General Notes

REFN: 1242
Also called (1342-62) EARL OF RICHMOND, or (FROM 1390) DU
C (DUKE) D'AQUITAINE English prince, fourth but third survi
ving son of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hai
naut; he exercised a moderating influence in the politica
l and constitutional struggles of the reign of his nephew R
ichard II. He was the immediate ancestor of the three 15th-
century Lancastrian monarchs, Henry IV, V, and VI. The ter
m Gaunt, a corruption of the name of his birthplace, Ghent
, was never employed after he was three years old; it becam
e the popularly accepted form of his name through its use i
n Shakespeare's play Richard II.
Through his first wife, Blanche (d. 1369), John, in 1362, a
cquired the duchy of Lancaster and the vast Lancastrian est
ates in England and Wales. From 1367 to 1374 he served a
s a commander in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) agains
t France. On his return he obtained the chief influence wit
h his father, but he had serious opponents among a group o
f powerful prelates who aspired to hold state offices. He c
ountered their hostility by forming a curious alliance wit
h the religious reformer John Wycliffe. Despite John's extr
eme unpopularity, he maintained his position after the acce
ssion of his ten-year-old nephew, Richard II, in 1377, an
d from 1381 to 1386 he mediated between the King's party an
d the opposition group led by John's younger brother, Thoma
s Woodstock, earl of Gloucester.
In 1386 John departed for Spain to pursue his claim to th
e kingship of Castile and Leon based upon his marriage to C
onstance of Castile in 1371. The expedition was a militar
y failure. John renounced his claim in 1388, but he marrie
d his daughter, Catherine, to the young nobleman who eventu
ally became King Henry III of Castile and Leon.
Meanwhile, in England, war had nearly broken out between th
e followers of King Richard II and the followers of Glouces
ter. John returned in 1389 and resumed his role as peacemak
er.
His wife Constance died in 1394, and two years later he mar
ried his mistress, Catherine Swynford. In 1397 he obtaine
d legitimization of the four children born to her before th
eir marriage. This family, the Beauforts, played an importa
nt part in 15th-century politics. When John died in 1399, R
ichard II confiscated the Lancastrian estates, thereby prev
enting them from passing to John's son, Henry Bolingbroke
. Henry then deposed Richard and in September 1399 ascende
d the throne as King Henry IV.