInfanta Constance of Castile in September 1371 atRoquefort, nearBordeaux,Guyenne. The following year he took part with his father, Edward III, in an abortive attempt to invade France with a large army, which was frustrated by three months of unfavourable winds.
Probably John's most notable feat of arms occurred in August–December 1373, when he attempted to relieve Aquitaine by the landward route, leading an army of some 9,000 mounted men from Calais on agreat chevauchée from north-eastern to south-western France on a 900-kilometre raid. This four-month ride through enemy territory, evading French armies on the way, was a bold stroke that impressed contemporaries but achieved virtually nothing. Beset on all sides by French ambushes and plagued by disease and starvation, John of Gaunt and his raiders battled their way through Champagne, east of Paris, into Burgundy, across theMassif Central, and finally down intoDordogne. Unable to attack any strongly fortified forts and cities, the raiders plundered the countryside, which weakened the French infrastructure, but the military value of the damage was only temporary. Marching in winter across theLimousin plateau, with stragglers being picked off by the French, huge numbers of the army, and even larger numbers of horses, died of cold, disease or starvation. The army reached English-occupiedBordeaux on 24 December 1373, severely weakened in numbers with the loss of at least one-third of their force in action and another third to disease. Upon arrival in Bordeaux, many more succumbed to thebubonic plague that was raging in the city. Sick, demoralised and mutinous, the army was in no shape to defend Aquitaine, and soldiers began to desert. John had no funds with which to pay them, and despite his entreaties, none were sent from England, so in April 1374, he abandoned the enterprise and sailed for home.[18]
On his return from France in 1374, John took a more decisive and persistent role in the direction of English foreign policy. From then until 1377, he was effectively the head of the English government owing to the illness of his father and elder brother, who were unable to exercise authority. His vast estates made him the richest man in England, and his great wealth, ostentatious display of it, autocratic manner and attitudes, enormous London mansion (theSavoy Palace on the Strand) and association with the failed peace process at Bruges combined to make him the most visible target of social resentments.
However, John's ascendancy to political power coincided with widespread resentment of his influence. At a time when English forces encountered setbacks in theHundred Years' War against France, with John's efforts not viewed as being as successful as his father and brother,[citation needed] and Edward III's rule was becoming unpopular owing to high taxation and his affair with his mistressAlice Perrers, political opinion closely associated the Duke of Lancaster with the failing government of the 1370s.
TheGood Parliament was called in 1376 due to shortages of government funds.[19] It turned into a parliamentary revolution, expressing grievances at high taxation, misgovernment and corruption at court. With the Black Prince supporting reform John was isolated and the Commons managed to get the great officers of state dismissed and Alice Perrers was barred from the court. This changed with the Black Prince's death on 8 June 1376 and the onset of Edward III's last illness at the closing of the Good Parliament on 10 July left John with all the reins of power.
John immediately had the ailing king grantroyal pardons to all the officials impeached by the Parliament; Alice Perrers too was reinstated at the heart of the king's household. John impeachedWilliam of Wykeham and other leaders of the reform movement, and secured their conviction on old or trumped-up charges.
