General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> John of Gaunt /Plantagenet/
REFN: 2930AN
He was created Duke of Lancaster in 1362, following the death of his fathe
r-in-law Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster. He received half of Hen
ry's lands, the title Earl of Lancaster - and distinction as the greate
st land owner in the north of England - because of his first marriage to h
is cousin, Blanche of Lancaster (1359), heiress to the Palatinate of Lanca
ster. He received the rest of the inheritance only when Blanche's siste
r, Maud (married to William of Hainault, Count of Holland and Zealand), di
ed in 1361.
Gaunt received the title Duke of Lancaster from Edward III on 13 Novembe
r, 1382, and was by then well established as a fabulously wealthy prin
ce - one with at least thirty castles and vast estates across England a
nd France. His household was comparable in scale and organisation to th
at of a monarch.
After the death of his elder brother, Edward, the Black Prince, John of Ga
unt became increasingly powerful. He contrived to protect the religious re
former John Wyclif, with whose aims he sympathised. However, Gaunt's ascen
dancy to political power coincided with widespread resentment at his influ
ence. At a time when English forces encountered setbacks in the Hundred Ye
ars' War against France and Edward III's rule had started to become domest
ically unpopular due to high taxation and to the King's affair with Ali
ce Perrers, political opinion closely associated the Duke of Lancaster wi
th the failing government of the 1370s. Furthermore, while the king and t
he Prince of Wales had the status of popular heroes due to their succe
ss on the battlefield, Gaunt had never known any such military success whi
ch might have bolstered his reputation.
When King Edward III died (1377) and John's nephew, the ten-year-old Richa
rd II of England, succeeded to the throne, Gaunt's influence strengthen
ed further, but mistrust remained and some suspected him of wanting to sei
ze the throne for himself. He took pains to ensure that he never became as
sociated with the opposition to Richard's kingship, but as virtual rul
er of England during Richard's minority, some unwise decisions on taxati
on led to the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, during which the rebels destroy
ed his Savoy Palace.
In 1386, Richard, who had by now assumed more power for himself, dispatch
ed Gaunt to Spain as an ambassador. However, crisis ensued almost immediat
ely and in 1387 Richard's misrule took the country to the brink of civil w
ar. Only John of Gaunt, on his return to England, was able to bring abo
ut a compromise between the Lords Appellant and King Richard, usheri
ng in a period of stability and relative harmony. During the 1390s, Jo
hn of Gaunt's reputation of devotion to the well-being of the kingdom beca
me much restored. Gaunt died of natural causes on February 3 1399 at Leice
ster Castle, with his beloved third wife Katherine by his side
John of Gaunt's later marriages and descendants
Blanche died in 1369. It is believed Geoffrey Chaucer wrote and dedicat
ed his Book of the Duchess to her, as the poem not only mentions the Bla
ck Knight, but the 'Lady White', whom we can take to be Blanche in allegor
y.
In 1371, John married Constanza of Castile, daughter of King Peter I of Ca
stile, thus giving him a claim on the kingdom of Castile, which he would p
ursue unsuccessfully.
In the meantime, John of Gaunt had fathered four children by a mistress, K
atherine Swynford (whose sister married the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer). Const
anza died in 1394. He married Katherine in 1396 or 1397, and their childre
n, the Beauforts, were legitimised but barred from inheriting the thron
e. From the eldest son, John, came a granddaughter, Margaret Beaufort, who
se son, later King Henry VII of England, would nevertheless claim the thro
ne.
John of Gaunt's legitimate son from his first marriage, Henry Bolingbrok
e, proved less of a diplomat than his fathe