General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> The Fair Maiden of /Kent/
REFN: 9054AN
Family history
Joan was daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent and Margaret Wa
ke. Her paternal grandparents were Edward I of England and his second Que
en consort Marguerite of France. Her father was a younger half-broth
er of Edward II of England. Edmund's support of the King placed him in con
flict with the Queen, Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1
st Earl of March. When Edward II was deposed, Joan's father was executed.
Early life
The Earl’s widow, Margaret Wake, was left with four children. Her young
er daughter, Joan, was only two years old. Her cousin, the new King, Edwa
rd III, took on the responsibility for the family, and looked after them w
ell. His wife, Queen Philippa, was well known for her tender-heartednes
s, and Joan grew up at court, where she became friendly with her cousin
s, including Edward, the Black Prince.
Marriage(s) and legendary beauty
At the age of twelve, she entered into a clandestine marriage with Thom
as Holland of Broughton. The following year, while Holland was overseas, h
er family forced her into a marriage with William Montacute. As Counte
ss of Salisbury, Joan moved in the highest society. Some historians identi
fy her as the mystery woman who appeared at a banquet in Calais and attrac
ted the attention of every man present. Allegedly, while dancing with t
he King, the lady lost her blue velvet garter, and this was the orig
in of the Order of the Garter. It is more likely that Joan's mother-in-l
aw was the woman involved.
It was not for several years that Thomas Holland returned from crusade, ha
ving made his fortune, and the full story of his earlier relationship wi
th Joan came out. He appealed to the Pope for the return of his wife. Wh
en the Earl of Salisbury discovered that Joan supported Holland’s cas
e, he kept her a virtual prisoner in her own home.
In 1349, Pope Clement VI annulled Joan’s marriage to the Earl and sent h
er back to Thomas Holland, with whom she lived for the next eleven year
s. They had four children, then Holland died in 1360. Their children were:
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter
Joan Holland, married 1) Duke John V of Brittany 2) Edmund of Langley, Du
ke of York, son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault
Maud Holland, married Waleran of St.Pol
Joan, now widowed but only thirty-two, was a catch by anyone else’s standa
rds. She had inherited the earldom of Kent when her brother died in 135
3. She was strikingly beautiful, with perfect features, auburn hair that r
eached to her waist, and dark eyes, and was regarded as one of the most de
sirable women in the country. The Black Prince had been in love with her f
or years, but his father and mother disapproved. Queen Philippa might ha
ve made a favourite of Joan at first, but as her son grew older, she had b
ecome concerned about the budding romance between the two cousins, and s
et herself against it.
Marriage again, and life in France
The Archbishop of Canterbury warned the Prince that there could be doub
ts cast on the legitimacy of any children Joan might bear him, in vi
ew of the fact that one of her previous husbands, the Earl of Salisbury, w
as still alive, but the marriage went ahead with an assurance of absoluti
on from the Pope. They were married in 1361, and almost immediately set sa
il for France, since the Black Prince was also the Prince of Aquitain
e, a region of France which belonged to the English Crown. Two children we
re born in France, both of them sons. The elder son, named Edward after h
is father and grandfather, died at the age of six.
Around the time of the birth of their younger son, Richard, the prince w
as lured into a war on behalf of Pedro the Cruel, ruler of Castile. The en
suing battle was one of the Black Prince’s greatest victories, but King Pe
dro was killed, and there was no money to pay the troops. In the mea