TheBad Parliament of 1377 was John's counter-coup: crucially, the Lords no longer supported the Commons and John was able to have most of the acts of 1376 annulled. He also succeeded in forcing the Commons to agree to the imposition of the firstpoll tax in English history—a viciously regressive measure that bore hardest on the poorest members of society.[20]
Gaunt protected the religious dissenterJohn Wycliffe, so staking out a more anti-clerical position than his contemporaries[21] at least partly in order to threaten the clergy into paying higher taxes.[22] Wycliffe believed that church wealth was damaging to the church, which coincided with Gaunt's views that church wealth could fund the government's military needs.[23]
John's influence strengthened with Edward III's death in 1377 and the accession of Edward's ten-year-old sonRichard II.[24]
There was organised opposition to his measures andrioting in London in 1377; John of Gaunt's arms were reversed or defaced wherever they were displayed, and protestors pasted up lampoons on his supposedly dubious birth.[25] At one point he was forced to take refuge across the Thames, while his Savoy Palace only just escaped looting.[26] It was rumoured (and believed by many people in England and France) that he intended to seize the throne for himself and supplant the rightful heir, his nephew Richard, the son of the Black Prince, but there seems to have been no truth in this and on the death of Edward III and the accession of the child Richard II, John sought no position of regency for himself and withdrew to his estates.[27]
John's personal unpopularity persisted, however, and the failure of his expedition to Saint-Malo in 1378 did nothing for his reputation. Ultimately, some of his possessions were taken from him by the Crown. In 1380, his ship, theDieulagarde, was seized and bundled with other royal ships to be sold to pay off the debts of SirRobert de Crull, who during the latter part of KingEdward III's reign had been theClerk of the King's Ships, and had advanced monies to pay for the king's ships.[28] During thePeasants' Revolt of 1381, John of Gaunt was far from the centre of events, on theMarch of Scotland, but he was among those named by the rebels as a traitor to be beheaded as soon as he could be found. The Savoy Palace was systematically destroyed by the mob and burned to the ground. Nominally friendly lords and even his own fortresses closed their gates to him, and John was forced to flee into Scotland with a handful of retainers and throw himself on the charity of KingRobert II of Scotland until the crisis was over.[29]
John's final campaign in France took place in 1378. He planned a 'great expedition' of mounted men in a large armada of ships to land atBrest and take control of Brittany. Not enough ships could be found to transport the horses, and the expedition was tasked with the more limited objective of capturingSt. Malo. The English destroyed the shipping in St. Malo harbour and began to assault the town by land on 14 August, but John was soon hampered by the size of his army, which was unable to forage because French armies underOlivier de Clisson andBertrand du Guesclin occupied the surrounding countryside, harrying the edges of his force. In September, the siege was simply abandoned and the army returned ingloriously to England. John of Gaunt received most of the blame for the debâcle.[30]
Partly as a result of these failures, and those of other English commanders at this period, John was one of the first important figures in England to conclude that the war with France was unwinnable because of France's greater resources of wealth and manpower. He began to advocate peace negotiations; indeed, as early as 1373, during his great raid through France, he made contact withGuillaume Roger [fr], brother and political adviser ofPope Gregory XI, to let the pope know he would be interested in a diplomatic conference under papal auspices. This approach led indirectly to the Anglo-French Congress of Bruges in 1374–77, which resulted in the short-livedTruce of Bruges between the two sides.[31] John was himself a delegate to the various conferences that eventually resulted in theTruce of Leulinghem in 1389. The fact that he became identified with the attempts to make peace added to his unpopularity at a period when the majority of Englishmen believed victory would be in their grasp if only the French could be defeated decisively as they had been in the 1350s. Another motive was John's conviction that it was only by making peace with France would it be possible to release sufficient manpower to enforce his claim to thethrone of Castile.
Asde facto ruler during Richard's minority, he made unwise decisions on taxation that led to thePeasants' Revolt in 1381, when the rebels destroyed his home in London, theSavoy Palace. Some of the rebels suspected John of wanting to seize the throne himself, with rebels swearing "that they would accept no king called John",[32] although he took pains to ensure that he never became associated with the opposition to Richard's kingship. Unlike some of Richard's unpopular advisors, John was away from London at the time of the uprising and thus avoided the direct wrath of the rebels.
In 1386 John left England to seekthe throne of Castile, claimed injure uxoris by right of his second wife,Constance of Castile, whom he had married in 1371. However, crisis ensued almost immediately in his absence, and in 1387 King Richard's misrule brought England to the brink of civil war. John had togive up on his ambitions in Spain and hurry back to England in 1389. Only John's intervention in the political crisis succeeded in persuading theLords Appellant and King Richard to compromise to usher in a period of relative stability. During the 1390s, John's reputation of devotion to the well-being of the kingdom was largely restored.
Upon his marriage toConstance of Castile in 1371, John assumed (officially from 29 January 1372) the title of King of Castile and Leónin right of his wife, and insisted his fellow English nobles henceforth address him as "my lord of Spain".[33] John gathered around himself a small court of refugee Castilian knights and set up aCastilian chancery that prepared documents in his name.[34] His claim to the Castilan throne strongly influenced Gaunt's views on foreign policy.[35] He hatched several schemes to make good his claim, but for many years these were still-born owing to lack of finance or the conflicting claims of war in France or with Scotland.[36]
_(late_15th_C)%2c_f.236r_-_BL_Royal_MS_14_E_IV.png)
It was not until 1386, after Portugal's new KingJohn I had entered into analliance with England, that he was actually able to land with an army in Spain. John's Anglo-Portuguese fleet sailed from England in 1386, pausing to drive off the French forces who were then besiegingBrest, he landed atCorunna in northern Spain on 29 July.[37]
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The Castilian king,John of Trastámara, had concentrated his forces on the Portuguese border but was wrong-footed by John's decision to invadeGalicia setting up a rudimentary court and chancery atOurense and receiving the submission of the Galician nobility and most of the towns. The Castilians were in no hurry to fight and Gaunt began had difficulties paying his army.[citation needed]
In November, Gaunt and John of Portugal concluded an agreement for a joint Anglo-Portuguese invasion of central Castile early in 1387 sealed by the marriage of John's eldest daughterPhilippa to the Portuguese king. As much of John's army fell sick they were far outnumbered by their Portuguese allies by the time of the invasion in April–June 1387 which failed as the Castilians avoided battle and the invaders were reduced to foraging for food in the arid Spanish landscape while being harried by French mercenaries. Gaunt lost a number of retainers and close friends to disease or exhaustion, while many of his troops abandoned the army to ride north under French safe conducts. Shortly after the army returned to Portugal, John of Gaunt concluded a secret treaty withJohn of Trastámara under which he renounced all claims to the throne in return for a large annual payment and the marriage of his daughter Catherine to John of Trastámara's son, Henry.[citation needed]
John left Portugal for Aquitaine, and he remained in that province until he returned to England in November 1389. This effectively kept him off the scene while England endured the major political crisis of the conflict between Richard II and theLords Appellant, who were led by John of Gaunt's younger brotherThomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. Only four months after his return to England, in March 1390, Richard II formally invested Gaunt with the Duchy of Aquitaine, thus providing him with the overseas territory he had long desired. However, he did not immediately return to the province, but remained in England and mainly ruled throughseneschals as an absentee duke. His administration of the province was a disappointment, and his appointment as duke was much resented by the Gascons, since Aquitaine had previously always been held directly by the king of England or his heir; it was not felt to be a fief that a king could bestow on a subordinate.[citation needed]
From 1394 through 1395, he was forced to spend nearly a year in Gascony to shore up his position in the face of threats of secession by the Gascon nobles. He was one of England's principal negotiators in the diplomatic exchanges with France in 1396, and he initially agreed to join the French-ledCrusade that ended in the disastrousBattle of Nicopolis, but withdrew because of ill-health and the political problems in Gascony and England.[38]
For the remainder of his life, John of Gaunt occupied the role of valued counsellor of the king and loyal supporter of the Crown. He did not even protest, it seems, when his younger brother Thomas was murdered at Richard's behest. It may be that he felt he had to maintain this posture of loyalty to protect his son Henry Bolingbroke (the futureHenry IV), who had also been one of the Lords Appellant, from Richard's wrath; but, in 1398, Richard had Bolingbroke exiled, and on John of Gaunt's death the next year he disinherited Bolingbroke completely, seizing John's vast estates for the Crown.[citation needed]
John of Gaunt was a patron and close friend of the poetGeoffrey Chaucer, best known for his workThe Canterbury Tales. Near the end of their lives, Lancaster and Chaucer became brothers-in-law. Chaucer marriedPhilippa (Pan) de Roet in 1366, and Lancaster took his mistress of nearly 30 years,Katherine Swynford (de Roet), who was Philippa Chaucer's sister, as his third wife in 1396. Although Philippa diedc. 1387, the men were bound as brothers and Lancaster's children by Katherine—John, Henry, Thomas and Joan Beaufort—were Chaucer's nephews and niece.
Chaucer'sThe Book of the Duchess, also known as theDeeth of Blaunche the Duchesse,[39] was written in commemoration ofBlanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's first wife. The poem refers to John and Blanche inallegory as the narrator relates the tale of "A long castel with walles white/Be Seynt Johan, on a ryche hil" (1318–1319) who is mourning grievously after the death of his love, "And goode faire White she het/That was my lady name ryght" (948–949). The phrase "long castel" is a reference to Lancaster (also called "Loncastel" and "Longcastell"), "walles white" is thought to likely be an oblique reference to Blanche, "Seynt Johan" was John of Gaunt's name-saint, and "ryche hil" is a reference to Richmond; these thinly veiled references reveal the identity of the grieving black knight of the poem as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Earl of Richmond. "White" is the English translation of the French word "blanche", implying that the white lady was Blanche of Lancaster.[40]
Believed to have been written in the 1390s, Chaucer's short poemFortune, is also inferred to directly reference Lancaster.[41][42] "Chaucer as narrator" openly defiesFortune, proclaiming he has learned who his enemies are through her tyranny and deceit, and declares "my suffisaunce" (15) and that "over himself hath the maystrye" (14).Fortune, in turn, does not understand Chaucer's harsh words to her for she believes she has been kind to him, claims that he does not know what she has in store for him in the future, but most importantly, "And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve" (32, 40, 48). Chaucer retorts that "My frend maystow nat reven, blind goddesse" (50) and orders her to take away those who merely pretend to be his friends.Fortune turns her attention to three princes whom she implores to relieve Chaucer of his pain and "Preyeth his beste frend of his noblesse/That to som beter estat he may atteyne" (78–79). The three princes are believed to represent the dukes of Lancaster,York, andGloucester, and a portion of line 76, "as three of you or tweyne," to refer to the ordinance of 1390 which specified that no royal gift could be authorised without the consent of at least two of the three dukes.[43] Most conspicuous in this short poem is the number of references to Chaucer's "beste frend".Fortune states three times in her response to the plaintiff, "And also, you still have your best friend alive" (32, 40, 48); she also references his "beste frend" in the envoy when appealing to his "noblesse" to help Chaucer to a higher estate. A fifth reference is made by "Chaucer as narrator" who rails atFortune that she shall not take his friend from him. While the envoy playfully hints to Lancaster that Chaucer would certainly appreciate a boost to his status or income, the poemFortune distinctively shows his deep appreciation and affection for John of Gaunt.
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John of Gaunt died of natural causes on 3 February 1399 atLeicester Castle, with his third wife Katherine by his side.
He was buried beside his first wife,Blanche of Lancaster, in thechoir ofSt Paul's Cathedral, adjacent to the high altar. Their magnificent tomb had been designed and executed between 1374 and 1380 byHenry Yevele with the assistance of Thomas Wrek, at a total cost of £592. The twoalabaster effigies were notable for having their right hands joined. An adjacentchantry chapel was added between 1399 and 1403.[44][45] During the reformation when other stonework in the cathedral was taken down in 1552, the tomb was spared by a command ofthe council, but was stripped plain.[a] During the period of theInterregnum (1649–1660) it was severely damaged, and perhaps destroyed; anything that survived was lost (with the rest of the cathedral) in theGreat Fire of London of 1666.[44] A wall memorial in the crypt of thepresent cathedral lists Gaunt's as among the important lost monuments.
On 19 May 1359 atReading Abbey, John married histhird cousin,Blanche of Lancaster, younger of the two daughters ofHenry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster. Both shared a common descent as great-great-grandchildren from KingHenry III. The wealth she brought to the marriage was the foundation of John's fortune. Blanche died on 12 September 1368 atTutbury Castle, shortly after the birth of her last child while her husband was overseas. Of their seven children only three survived to adulthood.
Their sonHenry Bolingbroke became Henry IV of England, having deposed KingRichard II, who had seized the duchy of Lancaster upon John's death while Henry was in exile. Their daughterPhilippa of Lancaster became Queen of Portugal by marrying KingJohn I of Portugal in 1387. All subsequent kings of Portugal beginning from theHouse of Aviz were thus descended from John of Gaunt. Philippa's daughterIsabella, marriedPhilip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Their lone heiress,Mary, the only child of Philip's only legitimate sonCharles the Bold, married her 2nd cousin, Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I, whose motherEleanor, was the daughter of Philippa's sonEdward. Their grandsonCharles marriedIsabella, daughter ofManuel I of Portugal, a male line grandson of Edward.
In 1371, John marriedInfanta Constance of Castile, daughter of KingPeter of Castile, thus giving him a claim to theCrown of Castile, which he would pursue. Constance died in 1394. Though John was never able to make good his claim, his daughter by Constance,Catherine of Lancaster, became Queen of Castile by marryingHenry III of Castile.Catherine of Aragon andJoanna of Castile were descended from Catherine through their motherIsabella I, daughter of Catherine's sonJohn II. Isabella I was also a descendant of Catherine's half-sister Philippa, through her motherIsabella, who was the daughter of Philippa's other sonJohn. Hence theHouse of Hapsburg is also related to John of Gaunt.
During his second marriage, some time around 1373 (the approximate birth year of their eldest son,John Beaufort) John of Gaunt entered into an extra-marital love affair withKatherine Swynford (born de Roet), the daughter of an ordinary knight (SirPaon de Roet), which would produce four children for the couple. All of them were born out of wedlock, but were legitimised upon their parents' eventual marriage. The adulterous relationship endured until 1381, when it was ended out of political necessity.[46] Prior to her widowhood, Katherine had had at least two children with her husband, Sir Hugh Swynford fromKettlethorpe in Lincolnshire. These were Blanche, for whom John of Gaunt stood asgodfather, and Thomas, later Sir Thomas.[47]
On 13 January 1396, two years after the death of Constance of Castile, Katherine and John of Gaunt married inLincoln Cathedral. Their children were given the surname "Beaufort" after a former French possession of the duke. The Beaufort children, three sons and a daughter, were legitimised by royal and papal decrees after John and Katherine married. From the eldest son,John, descended a granddaughter,Lady Margaret Beaufort, whose son, later KingHenry VII of England, would nevertheless claim the throne.
A later proviso to the legitimation of the Beaufort children was that they were specifically barred from inheriting the throne—the phraseexcepta regali dignitate ("except royal status")—was inserted with dubious authority by their half-brother Henry IV. However, as historian and author Nathen Amin points out there was no parliamentary ratification of this scribbled in amendment. Further testing and analysis on these three words is required to determine when exactly they were added. There is every possibility they were added as a later proviso during the height of the Wars of the Roses as a means to discredit any heirs of Margaret Beaufort.
As a son of the sovereign, John bore the royal arms of the kingdom (Quarterly, France Ancient and England),differenced by a label of three points ermine.[54]
As claimant to the throne of Castile and León from 1372, heimpaled the arms of that kingdom (Gules, a castle or, quartering Argent, a lion rampant purpure) with his own. The arms of Castile and León appeared on thedexter side of the shield (the left-hand side as viewed), and the differenced English royal arms on the sinister; but in 1388, when he surrendered his claim, he reversed this marshalling, placing his own arms on the dexter, and those of Castile and León on the sinister.[55] He thus continued to signal his alliance with the Castilian royal house, while abandoning any claim to the throne. There is, however, evidence that he may occasionally have used this second marshalling at earlier dates.[56]
In addition to his royal arms, Gaunt bore an alternative coat ofSable, three ostrich feathers ermine. This was the counterpart to his brother, theBlack Prince's, "shield for peace" (on which the ostrich feathers were white), and may have been used injousting. The ostrich feather arms appeared in stained glass above Gaunt's chantry chapel in St Paul's Cathedral.[57]
John of Gaunt is a character inWilliam Shakespeare's playRichard II. Shortly before he dies, he makes a speech that includes the lines (in Act 2, scene i, around line 40) "This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars ... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England". He is also referred to byFalstaff inHenry IV Part I (in Act 2, scene ii).
Hungerford inBerkshire has ancient links to theDuchy, the manor becoming part of John of Gaunt's estate in 1362 beforeJames I passed ownership to two local men in 1612 (which subsequently became Town & Manor of Hungerford Charity). The links are visible today in the Town & Manor-owned John O'Gaunt Inn on Bridge Street,[58] andJohn O'Gaunt School on Priory Road.[59]
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However, John of Gaunt literally stood by him in court, causing the trial to break up in confusion.
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John of Gaunt Born: 6 March 1340 Died: 3 February 1399 | ||
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Duke of Lancaster 2nd creation 1362–1399 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Earl of Leicester Earl of Lancaster Earl of Derby 1361–1399 | |
| Preceded by | Earl of Richmond 29 September 1342 – 25 June 1372 | Succeeded by |
| French nobility | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Aquitaine 1390–1399 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord High Steward 1362–1399 | Succeeded by |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded byas unopposed king | — DISPUTED — King of Castile 1372–1388 | Succeeded byas unopposed king |
| Suebian kings |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Astur-Leonese dynasty | ||
| House of Jiménez | ||
| House of Burgundy | ||
| Portuguese House of Burgundy | ||
| House of Lancaster | ||
| House of Trastámara | ||
| House of Habsburg | ||
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